Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is an English organisation that mounts exhibitions around the world of contemporary

automata An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

by a collective of artists. Founded by Sue Jackson, the group played a central role in the revival of automata from the 1970s onwards, and Jackson championed the idea of automata as a form of

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

. Cabaret Mechanical Theatre was started in 1979 in

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...

, where Jackson encouraged local artists

Peter Markey Peter Markey (1930–2016) was an artist, craftsman and teacher who was especially known for his automata. See also * Ron Fuller (artist) * Sam Smith (toy-maker) * Tim Hunkin Tim Hunkin (born Timothy Mark Trelawney Hunkin, 27 December ...

, Paul Spooner and Ron Fuller to manufacture automata for her craft shop, "Cabaret". The shop became an exhibition space and the collection moved to

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, central London, in 1984, remaining there until 2000 when rising rates forced it to close. Part of the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre collection remains on display at the

American Visionary Arts Museum The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is an art museum located in Baltimore, Maryland's Federal Hill neighborhood at 800 Key Highway. The museum specializes in the preservation and display of outsider art (also known as "intuitive art," "raw ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

References

External links

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre website

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

1979 establishments in England Arts organizations established in 1979 Arts organisations based in the United Kingdom Art exhibitions in the United Kingdom English contemporary art Traveling exhibits Automata (mechanical) {{UK-art-display-stub