Robots That Should Have Existed in the Past

A photographic tour of Gordon Bennett's mid-century robot workshop

Gordon Bennett makes robots out of mid-century machine parts. They are beautiful and oddly human. You can read our story about him, which includes a video. Here's an excerpt:

When I first saw the robots, they were standing among the goods at City Foundry, a Brooklyn vintage store piled high with $400 chairs. I pressed my nose to the window and stared: thigh-high and remarkably evocative robots constructed solely from mid-century mechanical components looked back. Their legs were struts; car insignias formed chests. Everything fit. They were sculptures made from things no one makes anymore and most wouldn't recognize. They looked like characters from a lost sci-fi movie Pixar made in 1955. You just want to hug them.

I decided that I had to meet their maker. I wanted to see the workshop. I accosted the store's proprietor with my request and he told me I should just go to BennettRobots.com.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and I only had 24 hours left in town. So, when I saw the phone number on the site, I called it. To my surprise, a man answered. He was game. Within an hour, I was headed to a random street in a no-name neighborhood between Park Slope and Greenwood.  I was going to see a robot workshop in a basement! I got so excited that I left my phone in the cab.