Lee McDonald says the following about his work: “It is not enough that a moving device works. The turning of the parts is achieved with the help of a mechanism, but there must always be an unpredictable movement in the result. Otherwise, it’s just a machine doing its job. I can only discover that when I test the device.” He compares it to movements that dancers make in relation to the music they hear: “I find it interesting, for example, to see dancing people who make non-obvious movements to the rhythm of the music.” In one of McDonald’s tests from 2020, he can be seen dancing in his studio with a spinning airplane propeller on his back, not clear whether he is propelled by the mechanism on his back or by music to which he dances and makes strange movements.
Each model is made of scrap cardboard and mounted by Lee McDonald on a wooden platform, sandwiched between a holder of a selfie lamp on a black tripod. Each 'maqqueta', as he calls them, is an idea for a yet-to-be-implemented plan that is captured on video each time.
The 'Formula 1' racing car has been recreated in full size.