William A Hall
sense is underscored by the typically rustic environments through which they rush, 
tearing up the rocky or grassy terrain as they go. In the worlds imagined in these 
pictures there is no sign of the omnipresent sealed freeways of contemporary LA. 
Inventions are a key aspect of Will’s art production, both as things in themselves and 
as contributions to larger drawing projects. Always they are aimed at helping people. 
The various ‘choke-savers’, for example, are a good case in point. On one occasion 
Will’s mother got something stuck in her throat and began choking. Luckily, Will was 
around and was able to save her by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre. But what if 
she’d been alone? She would surely have died, he reasoned. So, he set about invent­
ing portable devices that individuals could use to save themselves if alone, such as 
the ‘wrist choke-saver’. Similar, thoughtful inventions include the ‘lean-over’ device, 
by which people can kneel in comfort and safely work above an exposed automobile 
engine. Others include designs for parts of cars, such as an emergency brake handle, 
or engines. There is also a series of drawings relating to the construction of a pyra­
mid and the elaborate vision of Knucklebunzz Harvesting Mushrooms (cf pp 48-49)  
Hall holding binder, 2016. Photo: Angie Page.
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