Mechanical menageries

French sculptor Edouard Martinet uses scavenged materials to create his metal birds, bugs, and other critters. The resulting figures are surprisingly naturalistic and organic.
Via Bibi's Box.






Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is a traveling collection of automata by contemporary artists. Check out the "Artists" and "Exhibitions" categories for images. Of course, automata are best appreciated in motion: here's an animation of the naughty Honeymoon Bed.








What is it about insects and machines that makes them go together? Insect Lab pushes the concept with its creepy-cool, steampunkish mad science creations that fuse gears and springs to insect specimens, ranging from spiders and scorpions to beetles, dragonflies, and even butterflies. They're even for sale, should you be inclined to acquire one of these exquisite curiosities for your own wunderkammer.
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These insects are 100% machine, no nature here. And that goes for the dissected resin skulls, mechanical body parts, and other sinister posthuman devices with names like "External Video Eyeware Apparatus" and "Lethal Injection Attack Droid Prototype". That would be The Sculpture of Christopher Conte.
Via Bibi's Box.






Ann P. Smith's Robots don't look quite as ready to take over the world. They're charming, winsome animals, cobbled together from colorful spare parts and set in motion. The site includes videos of a few of the models in action.






More bugs -- the metal insects wrought by Ukrainian artist Andrew Severynko are twisted, hulking monstrosities, alien and menacing. He also sculpts a mean airship.