Video of AutomataCon 2016 at the Morris Museum

Here are a few clips to give you a sense for the magical experience that was AutomataCon 2016 held at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey. The event was the first of its kind in recent memory and exceeded all expectations. Attendees included new makers, experienced artists, historians, authors, restorers, collectors, magicians, special effects experts, horologists, and educators. Simply put, it was an incredible event!

Visit www.automatacon.org to learn more about this amazing event.

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AutomataCon - Event for automata artists and enthusiasts a huge success

The first automaton-themed convention, AutomataCon, took place last weekend in Morristown, New Jersey. The event brought together hundreds of artists, collectors, historians, educators, and enthusiasts of automata and other forms of kinetic art. I haven't been to many conventions, but I can say that this one was truly great.

The two day event was held at the lovely the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey. If you haven't visited the museum you might wonder why the convention was held there. The reason is straightforward and compelling: it is home to the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata -- one of the largest and important collections of its kind. Attendees could view the collection throughout the course of the event.

The stated goal of the convention was to gather people from around the world to share ideas, build relationships, and grow interest in automata new and old. In my personal experience, that is precisely what happened. There was a lot of energy all around as people met one another and shared projects, knowledge, and ideas.

The convention programming was outstanding, with two parallel tracks which ensured that there was something for people with different interests and experience levels. I was pleased to be part of two panel discussions. The first was a question and answer session with modern artists who included Tom Haney, Thomas Kuntz, Steve Armstrong, and Cecilia Schiller. The second panel was on the use of horological tools and techniques for making automata. This panel included Brittany Nicole Cox, Thomas Kuntz, and David Lindow. I am honored to have sat beside each and every one of these panelists. Other presentations at the conference included a rare film and talks on restoration, history, magic, and the making of automata.

The event included some very big names from many fields and universal enthusiasm. It was a unique, educational, and inspiring event. I would do it all over again in a hearbeat. Hats off to event founder Brett King for his good work. Thanks to Jere Ryder and the Morris Museum for being key partners is this extraordinary event. Thanks also to the panelists who made the event so fun and informative. Finally, thank you to everyone who attended. You made the event great.

If you want to share an experience from AutomataCon, I encourage you to leave a comment below.

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AutomataCon: a new convention for artists, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts of automata

There is an upcoming event that EVERYONE who reads this blog should know about. The event? AutomataCon. That's right...a convention for us! The press release below says it all. I will be there. I hope you will too!

AutomataCon is a newly conceived convention of and for artists, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts of automatons and related kinetic art. It is a three day event being held March 18th – 20th, 2016 at and in conjunction with the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, home of the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata.

The goal of the convention is to gather people from around the world to share ideas, build relationships, and grow interest in automata new and old. As can be seen from our ever-growing Attendee Gallery, beginners as well as some of the premier artists, collectors, historians, and authors in the automaton community from around the world plan to be in attendance. The convention will include a variety of private and public programming, including: social gatherings, museum tours, panel discussions, live demonstrations, workshops, presentations, and an exhibition. There will also be a premier showing of the extremely rare 1928 film, Le Monde des Automates, in the museum’s Bickford Theatre. Originally created as a typical period silent film using hand-driven cameras, an accompanying sound track was added shortly thereafter, making this one of the first Swiss-made sound films. About 25-30 minutes in length, it was intended to accompany Alfred Chapuis & Eduard Gélis’ foundational 2 volume book by the same title, and documents some extremely rare automata plus a truly unique mechanical musical instrument, the Violinista by Boreau & Aubry (1918-22), in action. A fabulous historical document!

The idea for a convention stemmed from the fellowship shown on the Automata / Automaton Group and Mechanical Adventures group on Facebook. The true value of the convention will be the relationships built and knowledge shared when passionate people of common interest come together. As such, the success of the convention will depend on the attendees themselves. In the end, we are optimistic that great things will come. Please join the Facebook event page for the latest news on the convention.

Visit the event website for more details and to make your reservations.

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See the automata from the Murtogh D. Guinness collection for Obscura Day 2015!

