"Strampelchen" is the name of a baby doll series which has been manufactured by German company Schildkröt in the 1940s.

I was inspired by this in my retrofuturistic assemblage and kinetic artwork. Strampelchen (a baby kicking its legs) is a toddler who curiously explores his world - he is always on the move, always curious and wants to explore his environment.

I have symbolized this movement and curiosity in my art object with the leather bellows of the old camera, which is always in motion, with the shining eyes and the magnifying glass. The spark plugs show the firing of the neurons that represent the toddler's learning process.

Materials:

• doll head “Strampelchen”, manufactured by Schildkröt in the 1940s
• antique plate camera from 1923
• geared motor and eccentric disk
• spark plugs
• LEDs for illumination of eyes, viewfinder and neck
• ring of SMD LEDs
• magnifying glass
• leather strap
• power transformer
• toggle switches
• textile power cord

Additional information:

• In this project I wanted to integrate not only light, but also movement. I built a geared motor (5 rpm) into the leather bellows, which drives an eccentric disk - this moves the bellows in slow rotations.