After nearly 150 old age of staying put at England ’s Bowes Museum , the Silver Swan — a one - of - a - kind , living - sized swan zombi and euphony box — is about to take flying . make in 1773 by Belgian inventor John Joseph Merlin along with British jeweller James Cox , the chemical mechanism will be on display as part of " Robots , " a newfangled exhibition that ’s orifice at London ’s Science Museum in February , harmonise toCult of Weird .
The Silver Swanis wide have sex for its preciseness craftsmanship , detailed silverwork , and progress in clockwork geartrain . When it ’s wound up , the music box play and the river the swan floats on — composed of rotate trash cylinder — get down to stream . The automaton then begins to preen itself , as it moves its chief from side to side . The swan later dip its nous down to catch and eat one of the small silver Pisces swim below . It ultimately lifts its head again , a Pisces wriggling in its oral fissure , as the performance cease after 32 mo of elegant “ dance . ” A waterfall was believed to be positioned behind the Silver Swan at one time , but it was stolen during years of touring .
The automaton take in mass popularity when it was put on display at the International Exposition of 1867 in Paris , France . Mark Twain actually discover the swan in mortal at that case , the second macrocosm ’s fair , and wrote about the oddity inThe inexperienced person Abroad . fit in to Twain , the swan “ had a living goodwill about his campaign and a living intelligence in his eyes . ”
“ We are thrilled that the Silver Swan — one of the expectant eighteenth - hundred automatons — will be part of our ' Robots ' exhibition,”Ben Russell , the Science Museum ’s lead conservator , said . “ The Swan is an awful evocation of life , and relieve oneself us ruminate on our eternal fascination with replicating living thing in mechanical form . ”
The Silver Swan will make its way of life to theScience Museumfrom February 8 to March 23 , 2017 .
[ h / tCult of Weird ]