Here is an invite from the Morris Museum to see some of their automata for Obscura Day on May 30th, 2015:

In celebration of Obscura Day 2015, the Guinness Collection Curator and Conservator invite you to the Morris Museum for an interesting and unique demonstration program of clown automata! Come and delight in the fantastical doings of the incredible clowns, jesters and harlequins from the Guinness Collection. Then join us for a private tour behind the locked doors of the Guinness Viewable storage area, where over 500 more mechanical musical instruments and automata live!

The ticket price includes admission to the museum and the opportunity to join the public daily demonstration of the Guinness Collection at 2pm.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, May 30; 12:30-2:00pm
Price: $25
Location: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
Web site: www.morrismuseum.org
Tickets: available from Eventbrite

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Behind-the-scenes tour of the mechanical wonders at the Morris Museum

The Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey has announced a special "Behind Locked Doors" event. The event will feature a special staff-guided tour and demonstration of instruments and automata from the famous Guinness Collection. Visitors will see mechanical marvels that are not normally heard or exhibited in the galleries. This behind the scenes tour includes a visit to the museum's incredible Viewable Storage facility where a large portion of the collection is stored.

What:
Guinness Spotlight: Behind Locked Doors

Where:
Morris Museum
6 Normandy Heights Road
Morristown, NJ  07960
publicrelations@morrismuseum.org 
http://www.morrismuseum.org

When:
Thursday, November 20, 3:00-4:30pm
Thursday, November 20, 6:30-8:00pm

How:
Tickets: Members - $7 / Non-Members - $9
Attendance will be limited. Call 973.971.3706 to reserve a seat.

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The automaton art of Steve Armstrong on exhibit in Lexington, April 2013

Ernesto Scorsone and John Davis will be hosting an exhibition of new work by artist Steve Armstrong in their home in Lexington, Kentucky. Other specially selected pieces from Armstrong's studio will also be on display courtesy of Heike Pickett Gallery. Shown above is the first of a three-part video profile of the artist at work. (Here is a link to part 2 and part 3.)

This is a wonderful and all-too-infrequent chance to see the refined work of a masterful maker of contemporary automata.

What:
Scorsone and Davis, Showing Art of Steve Armstrong

When:
Friday, April 19, 2013
5:00pm until 8:00pm

Where:
The Scorsone and Davis Residence
511 West Short St.
Lexington, Kentucky

For more information, visit the Facebook page for this event.

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Automata by Dug North at World Maker Faire 2012

I participated in World Maker Faire New York for the first time this past weekend. Despite a bit of rain, it was a huge success all around.

Here's what my exhibit looked like moments before tens of thousands of people poured through the gates:

While I didn't get to see much of Maker Faire myself, I did get to meet a lot of people including fans, my favorite customer, readers, makers, Mark Frauenfelder, the awesome staff of MAKE magazine, Dale Dougherty (founder of MAKE Magazine and creator of Maker Faire), as well as fellow automaton-maker Philip Lowndes.

Here is a photo of my exhibit that I took quickly during a particularly slow moment. I received vast amounts of help from Julia Gavin and Bob Quinn (both shown behind the table in the photo below). I couldn't have done the show without them.

I won't kid you, it was all a lot of work, but it was well worth it for many reasons. I got to see thousands of faces -- young and old -- light up when the handles of my automata were cranked. That was tremendously gratifying. I also met many of you, the good readers of The Automata Blog. Thank you for coming by and for letting me know you enjoy the blog!

For those of you that couldn't make it, I'll be posting more videos of my automata on YouTube this week and perhaps even some footage of Maker Faire too!

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Getting ready for World Maker Faire 2012 in New York!

I'm making some improvements to the Monster vs. Strongman automaton. The monster is getting rather impatient, as you can tell from the photo above.

These improvements are in preparation for my exhibit at World Maker Faire 2012 in New York. This is the 3rd annual Faire in the New York area. The event will feature 500 maker exhibits, presentations, how-to workshops, and many incredible attractions.

Come by, say hello, and check out some automata!

