Whilst we were in Covent Garden (1984-2000) Cabaret Mechanical Theatre was one of Sir Nicholas Goodison’s favourite shops. This article from The Times in 1997 details some of the automata that he loved. Sir Nicholas sadly passed away in 2021. Over his lifetime, starting at age 19, he amassed a magnificent collection of over 900 […]
Peter Markey 1930-2016
We are very sad to announce the death yesterday, November 2nd, of Peter Markey, aged 86. Peter was the first automata artist to start making work for us in 1979 and he continued to make automata for almost 50 years. His deceptively simple style and insistence on using the most basic materials belied his ingenuity […]
A Curious Turn
The Crafts Council’s new touring exhibition, A Curious Turn: Moving Mechanical Sculpture will celebrate 40 years of British automata and a preview of the exhibition will open 15 September at Habitat’s King’s Road Platform Gallery as part of London Design Festival before the full exhibition with 40 automata embarks on a two-year nationwide tour.
Marvellous Mechanica
Join Hole & Corner at London Craft Week as they host an imaginative makers’ space worthy of Heath Robinson in the chapel at dynamic not-for-profit members club The House of St Barnabas in Soho. Over the course of the week, artists Martin Smith, Nik Ramage and Jim Bond will build a site-specific kinetic installation with […]
Amazing Automata Tour
20 of our favourite pieces are now on tour in the UK. Come along this summer and have fun bringing the pieces to life at the touch of a button. There are lots of classics, such as Paul Spooner’s The Barecats, The Spaghetti Eater, Peter Markey’s Piano Player and Keith Newstead’s Ski-ing Dog. Alternative Technology […]
