You now have just over 2 weeks to perfect a few clever tricks to entertain everyone this Christmas Holiday. Tim Hunkin’s website – http://hunkinsexperiments.com/ – Hunkin’s Experiments is full of wonderful ideas, here are a couple to try out:- (The book is now sold out, but you may be able to get one second-hand). Visitors […]
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Day 24 – CMT Calendar
The CMT Calendar We have created a Calendar for 2010 featuring some of our best-loved automata and images of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Covent Garden, London. It is available to purchase from www.lulu.com, and if you order now you should receive it in time for Christmas. You can preview the Calendar here It costs £15.99.
Day 23 – The Revenge of the Beautiful Assistant
Fi Henshall has had great fun with this latest one- off piece. The naked lady has turned Magician’s assistant, and is now getting her own back! The Magician’s eyes literally pop out of his head, and his leg moves in worried anticipation that the trick will go wrong. The elaborate mechanism, including weights and pulleys, […]
Day 22 – Spooner's Moving Animals
Spooner’s Moving Animals and The Museum of the Mind These two cardboard cut out books by Paul Spooner were first published in 1986 and 1992 respectively and have both been out of print for many years. However they are often available on Amazon, and other secondhand book sites, and make fantastic presents for the would-be […]
Day 21 – Free CMT Cartoon History
Free CMT Cartoon History (1979-1984) by Ron Fuller As you may have read in Simon Tait’s recent mews, at the age of 15 Sue Jackson found herself at Falmouth Art School with Ron Fuller. Sue caught up again with Ron years later when he was making wooden toys, and she was opening a new crafts […]
Day 20 – Le Bureau Automatique
A new one-off piece from Paul Spooner for 2009. The grey office worker surveys his papers moving endlessly between his in tray and his out tray. The elaborate air powered mechanism contains tiny leather bellows, and a very long ratchet. An optional grey face can be removed, and hung on the side of the machine […]
Simon Tait’s Mews No.6
Wanna tell you a story… If you’ve been following the Magic of Cabaret day by day you’ve got some idea of the range of what CMT does, and elsewhere on the site there’s a bit of history, but I think you ought to know the real story about how the whole thing came about, and […]
Day 19 – 'Carlos Zapata' by Andrew Lanyon
A new book by Andrew Lanyon, in which Andrew examines some of Carlos’ most challenging pieces of work. As he says ‘We are grateful to Carlos for being brave enough to make these awful things’. The subject of war, oppression, poverty and disease are all observed in these demanding works. Handbound 28 pp 20 cm […]
Day 18 – Harmless Fun
This evening we feature a little piece by Paul Spooner which was first sold in 1997. ‘Harmless Fun’, a gnome sitting on top of a toadstool, were produced by the Fourteen Balls Toy Company, (but no longer available). This one is number 50 of the edition. Dated 11th July 1997. The accompanying rhyme – (written […]
Day 17 – The Skateboarder Kit
A brand new kit for 2009 – the Skateboarder. What better gift for the hard-to-please teenager than this lovely indoor project? Alternatively you can buy one to make it as a present. These kits can also be painted which adds to the fun. There is a great action on the this piece, the skateboarder’s knees […]