I first heard of Tim Hunkin when I watched his TV series The Secret Life of Machines: a whimsical but thorough explanation of how various devices, from elevators to fax machines, work. I was hooked.

More recently, I’ve been following Tim’s work at his site, timhunkin.com, which shows and describes his fantastic (and fantastical) projects. I love his animated collection boxes / vending machines. My all-time favorite is Nobby: a sculpture of a lifeboat man, who rattles his box and, on receipt of a coin, nods his head in benediction. It’s a nicely understated and sympathetic experience – I look forward to seeing it one day.

There is a wonderful pair of videos of his Exploratorium Clock at His Exploratorium Clock page.

Update: and recently (2021) Tim’s been producing a series on YouTube about how to use various components, from LEDs to hinges. A master course in Making.