Background Context - The project by someone else

“My reasons for taking up automata making were rooted in those interests at collage, which I think derive partly from a nerdish concern with machines for their own sake but also from the wish o convey meanings- the mechanism being the medium through which a story or joke or told, adding action to plot and character.” -Paul Spooner

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The initial interest of the moving objects started from contemporary automata.Compared with traditional automata, contemporary ones emphasis more on art, rather than technological sophistication. That is what I like about contemporary automata; they are complicated but it is challenge enough to find out the behind mechanisms unlike traditional ones, which is too complicated and technical to approach. Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, which is a collection of contempory automata, represents big amount of contemporary automata.

This work is made by Paul Spooner (collaboration with Matt Smith), who is one of the famous contemporary automata makers. The title of this work is ‘Barecats’, which is the name of the symbol of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s ‘Barecat’. There are three aspects that inspired my project.

First, the design of the scene, in other words the narrative that the artist want to say and the way it represents is very interesting. Even though the plot it shows is very sort but it is strong and humorous enough.

Second, the representation of the objects on the stage is very impressive. Moreover every part of the objects is simplified in the best way to fit in its movements.

Last, the movements of the objects are characterized very well. They are not as smooth as the ones from screen-based animations but those are more dynamic and tangible because they are happening in the physical world, the place where we exist.

The harmony of those three aspects, which are scene, character and movement, makes a perfet narrative. Also I am very interested in figuring out the mechanisms that make everything happen.