Previous - Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (original) (raw)
Please note that all of the shows listed below are now closed. Take a look at our current shows to see what’s on now.
2024
St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington, UK, 20th July – 8th September 2024
Mechanics Alive! Winchester Cathedral, 22nd July – 31st August 2024
The Marvellous Mechanical Museum, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, 29th March – 6th July 2024. View a virtual tour of the exhibition.
A Town Explores a Book – An exhibition of over 200 automata produced by children during our schools workshops as part of A Town Explores a Book Festival. April 1st – 12th 2024, Archer Lodge, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK
2023
The Magic of the Silver Swan, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, UK, 8 July 2023 – 7 January 2024
Mechanics Alive! Discover Bucks Museum, Aylesbury, UK, 22nd July – 2nd September 2023
2022
Curious Contraptions Nelson Provincial Museum – Nelson, New Zealand 16th December 2022 – 19th February 2023
Cabaret Mechanical Marvels The Amelia, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. 22nd July – 2nd October 2022
Mechanics Alive! The Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, East Sussex. 28th May – 10th December 2022
Curious Contraptions Whirinaki Whare Taonga – Wellington, New Zealand 13th August – 27th November 2022
2021
Curious Contraptions Te Manawa Palmerston North, New Zealand. 3rd July 2021 – 13 Mar 2022
CMT @ The Museum of Making, Derby, UK. 10th December 2021 – 13th March 2022
Mechanics Alive! RH Fleet Science Center, San Diego, CA, USA. 24th September 2021 – 17th January 2022
Explora Executive Director Joe Hastings notes that ‘the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre automata are the epitome of STEAM–Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Each automata is a piece of art, a beautiful mechanism, and a five to ten second haiku. Everyone finds a favorite in the collection, and they just have to share with a friend or family member. I’m a big fan of the ‘Banana Ripener,’ which makes me laugh at my own impatience.’
Cabaret Mechanical Marvels The Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock, UK. 25th September – 14th November 2021
Ingenious Contraptions Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings, UK. 29th May – 29th August 2021
Ingenious? Falmouth Art Gallery Cornwall, UK. 11th June – 11th September 2021
Cabaret Mechanical Marvels Poole Museum, Dorset, UK. 17th July – 5th September 2021
2020
Cabaret Mechanical Marvels St Albans Museum and Gallery St Albans, UK. 3rd December 2020 – 27th June 2021
Marvellous Mechanicals Gosport Gallery, Gosport, UK. 11th October – 19th December 2020
Mechanical Circus Puke Ariki Museum, New Zealand. 2nd November – April 26th 2020
We are delighted to tour to New Zealand for the first time ever with the fabulous Mechanical Circus exhibition. There are forty stunning automata exhibits from our collection, set amongst games, puzzles, illusions and artefacts from our colleagues at the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, all displayed in a vibrant circus atmosphere.
Der vergiftete Kater und andere Märchenmaschinerchenmaschinen (The Poisoned Milk and Other Fairy Tales) phaeno, Wolfsburg, Germany. 16th November 2019 – 16th February 2020
2019
Curious Contraptions Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA. 21st November 2019 – January 26th 2020
Marvellous Machines, Ipswich Art Gallery, UK. 20 July 2019 – 3 November 2019
A Day at the Architects – Rodic Davidson Architects, London, UK. May – 30 September 2019
Mechanical Circus – Banbury Museum, Banbury UK. 25th May to 7 September 2019
Fantastic Fairground Factory – Tullie House, Carlisle, UK. 29th June to 6th October 2019. Peek behind the scenes at the mechanical marvels, games, automata and hands on activities of the funfair.
2018
Mechanical Circus – The Forum, Norwich, UK. 1st December 2018 – 27th January 2019
Curious Contraptions – Inside the Fairy Tale Factory, The Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA. November 8th 2018 – January 20th 2019
We are delighted to announce this year’s winter exhibition at the Exploratorium San Francisco.
The exhibition features an enchanting selection of automata from Peter Markey, Paul Spooner, Ron Fuller, Keith Newstead, Wanda Sowry, Carlos Zapata, Fi Henshall, Patrick Bond, Lisa Slater and Kazu Harada. Many of the works have themes from myths or fairytales, including Paul Spooner’s Little Reinhold’s Wonderful Sausage Machine and Keith Newstead’s Baba Yaga’s House.
