LIKE CLOCKWORK
By: Jem Sagcal
Photo & Video by: Curtain Owl
LIKE CLOCKWORK
By: Jem Sagcal
Photo & Video by: Curtain Owl
The first mechanical toy he remembers creating was when he was in fourth grade, and even then he could create static display dioramas but decided to elevate the craft levels more by building a moving caveman diorama out of strings, play-doh, and old magazine clippings.
The garage couldn’t fit a car like a normal garage should, instead Roderick “Odick” Bañares uses the space as his own workshop and studio. Tools, cranks, and stacks of boxes laid out the floor; drops of dry paint decorated the table tops along with a variety of pens and gears. But together with the rustic mess was his beautiful, colorful, and fun creations, all lined up on the largest wooden table in the area. For a brief moment, it felt like walking into a toy shop.
Odick specializes in creating automata; singular: automaton. An automaton is a self-moving device that can be created in the likeness of human beings and uses gears and cranks similar to how a clock is made. “An automaton is like a simple machine that imitates life through movement,” he says in a mix of English and Tagalog.
In Odick’s garage display, turning the lever clockwise results in predetermined movements that give life to the colorful, cartoonish characters. For 11 years, this has been his professional livelihood and hobby, as even inside his home are other unique objects that could both light up and move. But flashback before the 11 years of his professional career, when Odick was just a child where mechanical toys were a rare luxury.

“One of the reasons I learned to build Automata is because it was a necessity. During my time, mechanical toys were expensive and usually limited in stores,” he says as he looks at his creations next to him. “What I did was, whenever I have old toys, and the motors are still running, I would take them out and put them in a new one.”






Odick in his garage filled with tools and toys with room for more
He was playing with one of his creations, turning the lever around as the fingers tapped on the box. “Impatient Patient” is what he calls it, and though simple it was oddly addictive to play with. “Hopefully, I can continue [doing workshops]. I’ve still been fixing my schedule,” he says. “I want to be able to hold one once a month.”
To Odick, it’s more than just a hobby. He built his life surrounded by different ideas of combining a variety of objects. “I always make it a point that what I do involves arts and engineering.”
Some children do not have the opportunity to learn new things
You can help remove those barriers by giving The Mind Museum a hand. Science should be accessible to all.
What else can you do?
- Learn a bit of the art of automata yourself, nothing wrong with more knowledge
- Click the link and see how you can contribute to a child’s future
So listen,
We love delivering inspiring stories, encouraging change, and giving back to the community.
This time, we’d like to ask a bit of help to keep this platform alive and cover more stories of passion and good.
If you would like to advertise on our platform, or perhaps donate just a dollar, we’d be forever thankful. Shoot us a message if you’d be interesting in giving us a hand!
Thank you!