The Incredible Typewriter Assemblage Sculpture of Jeremy Mayer – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

The Incredible Typewriter Assemblage Sculpture of Jeremy Mayer

1

Jeremy Mayer makes sculpture almost exclusively from one source- the mechanical typewriter.

His interest in vivisecting the typewriter goes back to the age of 10, when he would type on his family’s 1920’s Underwood typewriter while typing song lyrics he heard while watching MTV. He began making sculpture from typewriters in 1994.

He maintains that his work as a mechanic, package designer, sculptor’s assistant, illustrator, and stained glass restorer gave him the skillset that organically led him to use typewriters as a sculptural medium in order to bring his ruminations about nature and technology to life.

More: Jeremy Mayer h/t: bookofjoe

2

His process has some very specific rules, which he says create surprising and unexpected outcomes; one of the reasons that he’s done this work for over 25 years.

Typewriters are sourced from yard sales, thrift shops, and sometimes from typewriter repair shops. Mayer prefers machines that are fairly common, beyond reasonable repair, and in the most favorable scenario, on their way to the landfill. He doesn’t source them online, as he finds that there are plenty of broken machines nearby for his needs. Shipping and driving long distances for source material are antithetical to his ideas about maintaining a minimal environmental impact as an artist and human.

3

4

The machines are then disassembled, sometimes to their very smallest components and assemblies. It’s important that the parts don’t become marred, scratched, or broken in the disassembly process, so no power tools are used. Just screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc.

The parts are then categorized and put into bins and sometimes unused typewriter cases, then stored.

5

In making these sculptures, no process other than cold assembly is used. Welding, soldering, and gluing are too destructive to the finish and fit of the typewriter components. Only the screws, nuts, pins, springs, and other myriad connective elements that come out of the typewriter are used in the assembly of the sculpture, in ways that emulate the assembly methods used when the typewriters were originally built in the 20th century. The components are bent, drilled, or altered as minimally as possible.

6

For larger work, an armature may be used to support the weight of the work, but the smaller sculptures are entirely made from typewriters, without using any store-bought fasteners.

Mayer draws inspiration from the basic rules to which natural forms are bound, and insists that the appearance and function of machine components are inseparable from naturally occurring biological processes at all scales.

7

8
9
10

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Norwegian Artist Makes 'Pillows' From White Marble

Artist Creates Surreal Translucent Glass Sculptures Inspired By Cell Division

Escape Velocity: Where Physical Art Meets Digital Illusion, A Fabian Oefner Showcase

Talbotics: Original Robot Sculptures Made from Found Objects

Breaking the Mold: Kira Goodey's Exclusive and Outrageous Footwear

3D Art of Markus Kanzler: Exploring the World of Texture, Composition and Color

Artist Kerri Pajutee Creates Incredibly Realistic Miniature Animal Sculptures

Exploring Nature's Beauty Through Art: The Captivating Works of Stephanie Kilgast

Artist Helen Thompson Creates Expressive Dog Sculptures

Korean Artist Transforms Well-Known Products Into Origami Miniatures

A Design Award Winner DIY Calendar

A Carpet Enthusiast Has Created Rugs Featuring Popular Anime and Cartoon Characters

You Won’t Believe The Mindblowing Metal Sculptures Created By The ‘Weld Queen’ Of Russia

Amazing Installations by French Studio Zim&Zou Made of Paper, Leather and Plasticine

Stunning Sand Sculptures By Artist JOOHeng Tan

E X E G E S I S: Book Artworks by Marcus Sherman

Warhammer-Inspired Playground Discovered in The Heart of Russia

The Magnificent Monochrome Sculptural Works of Hans Op de Beeck

Huge Low Poly Art Sculptures and Installations by David Mesguich

Who Killed Laura Palmer? Twin Peaks Inspired Undercover Fall Winter 2024-2025 Menswear Collection

This Artist Creates Unique Silicone Alien Baby-Dolls, And They Are Terryfyingly Beautiful

Impressive Double Exposure 3D Murals by Stathis Tsavalias

The Intersection of Typographical Art and Cultural Transformation in the 1960 and 1970s

Lithuanian Artist Created These Sculptures Using Nothing But Scrap Materials

Surreal Floating Room Sculptures by Leandro Erlich

Ghost Sculptures Of WW1 Soldiers Erected In An Old English Cemetery

15 Astonishing Sculptures That Turn Reality Inside Out

Artist Makes Stunning Sculptutes From Scrap Metal And Other Discarded Objects

Japanese Artist Creates Charming Balloon Sculptures

Steampunk Animal And Insect Sculptures By Igor Verniy