The clockwork insects and birds shown here are all that is left of the life’s work of master craftsmith Maxwell Sibylla. As soon as he could talk, and likely before, Maxwell spent most of his time in conversation with a (curator’s note: imaginary???) twin brother named Archibald. They had their own language–indecipherable to others–and spent hours tinkering and talking in their basement workshop. A keen observer and avid walker, Maxwell kept his eyes on the ground where he discovered a wealth of discarded, unwanted, and unloved items. These were brought back and incorporated into his clockwork creations. The workshop was soon filled to bursting with found treasures such as keys, buttons, washers, nails, and more.

As he grew older, Maxwell’s skills grew. No-one is certain when Maxwell developed a method to animate his creations. Some say it was the work of the mysterious Archibald. Others say it was after a journey to Mexico with his older sister Chloe where they met an elusive mystic who bestowed them with arcane power.

All we know is that the seemingly lifeless creatures on display here possess an astonishing and baffling ability. When exposed to the light of the full moon, they awaken and scamper, crawl and vigorously flap about. Sadly, several specimens escaped before our team was able to contain them. Recovery efforts have thus far been unsuccessful.

Our scientists have been unable to discover the process behind the mysterious revivification and research has been slowed by the fact that they are only able to observe this phenomenon once every moon cycle. They do, however, report hearing a faint chuckling whenever one of the creatures dive bombs or trips up an unsuspecting researcher. Is it Archibald, or simply the sound of the gears moving? We may never know but we await each full moon with great anticipation.