Automata -- for Education, for a Cause

I have been known to speak about the playful aspects of contemporary automata. This is not to say they cannot be used to make specific social, economic, or political statements.

Take, for example, this exhibit held a few years ago entitled: Against the idea of war.

From the Site:
In December 2002 the Modern Automata Museum in Montopoli near Rome asked automata artists to join a touring exhibition with the theme "Against the idea of war". 14 international artists from England, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan have made up 15 mechanical sculptures. All sculptures are movable and are driven by an electric engine which is controlled by a motion detector. When a visitor steps in front of the sculpture the mechanism starts moving.

This exhibit reminds us that automata are a form of art -- and art often has something very profound to say.

Visit the online exhibit Against the idea of war