"Kolm Elu" is a one-man endeavor by writer, translator, and designer Anti Saar, producing mechanical plywood ball-playing machines. The company started its production at Aparaaditehas (The Manufactory) in the summer of 2014 and has since released a dozen machines with various designs in collaboration with beloved artists from Estonia and elsewhere.
The retrofuturistic project of "Kolm Elu" pays homage to the golden age of mechanical games and machines, the decades and centuries before the triumph of cybernetics when the future was still imaginative, and people knew how to dream. The "Kolm Elu" ball-playing machines don't relate to modern computer games as a nostalgic counter-movement but rather as a step forward. These machines offer a thrilling n-dimensional gaming experience that feels more lifelike than any computer-programmed simulation. They engage all the player's senses – except perhaps taste.
Playing with the ball machine develops coordination, tactile sensation, accuracy, and patience. All "Kolm Elu" machines are finished with child- and nature-friendly casein paints and linseed varnish.