Avid automata collector and author of ‘Stormbreaker’, Anthony Horowitz is the delighted owner of Matt Smith’s 2004 piece, The Price of Chickens.
‘I bought this because it reminded me of two characters out of Foyle’s War (Horowitz’s TV series) – ‘they would certainly have plenty to talk about if they had a chicken in 1945! The mechanism is so ingenious and yet the two women are so recognizable…almost prosaic. I think it’s a great piece’.
The lady in blue (Maud) is talking to Flo (the other woman), Flo then pulls a chicken out of her basket (the chicken raises about 6cm and is hidden by the basket) then tells Maud the price, Maud stops talking and leans forward to take a closer look, at the same time she raises her hand to the side of her face (as elderly English ladies are prone to do, have a look around any supermarket!) the machine then resets.
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is a collection of contemporary automata founded in 1982. It has permanent and temporary exhibitions all over the world. We aim to entertain and inspire visitors, makers and collectors.