The Corkscrew

You know how it is when something should “just work”  but it doesn’t?
…well that’s most probably because Rob Higgs didn’t make it!

Rob is an engineer. Or should I say he’s an artist?  Actually, he is both.  He is best described as a “mechanical sculptor” or a maker of quirky automata.

He invents, designs and makes mechanical sculptures, contraptions and eccentric machines, largely using materials he rescues from scrap heaps. Old gears, wheels, chains and ancient mechanical items are his stock-in-trade and he can often be found foraging in old farmsteads, boatyards abandoned industrial sites and scrap yards.

Rob describes himself as a “maker of fine contraptions”. What started out as a hobby has now become his living and he produces his automata sculptures, each one unique, for a wide range of clients from small scale community projects, to large scale commercial commissions.

Much of his work is for theatre and in films.  You can imagine that if he had be making these during the Monty Python’s Flying Circus era, how different that iconic program’s opening titles would have been!

Rob renovated an old fishing boat on which he now lives, with his wife and small son, up a creek in Cornwall.  He has permanent exhibits at the Eden Project in Cornwall and at the National Science Museum in London, as well as in numerous private collections and International galleries.

The “Corkscrew” automaton is available to hire for parties and events – or you can commission Rob to build you your own custom version!Anyone interested in purchasing one of the limited edition Corkscrews, please visit www.oneofone.org.uk or you can  check out Rob’s web site for further details.