After months of plotting and one whirlwind week of activity The Hastings Contraption has been built.

On September 14th Tom Haney, Fi Henshall, Joseph Wallace & Carlos Zapata, came together at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Hastings to create a large-scale, mobile mechanical artwork inspired by the town’s coastal landscape, fishing heritage, and playful mythologies. Built from locally-sourced reclaimed materials, the piece is designed to travel along the seafront and engage the public through movement, storytelling and humour.

These four artists met in Hastings at AutomataFest 2025 and hatched a plan to join together and build a fantastical machine.

They arrived on Monday and set about sourcing materials from local scrapyards and second-hand shops. The artists worked all hours bringing their vision to life and revealed it to a delighted audience on the Saturday. The finished piece is built from old boxes and luggage, each compartment houses a different mechanical scene. You can visit the haunted antique shop, spot the smugglers arguing over their loot, see the fishmonger chopping fish and much more.

A behind the scenes film is currently being edited and outings for the contraption are being planned. Make sure to sign up to our mailing list to get all the news. Or follow The Hastings Contraption on Instagram.

Watch a video of the reveal

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This September, three renowned automata makers and a celebrated stop-motion filmmaker will come together at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Hastings to create a large-scale, mobile mechanical artwork inspired by the town’s coastal landscape, fishing heritage, and playful mythologies. Built from locally-sourced reclaimed materials, the piece will be designed to travel along the seafront and engage the public through movement, storytelling and humour.

These four artists met in Hastings at AutomataFest 2025 and hatched a plan to join together and build a fantastical machine.

Join Tom Haney, Fi Henshall, Joseph Wallace & Carlos Zapata in Hastings on the 19th September for the unveiling of the piece. Each artist will make a presentation about their work followed by a behind the scenes look at the project.

2-6pm, 19 September 2026, The Printworks, Hastings, UK

Buy Tickets

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We will be exhibiting over 100 pieces of automata from our collection across the UK in 2026.

Each of these 3 exhibitions will feature 30+ automata alongside artefacts and archive materials.

Aberdeen Art Gallery – 16th May – 25th October 2026

Tullie House, Carlisle – 13th June – 11th October 2026

American Museum, Bath – 5th July 2026 – 4th January 2027

More details to come next year. Sign up to our mailing list to be reminded when the shows open.

Check our Current Exhibitions page to see which shows are open now.

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Following the success of our community workshops at the Mechanical Making Space, CMT is developing Automata in the Classroom.

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre will co-create with teachers a range of strategies for using the collection and introducing automata in the classroom, with a view to developing practical and creative skills and understanding simple engineering concepts. 

CMT will work with local schools (a mix of primary, secondary and special) to develop approaches that work at different key stages. We already have 5 schools on board and excited to take part in this project in 2026.

To make this project happen we need to raise £19,350. Your donations can help make this happen. Click here to support us.

The programme would look as follows:

1. Practical half day CPD (Continuing Professional Development) session to explore automata making.
2. Artists Loulou Cousin & Stephen Guy to have time to develop resources
3. School sessions, both artist and teacher-led
4. Mechanical Making Space session to review and share outcomes
5. Legacy – develop resources to inform larger project with schools 
6. Outcomes shared with a view to sourcing sponsorship for a larger programme

Outcomes

1. Teachers and TAs confident in introducing simple automata making skills in the classroom
2. Students have developed new creative and practical skills
3. Students have understood a range of engineering concepts central to automata making
4. The experience of making automata opens children and young people’s eyes to a range of different career choices from 3D design to engineering and architecture.
5. CMT have co-developed ways of working with teachers that are applicable to other schools

Timescale: We are working towards the project starting in May 2026 and running to Spring 2027.

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (CMT) an extraordinary collection of artist-made automata, put together by Sue Jackson has made its home in Hastings. Many people remember it from its hey day in Covent Garden in the 1990s where it inspired many generations of new automata makers.  Since then, the collection has toured the world, with exhibitions in science centres and museums. Each and every piece in the collection is a wonderful combination of creativity, engineering and storytelling. 

Now managed by Sue’s daughter Sarah, the collection is housed in Hastings, and CMT is keen to develop strategies for it to be a catalyst for creativity and skills in the local community.

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11th November 2025 – 12th April 2026

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, John’s Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, TN34 1ET, UK

FREE entry and parking.
Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm
and Sundays, 11am – 4.30pm

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