Building Block Monster

Painting and Story by Lehan Winifred Ramsay

Small autonomous monster blocks will move in the same direction until a small pebble on the ground, a twig, a rough patch, sets them off course. For a long time they will appear to be in formation. Eventually they will veer wildly. The ant sits for what feels like a long, long time, watching them, occasionally nudging one or the other until it moves back into it’s path. But the small monster blocks are reliable only at accomplishing their small tasks. Working together is beyond them, and after consultation with the Ant Elders, the ant has formed a new plan. The small monster blocks will have to nudge and nestle themselves up and over each other block until they form one block. The Building Block Monster. Not yet a social being, but an automated device capable of more complex behaviour.  Capable of social behaviour and limited problem solving. Each block able to mimic the commands of the ant, one block correcting other blocks. One central control containing hierarchical ordering. The Building Block Monster is a RoBlock.