Date: September 29th & 30th
Time: Saturday 10AM - 7PM & Sunday 10AM - 6PM
Location:
  New York Hall of Science
  47-01 11th Street, Queens, NY

For more information on the event, visit the Maker Faire web site.

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Bird Song with a Found Feather by Martin Smith with Laikingland

How would you like to wake up in the morning at just the right time to the sound of a beautiful birdsong? That was the idea behind Bird Song with a Found Feather by artist Martin Smith -- to create a mechanically-operated slide whistle that can be set and activated to go off at a specific time.

The piece as described by Martin Smith:

I wanted a piece that could be set, as with an alarm clock, and would allow you start the day gently. I am interested in producing mechanical bird sounds and seeing the cause and effect through a mechanism. For me the making is very important and I wanted to craft every part of the machine, to understand how the bellows are constructed and operate and to get the bird whistle sounding just right.

The piece is made of steel, brass, fabric, custom electrics a feather, and is powered by a 12v motor. It is a beautifully crafted machine with big brass cams. The feather (shown at right) is attached to a long wire coming from the top of the bellows.

Laikingland will be exhibiting this and other new pieces by Maarten Baas and Martin Smith at Mint as part of the London Design Festival 2012.

What:
Mint presents A Spatial Surprise

When:
September 14th to September 30th, 2012

Where:
Mint
2 North Terrace
Alexander Square
London SW3 2BA

For information on price and availability you may contact the Laikingland team at enquiries@laikingland.co.uk

[ Thanks Mike! ]

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Cabaret Mechancial Theatre adds second show in London for 2012

CMT at Space Station Sixty-Five - Part 2

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre's recent summer exhibit in London was a great success, with over 10,000 people visiting the exhibition at Space Station Sixty-Five. They have just announced that there will be a second free exhibition in the same place.

Sausage Drawer by Paul Spooner

If you missed the first show, check out the video above, but more importantly, visit the upcoming show to a new selection of automata. As with the last show, there will be a shop to accompany the exhibit selling books, cutouts, kits, and automata. Until then, here are some links to books, cutouts, kits to tied you over.

Shown here is a photograph of Paul Spooner's classic automaton titled Sausage Drawer.

Details for the fall CMT exhibit

What:
CMT at Space Station Sixty-Five - Part 2

Where:
Space Station Sixty-Five
65 North Cross Road
London, SE22 9ET

When:
September, 2012 to January 2012
Thursday to Sundays 11 AM to 6 PM
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

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Automata by Dug North at World Maker Faire NY 2012

I'm pleased to announce that I have been accepted to exhibit at the upcoming World Maker Faire in New York City! This is the 3rd annual Faire in the New York area and is among the biggest and best events of its kind. Attractions include:

• Maker exhibits - I'll be just one of over 500 maker exhibits total
• Presentations from leading voices in the Maker Movement
• How-to workshops on soldering, lock picking, Arduino and more
• Incredible attractions including the Life-Sized Mousetrap, Coke Zero and Mentos show, Power Racing Series, the now iconic Cupcake Cars

The event is an extravaganza of creativity, knowledge-sharing, and fun. I will be there showing something much like what you see below:

Come by and say hello, check out some carvings, ask me about good books on the topic, and turn the handle on an automaton or two.

Event Details
Date: September 29th & 30th
Time: Saturday 10AM - 7PM & Sunday 10AM - 6PM
Location:
New York Hall of Science
47-01 11th Street, Queens, NY

For more information on the event, visit the Maker Faire web site.

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Dug North Automata at Boston area Mini Maker Faire, April 20th 2012

I'm thrilled to be one of the exhibitors at the Boston-area Cambridge Mini Maker Faire to be held this Friday, April 20th. The Mini Maker Faire this year will be coordinating with the Cambridge Science Festival and their Carnival event.

I'll be bringing a bunch of carved figures, prototypes, and finished wood automata. You will also be able to see videos of my other work. Come turn a crank, ask me about good books on mechanical things, and hear about how I got on the Blu-ray release of Hugo. If you get there early, the kids (old and young) can score a nifty Dug North Automata sticker.

