Chloe Rodham

I thought it might be a good idea to make some instructions on the wheel handles to explain simply what each handle does so I made some lettering files in Adobe Illustrator and cut them out on a laser cutter. I also realised that people using the automata should see an instruction when the roll runs out so that they don't keep rolling and tear the wallpaper entirely, so added in a little instruction when you get to the end of the paper roll.

I felt fitting to base the cat on the automata on the cat that popped in to the library at the same time I met Pauline, so I started to paint its black and white splodges. To make the cat look furry I used pva glue, flocking and a static machine to apply the strands of fibre so that they stand upright on their ends.

It was great to meet Pauline and chat a bit more about the idea behind her invention, how it was based on a cat she used to have which would scratch and peel off wallpaper from particular areas of the house. It was lovely to hear how inspired she was the Joy Lab challenge, with the brief being a bit of permission to let your mind and imagination wander. I explained where I had got to with the make so far and we were even visited by local feline celebrity Boris the cat who clearly wanted to hear all about the idea too!