Musician [Soulcrate] and photographer (Good Life Photo Co.) Dan Eisenhauer has definitely made a name for himself through various creative outlets. For those who know him, it won’t be a surprise to know he’s up to something new. Eisenhauer introduced 605 to his newest project: SorryBots. These robot-esque lamps will light up your life, which is ironic since they’re so somber.

Where did you get the idea for SorryBots?

Dan Eisenhauer: I love vintage lighting. I started buying and collecting vintage lamps and rewiring them. I was always into robots. I loved Short Circuit when I was growing up, and Wall-E is one of my all-time favorite movies. So it just all came together.

Why the name “SorryBots”?

DE: I was going through a personal and life-changing experience when I started making these. I was down, sad, and stressed out more than I knew how to handle. When I’m going through something of that nature, I find therapy in delving myself into art, and creating things as a form of outlet or release. I was basically feeling sorry for myself, and the robots having a sorry and sad look to them is symbolic to how I felt in the beginning stages of creating them.

Where do you find the materials for your projects?

DE: I started with taking things apart from around my house. I cut the legs off my daughter’s chair and used them as robot legs for my first-ever piece. I started using vintage cameras I had collected as heads for them. I became obsessed with seeing robot limbs and bodies in everything in my house. When my daughter and girlfriend decided they wanted to keep things in the house, I started finding things on the side of the road: dumpsters, garage sales, thrift stores, and now people just give me things. I’m always on the lookout.

As a somewhat new idea, are you going to stick to lamps, or expand?

DE: I think for now I’m going to stick with making lamps. It came from the heart, and it was something I wanted to do, and I feel no need for expansion. When I feel the need to make something else, I will. But, for now, I’m just going to stick with this.

Going from photography to this, what kind of differences do you notice in your creative process?

DE: Mentally, as an art, it feels the same. You have an idea or inspiration in your head, and you try your best to create it. Physically, the creative process is way different. I drill, cut, bend, weld, and figure out ways to make things fit together to create. Where, in photography, I see something and capture it within seconds.

How long does each piece take?

DE: It all depends on the piece. I’ve had some I have finished in hours, and I have some that I started a month ago and I’m still working on. I’ve learned a lot about building and creating over the last few months, so I’ve become a lot more efficient.

What kind of impact do you want SorryBots to make?

DE: I don’t want them to be just another lamp sitting on the shelf. I want them to capture some sort of emotion. I want them to spark a reaction in people when they see them. I want them to inspire someone to create something. Create anything. I had no idea what I was doing a few months ago, but I learned, and I want people to be inspired to do the same.

To get yourself a SorryBot, head over to sorrybots.com.

FOUND MATERIALS

Eisenhauer has used various materials for his SorryBots. Here are just a few:

• Vintage Golf Clubs
• Peep Holes off a door from the 80’s
• Salad Tongs
• Nutcrackers
• Forks
• Model A Ford Gas Bulb
• Brackets