“All Work which would be irksome to do by hand is done by immensely improved
machinery; and in all work which it is a pleasure to do by hand, machinery is
done without.”
William Morris, News From Nowhere
Our goal is the revival of stone crafts through robotics. The economic problem
that we are addressing is simple: if an industry fails to innovate, it will
price itself into an ever-smaller and more exclusive market. Our solution is to
automate the crudest and most time-consuming portion of the stone-carving
process, leaving the final touches to expert stonemasons. Productivity gains
reduce the cost of stone production, opening demand beyond the luxury market.
We envision a world in which a thriving stone-masonry industry produces
affordable stone schools, hospitals, and homes.
Our project is a contemporary expression of the spirit of the Arts and Crafts
movement, of which William Morris was a central figure. We realise Morris’s
dream of a future in which technology serves to liberate people from dull
labour and free up time for the pursuit of their craft. By making ornament
affordable, we contribute to the resolution of the post-industrial opposition
between beauty and economy. Ornament ceases to be a privilege.
Our William Morris bust is a technological and philosophical proof-of-concept.
Designed by a 3D sculptor, it will be milled by our SM-2 robot and finished
by an expert stone mason in our Stamford workshop. Delegating the crude
portion of the carving process is not new: Canova and Rodin both left the
roughing-out of marble to studio assistants, reserving the finishing work for
themselves. We have collaborated with ElevenLabs to allow viewers to interact
via telephone with an AI William Morris, symbolising the heightened connection
with the past that can be achieved by means of technological innovation.
ANOR