What do you usually do with your electronic items which are damaged or can not be used anymore? You probably dispose them off or store them for some time in the hope to get them repaired and then throw away. At the most, what one thinks of doing is to extract some usable parts from the gadget and discard the rest. Whatever you may be doing with the damaged electronics, I am sure you do not think of creating something totally new out of them.

What on Earth could be created with damaged gadgets! Is that what is going on in your mind? Tal Avitzur has the answer. 'Robot Sculptures' are what he creates. The cool robots he makes out of the scrap metal objects are so finely designed that one would easily assume them to be a part of the props used in some sci-fi movie.

Tal comes from a science oriented family background with all the siblings being engineers or doctors. But he has blended science and art together through his work. There are small details to be taken care of in his creations, which are a pleasure to watch. Read on the interview with artist and find out how he landed up into the world of robotics.

1. Hello Tal, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Sci-fi enthusiast; collector of odd items; fan of H.R. Giger, 70's rock'n'roll and Jeunet movies; third grade spelling-bee runner-up (lost on the word 'cemetery'); dogs trust me ... and some cats too; ex-girlfriends describe me as "childish", but I do pay my bills on time; maker of robot and sci-fi themed sculptures from found objects ... and most importantly, lucky husband to wonderful Lisa.

2. How did you get the idea of making art out of junk parts?

I was fixing up a beat-up, old house on a limited budget. That took me to the scrap metal yard. I began collecting vintage power tools, kitchen appliances, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers ... from an age where the designers, I believe, would have preferred to be creating futuristic rocket ships and robots. I wanted to save these objects from being melted down for their metal, and gone forever.

3. From where do you collect the junk parts for making your robots? Do you have any specific places from where you collect the junk? Do you sometimes use the junk you find in your own house :)

Besides the scrap metal yard, this obsession also takes me to auto and marine salvage yards, flea markets, garage sales, etc... And now that the word is out, parts also appear at my front gate, and sometimes in the mail. As well as the LED-lit robot lights scattered around the house, many found objects do find practical uses, such as door pulls, curtain rod holders and toilet paper holders.


Grinder, polisher, drill press, taps and dies, Dremel, and more often than I would like, bandages.

5. How do you get the idea to make the figure of each robot? Each piece needs to have an inspiration. Is it a comic book hero or is it a cartoon figure and so on?

I collect objects based on how they look. I may find something that looks like a head or an arm ... and then build a piece based on that one found object. As a child I was a big fan of comics, sci-fi books and movies. I'm sure that has some influence.


When collecting parts I try to find things in pairs (for arms, legs, feet and hands), but that doesn't always work out.

I rarely have all the needed parts on hand. The workshop currently has about 15 projects just waiting for their missing parts. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to many, many months to finish a piece.


I took a few robots to the Bay Area Maker Faire, and though not necessarily a compliment, it was interesting to hear the comments ranging from "cute" and "adorable" to "scary" and "creepy". A visitor to my workshop once commented how one could build a pretty cool set for a Dr. Frankenstein movie from my collection of stuff. I like that.

8. What other artists do you look up to in the field of robot creation? If you could peek into the studio and toolbox of one artist and collaborate with him/her who would it be?

It was the work of Nemo Gould that inspired me to begin creating. To find an artist that shared the compulsion of collecting things, while actually making very cool art from discarded objects was enlightening. Nemo has been very supportive. He lets me rifle through his workshop parts' bins when I visit him.

9. What are your future plans as an artist?

Build a machine for time travel, collect parts from the past and future, bring them back and create more.

10. With your experience as an artist what advice would you like to offer to the budding and aspiring generation of artists?

Rather than advice, could I instead offer sarcastic comment? I'm joking. My advice is to keep it fun, and in the words of Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton "Do What You Like".

Tal, thanks for such an extensive interview. It was a great experience learning about you. Wish you good luck!

For more artistic inspiration, follow us on Facebook.