Covid Collage

Meet Covid Cuthbert, his unborn name was Covid Colin and he wasn’t a he until he was born, it all depended on the final parts coming together. He was conceived in lockdown one and born in lockdown two. On morning walks with my wife during that time I had the crazy idea of making something from all the detritus I would see lying around. Of course, I didn’t pick up every bit of crud I saw, but pretty much every bit of small plastic and metal I could find within a 15-minute walk of the house that was just lying about. My wife did draw the line at the bigger stuff like a shoe, a hub cap or two and the biggest of all, a tailgate from a trailer! At some point the finds dried up in the locality and so we went a bit further out just to find extra picks and got the extra exercise to boot. And so, my idea of a Covid collage was born. Initially it was going to be a flat piece of art but as time went on finds were coming together such that creating a Robot came to mind. This was additionally inspired during lockdown after watching Perry Grayson on Grayson's Art Club and his invention – Alan Measles.

One man's rubbish is another man's treasure.

If you keep your eyes open it is amazing what is at your feet. I even found money. I appreciate some could not think of anything worse than picking up rubbish from the street during a pandemic. I put my finds in a little bag I carried with me and yes, I washed the items and my hands after every outing. One must wonder how it ended up on the path or in the road, the life it had and what effect it will have on no longer being with its original host. There was a lot I left behind such as used gloves and facemasks for obvious reasons. It does beggar belief that these were discarded in this way with so many bins within reach. I am a trustee for an environmental charity called the Dorset Scrapstore whose purpose is to intercept usable, clean industrial waste from landfill and allow people to cheaply acquire it for re-purposing for crafting activities. Always being a maker, this was an extension of my creativity.

Birth during lockdown two

The Summer passed and the component parts were still in gestation, waiting for the right time for them to come to life. That time came during lockdown two. My aim was to construct the robot completely from the parts I found with only the addition of glue to bring it to life and that I achieved, although a cable tie came in handy. It wasn't without much experimenting and frustration along the way. After many failed attempts with certain glues, I settled on the good ole hot glue gun. I suffered a few cuts and scrapes along the way, topped up by the odd burn (damn, that glue is hot) but I have made peace with that now. It was by sheer coincidence the component parts (and my imagination) gave birth to a male robot and need I point out the genitalia to reinforce this. He has balance issues but who doesn't when they first come into this world with different sized watering can rose for feet, but with a bit of training I'm sure he'll be fine.

What does 2021 hold?

I have already been collecting and planning for a friend, sibling or other family member for Cuthbert during lockdown three so watch this space. Anything left over from the making of Cuthbert will find its way into any new make. That will only come about when the time is right though. The right pieces will come together when my imagination says so. If you don't fancy scavenging off the street, perhaps you could head off to your local Scrapstore (when they can open again) or collect clean, re-usable waste from around the house and see what you can give a second life. In fact, do whatever crafting floats your boat. Crafting to your hearts content is good and is a great grounding mindfulness technique. Do not put a time limit on it. Get lost in the moment and you will be surprised what you can achieve and how much time will pass. Everyone needs a distraction right now so give it a go - Happy making!