After months of plotting and one whirlwind week of activity The Hastings Contraption has been built.
On September 14th Tom Haney, Fi Henshall, Joseph Wallace & Carlos Zapata, came together at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Hastings to create a large-scale, mobile mechanical artwork inspired by the town’s coastal landscape, fishing heritage, and playful mythologies. Built from locally-sourced reclaimed materials, the piece is designed to travel along the seafront and engage the public through movement, storytelling and humour.
These four artists met in Hastings at AutomataFest 2025 and hatched a plan to join together and build a fantastical machine.
They arrived on Monday and set about sourcing materials from local scrapyards and second-hand shops. The artists worked all hours bringing their vision to life and revealed it to a delighted audience on the Saturday. The finished piece is built from old boxes and luggage, each compartment houses a different mechanical scene. You can visit the haunted antique shop, spot the smugglers arguing over their loot, see the fishmonger chopping fish and much more.
A behind the scenes film is currently being edited and outings for the contraption are being planned. Make sure to sign up to our mailing list to get all the news. Or follow The Hastings Contraption on Instagram.