This recent video profile of me shows most of the pieces you will be able to see in person at the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire:

Cambridge Mini Maker Faire Details:
Date: Friday, April 20
Time: 12:00PM to 4:00PM
Where: Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, tennis courts
Cost: Admission to the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire is free!

See you there!

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Paul Spooner talk: mechanical jokes for people with short attention spans

Renowned automaton artist Paul Spooner will talk about his work at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in Falmouth, Cornwall on February 16th at 7.30pm.

From the event description:

Paul’s career as an automaton maker ("making mechanical jokes for people with short attention spans") has included commissions for the Science Museum and Louis Vuitton, as well as a television programme, Mechanisms, on Channel 4. His work combines humour and an obsessive attention to detail with delightful and intriguing mechanisms. Every now and then, he puts together a dossier on his career so far and shows it to a group of people hoping that somebody will be able to spot any kind of progress or system. The last time this happened at The Poly was about eight years ago. Let's have another try.

Here is where you can learn more about the talk by Paul Spooner and book tickets if you will be in the area.

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KINETICA ART FAIR 2012 dates announced!

The dates for KINETICA ART FAIR 2012 have been announced and tickets have already gone on sale. The fair, produced by Kinetica Museum, joins galleries, art organizations and other groups from around the world who focus on kinetic, electronic, robotic, sound, light, time-based and multi-disciplinary new media art, science and technology.

From the Kinetica Museum web site:

The fair provides an international platform for museums, collectors, curators and the public to view and buy artworks in this thriving and advancing field. Alongside the fair Kinetica curate a themed feature exhibition, screenings, tours, talks, workshops and performances.

Here are some amazing photographs from the 2011 Kinetica Art Fair.

Event: KINETICA ART FAIR 2012
Dates: February 9th - 12th, 2012
Location: Ambika P3 Marylebone Rd, London, NW1 5L
Web site: http://www.kinetica-artfair.com/

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Would you attend an automata gathering?

Marc Horovitz, the man behind the great automata at Sidestreet Bannerworks, has created an informal questionnaire intended to gauge interest in the idea of a gathering of people who are currently making or who are interested in hand-cranked automata.

While the gathering would be open to anyone involved in or interested in mechanics, motion, kinetic sculpture, etc., the main emphasis would be on automata. The event, if it happens, might take place in Denver, Colorado, but that is not certain at this point.

By filling out his questionnaire, you are in NO WAY committing yourself to ANYTHING -- he is just trying to get an idea of interest and feasibility at this point. Personally, I think this could be a great event!

If such an gathering would interest you, please take minute or two to answer the questions on the survey. If you would like to add anything or comment further, you can email Marc Horovitz directly: handcrank at comcast dot net.

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Faster! - writing/racing machine by Arthur Ganson

Here is another brilliant piece by kinetic artist Arthur Ganson. This machine was built for the World Sculpture Racing Society in Boston.

According to Arthur Ganson:

The cast hand is my own and the pen, controlled by three cams (x, y and z axis), moves in three dimensions and writes the word "faster!" on an index card while being pushed down the street. The faster the cart is pushed, the faster it writes. Warning, an out of control feedback loop between creator and creation can result in dangerously fast speeds and certain death.

See more kinetic art by Arthur Ganson on his web site.

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Help make two giant serpent sculptures a reality

Here is an awesome project by Jon Sarriugarte and Kyrsten Mate. These are the folks who created the awesome Golden Mean snail car. Back in 2009, I had the pleasure of sitting in the snail car and shooting fire from the antennae. It's an experience I will not soon forget. Their latest project involves a pair of giant serpents! Though the project is initially for Burning Man, like the Golden Mean snail, the serpents will live on past that event and continue to delight and amaze people for years to come.

They are in need of some funding to make these kinetic sculptures a reality. They are well on their way, and have started a Kickstarter page so that people who love wild kinetic art can support their efforts. Please consider donating.

Here is a link to The Serpent Twins - mobile sculptures Kickstarter page.

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