Marvellous Mechanicals – Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke, UK. 6th October – 18th December 2018
A Cabaret of Mechanical Movement – Falmouth Art Gallery, UK. 30 June – 8 September The exhibition features a full size recreation of the original Cabaret shop window. There is also a chance to see Ron Fuller’s Adam & Eve Pubic Bar for the first time since 2010.
The Marvellous Mechanical Museum – Compton Verney Art Gallery, UK. 30 June – 30 September 2018 The exhibition will also feature the whimsical creations of inventor Rowland Emett, set designer for the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and a host of Contemporary Automata makers and artists.
Curious Contraptions – Amazeum, Arkansas, USA. 2nd June – 3rd September 2018
Marvellous Machines – Red House Museum, Hampshire UK. 14th July – 1st September 2018
Automata on the Pier with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, Hastings Pier, UK. March 15th – April 15th 2018
Marvellous Machines – Banbury Museum, UK. 24 March – 9 June 2018
Curious Contraptions – Explora, Albuquerque, USA. 17th Feb – 20th May 2018
2017
A Curious Turn: Moving Mechanical Sculpture, A Crafts Council Exhibition. UK Tour Feb 2017 – Aug 2018
Curious Contraptions – Small Machines of Love and Mystery, The Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA. 16th November 2017 – January 2018
Cirkus Mekanikus – VIDA!, Brno, Czechia. 28th September – 31st December 2017
The Mechanicals – Frost Science, Miami, USA. ends January 2018
Moving Toys, with Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, South Korea. Ends October 29th 2017
Photo by Robin Mitchell
Photo by Robin Mitchell
Photo by Stephen Guy
The Clockwork Garden at the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, UK. Ends 5th November 2017
The Mechanicals at Royal Engineers Museum, Kent, UK. Ends 3rd September 2017
Dockside Automata at Gallions Reach, London. 21st May to 28th August, 2017
The Mechanicals- The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven, UK. 25th March – 30th April 2017
Moving Toys with Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China. Ends 24th March 2017.
2016
Curious Contraptions at the Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA. 17th Nov 2016 to 29th Jan 2017
Mechanical Things – ThinkTank, Birmingham Science Museum, UK. 1st December 2016 to 5th March 2017
A Curious Turn: Moving Mechanical Sculpture, A Crafts Council Exhibition, Platform Gallery at Habitat, London. 15 September – 2 October 2017
Experimenta – Zahnrad, Kurbel & Co (Gears, Cranks and Co), Heilbronn, Germany. 12th May – September 25th 2016
Mechanical Moving Toys – We are delighted to announce our first exhibition in China, at the Guang Dong Science Centre in Guangzhou, China. Forty of our CMT automata are included in the brand new Exhibition, alongside works from Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, and inspiring workshops and amazing new interactives from Fire the Inventor.
Exhibition photos by Robin Mitchell
The Clockwork Garden – Quarry Bank Mill National Trust, Cheshire, UK. Ends 11th September 2016
2015
The Mechanicals – The Observatory Science Centre Herstmonceux. Ends 31st August 2015
Dancing Machine 2 – Eretz Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. May 2015
The House of Fairytales presents The Misplaced Museum, The Stanley Picker Gallery, March 28th 2015
The Mechanicals – Wiltons Music Hall, London, UK. 12th to 17th February 2015
2014
The Nutcracker: Christmas at Mottisfont, UK. 29 November 2014 – 4 January 2015
The Mechanical Circus, Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, Netherlands. 1st July to 2nd November 2014
The Mechanicals at Teknikens Hus, Sweden. 14 June to 2 November 2014
Automata, a Collector’s Collection – Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham, UK. 16 June – 9 November 2014 Automata and mechanical and moving toys from Sir Nicholas Goodison’s contemporary collection will be shown in Walpole’s original display cabinets.
