Mac Robertson

Following a Foundation course at Farnham, Mac studied 3 dimensional and furniture design at Bournemouth College and initially worked with a partner in Surrey making bespoke furniture pieces. He moved to Mid-Wales in the 80’s undertaking product design specification, quality and compliance work over a whole variety of Furnishing items for Laura Ashley from ceramics to lighting product. Following this, a 15 year spell was spent working for a large brass forging company making high quality lighting and door furniture, where roles included product and exhibition design, as well as technical specification. Mac currently runs a small internet china business with his wife Susan.

“I collect and am fascinated by mechanical recreational machines such as juke boxes, pinball and other entertainment machines. These survive as monuments to the pre-electronic age, and the workings are often an artform in their own right!”

WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT ORIEL DAVIES

I have been visitor and customer to the Oriel Davies Gallery since moving here in the 80’s and have always been appreciative of just how lucky we are, having such a cultural venue right on our doorstep. Being right in the hub of the town and nestled perfectly between the commercial and recreational parts, the Gallery is perfectly placed to be the all-inclusive artistic and cultural heartbeat of the town and an attraction to visitors from beyond. The Director’s vison for the future of the Oriel, in particular ensuring its relevance and accessibility to all can only help grow and strengthen such a valuable asset to the local community and environment.

A FAVOURITE CULTURAL ARTIFACT

A child’s Rocket ride: It was the mid 60’s, long before we were at the beck & call of soulless small LCD screens and anything seemed possible. For the princely sum of a tanner (if you can remember such terminology) a child armed with no more than a vivid imagination could be sent to the moon - if only for a couple of minutes. Proudly manufactured in Skegness, this space-age survivor remains a symbol of the limitless creative aspirations of a generation in a time devoid of nonsense virtuality.