Automata is the Latin word referring to anything that is capable of moving or motivating of its own accord. An automaton is another word for robot, which has in essence, the same meaning.
Is it still a drawing if it is created with aid of a computer programme? Computer-aided drawing and design is fast becoming the only way for art to become a final art product. The mouse and the artist's mind merge to become the drawing tool.
Simon Nicholls presents us with this very interesting question about how we consider some things better made by machine, but tend to value pictures/objects generated by the human hand as higher art. By his control over a computer-aided "robot", Simon Nicholls maintains his authorship over the final works that are produced by the blending of the human mind and the computer's technical capability. In the 21st century, we accustomed to have our mechanical assistants with us.
This work is made of a series of layers of computer plots / drawings on canvas. The layers create a sense of depth, creating the visual metaphor of dense shrubbery. The elements of this work are all composed by computer and drawn by machine and it is this point that Nicholls is interested in.