Come Create at Think Tank, Birmingham, UK. 24th May – 7th September 2014
Money Distribution Machines and other Useful Contraptions – Peckham Platform, London, UK. 20th May 27th July 2014
The Mechanical Circus – Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, UK. 15th Feb to 1st June 2014
2013
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Greenwich – Paul McPherson Gallery, London, UK. 12th Dec 2013 to 22nd February 2014
CMT at Finton House School, London, UK. 29th October to 21st November 2013
Amazing Automata Tour
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. 25th October to January 4th 2014
Alternative Technology Centre – Hebden Bridge, UK. 1st July – 31st July 2013
St Fergus Gallery, Wick. 17th August – 7th September 2013
Iona Gallery, Kingussie. 14th September- 12th October 2013
The Mechanicals at The Abu Dhabi Science Festival. 14th – 23rd November 2013
CMT Automata at Mottisfont – The Art Gallery at Mottisfont, UK. 13 July – 15 September 2013
The Mechanicals – Unicorn Theatre, London, UK. 9th July to 21st July 2013
CMT Aboard the MS Stubnitz, London, UK, Exhibition and Automata Workshops. 13th March to 12th April 2013
The Mechanicals – Life Science Centre – Newcastle, UK. 13th Feb – 28th April 2013
2012
CMT at Space Station Sixty-Five Part 2, London, UK. 27th September 2012 to 6th January 2013
The Mechanicals – Pontypridd Museum – UK. 1st October to 26th October 2012
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre @ Space Station Sixty-Five – Part One. 29th June 2012 to 7th September 2012
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre Presents Automata! – Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery. 14th July to 8th September 2012
The Mechanicals – Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough, UK. July 23rd to August 26th 2012
The Mechanicals – Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux. October 12th until May 13th 2012
2011
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre presents Automata! – Allen Gallery, Hampshire, UK. 5th November to 24th December 2011
The Mechanicals – The Oxfordshire Museum, UK. 30th July – 11th September 2011. We have teamed up with Science Projects (leading interactive exhibit designers) to create a new travelling exhibition. The first venue will be the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Come along and see some of our most popular automata alongside new mechanical exhibits. Based on our book, Cabaret Mechanical Movement, these will enable visitors to experiment with the mechanisms on a large scale. A programme of workshops will run throughout the exhibition.
The Mechanical Circus – Museum Boerhaave, Leiden, Netherlands. 28th April to 1st September 2011
2010
Dancing Machines – Eretz Israel Museum – Tel-Aviv 12th July to 10th October 2010
Miami Science Museum – USA 5th Feb to November 29th 2010.
The Ride of Life at Woodstock, The Oxfordshire Museum. 10th January to 28th March 2010
El Parque de las Ciencias – Granada – Spain. 1st November – 14th February 2010 A new exhibition including large scale work from Carlos Zapata, and Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre.
2009
Amazing Amusing Machines- Don Harrington Discovery Centre, Texas, USA. June 2nd 2009 – 8th January 2010.
DASA – Dortmund – Germany. October 4th to December 30th 2009
Cabaret Mechanical Theatre – Ginza – Tokyo – Japan. 1st May – 25th December 2009
These exhibits were originally on display in Otaru, Hokkaido for over 15 years.
Mechanics Alive! – Scotland Street School museum – Glasgow – UK. 26th June 2009 – 28th September 2009
2008
CMT European Touring Exhibition – El Parque de las Ciencias – Granada – Spain. 3rd November 2008 – 31st March 2009
Amazing Amusing Machines – Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, USA. 1st October 2008 – 2nd March 2009
Mechanics Alive!!- Questacon – Canberra – Australia. 1st November 2008 – 27th January 2009
Mechanics Alive!! at The Western Australia Museum, Perth. 15th March – 11th May 2008. Mechanics Alive was on show as part of the 20th UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival presented by Spare Parts puppet theatre. It was Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s first exhibition in Australia.
PhantasieMechanik at phaeno, Wolfsburg, Germany 22nd February – 31st August 2008. Over 100,000 visitors have enjoyed the exhibition at phaeno in Germany, which featured the work of 10 CMT artists as well as Arthur Ganson, Norman Tuck and Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre. Click here for images of the show. Also, you can read an article in Time Magazine.
Wait, there’s more! Older exhibitions: 2002-2007. And more information about exhibitions 2008-2022
Please note that all of the shows listed above are now closed. Take a look at our current shows to see what’s on now.