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Bruce Lacey

Bruce Lacey


A Statement by Bruce Lacey about R.O.S.A. B.O.S.O.M

Radio. Operated. Simulated. Actress. Battery. Or. Standby. Operatred. Mains.

I studied Electrical and Mechanical Engineering in the Royal Navy 1945-48. In 1951 I went on to study painting at The Royal College of Art, London, leaving in 1954 with a First Class Honours Degree.
Two years on I had lost interest in painting, I began making props and special effects for television shows, this developed and I found myself performing in West End night clubs with my electrical assemblages.
In 1965 there was a poetry convention at The Albert Hall, London. I was asked to do an event, so I built a radio controlled Robot called John Silent, who came on stage making farting and belching noises. This was my comment on Poetry. The Poets thought this was very Avant-Garde, there was a style of Poetry called ‘Noise or Sound Poetry’ of which I knew nothing.
1966 John Silent had a sex change and became R.O.S.A. B.O.S.O.M (Radio. Operated. Simulated. Actress. Battery. Or. Standby. Operated. Mains.) to play the part of the Queen of France in a production of the Three Musketeers with myself playing the part of D’Artagnan at the Arts Theatre, London and later at The Royal Court Theatre, London in 1969.
In 1967 I built another Robot called MATE, who performed with R.O.S.A at various venues, such as The Middle Earth in Covent Garden and The Brighton Festival, they interacted cybernetically with each other using Ultrasonics, Infra-Red and Audio Signals.
In 1968 Jasia Reichardt invited me to participate in the Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition at the ICA, London. I was overjoyed.
I performed with both R.O.S.A. B.O.S.O.M and MATE. I also exhibited a light sensitive OWL and an experience called SENSEXPLORATION.

Over the years R.O.S.A. has achieved many things, being Best Man at my second wedding, acting in films, appearing in television shows, newspapers, magazines, and exhibitions. Her finest moment was to win The Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World competition in 1985. R.O.S.A. is still going strong today, and loving every minute of it, at the age of 45.

Kindly loaned by Bruce Lacey.

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