CMT Mechanical Making Space

Aim

A new HQ & workshop space for Cabaret Mechanical Theatre's iconic automata collection to share the magic of mechanisms with the community.

We have found our new home in Hastings on the south coast of England and we need your help to raise £20,000 to get our new space underway so we can venture into the next chapter of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s 40 year history.

We're also thrilled to announce that our new patron will be writer Anthony Horowitz. Anthony is a passionate automata collector and a huge supporter of our work with young people. The seaside town of Hastings is close to Anthony’s heart, it is where he spent 16 years filming the TV series Foyles War.

Tim Hunkin is our Chief Engineer - he will help us to inspire young people to engage in engineering with his unique and unconventional perspective on the importance of engineering today. Watch his message of support below.

The Mechanical Making Space

We will showcase exhibits from our collection and have special events, talks with our artists and automata colleagues from around the world. We will have our Automata Repair Shop where our touring exhibits will be repaired and restored.  Importantly we will be sharing our automata making skills and knowledge with our community to inspire engineers and makers of the future.

Partners

We are ready to launch our new space by collaborating with five exceptional partners:

• A Town Explores A Book Festival atownexploresabook.com

We will continue our collaboration with the St Leonards on Sea children’s annual literature festival running automata making workshops with 3,000 school children. The Festival is exploring the relationship between reading, writing, art activities and fun with the heritage novel The Railway Children by E Nesbit as part of the Festival in April 2024.

• Science Projects science-projects.org

We will continue our partnership with the charity Science Projects & Director scientist Steve Pizzey to set up a regular Space Club to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) with local children between 5-16 years with automata making

• East Sussex College Hastings escg.ac.uk 

Engineering students & engineering lecturer Peter Wheeler. The Mechanical Making Space will house our Automata Repair Shop where exhibits from our touring exhibitions are repaired and restored. We will offer work experience and develop design briefs with their engineering students.

• Engineered Arts engineeredarts.co.uk

Engineered Arts is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of humanoid entertainment robots. They will support us with the dissemination of engineering skills to encourage young people to access careers in engineering.

• Hastings Commons hastingscommons.com

The Mechanical Making Space will be based at Rock House, part of Hastings Commons, a mixed-use community hub with a pioneering approach to community-led regeneration and a growing focus on spaces for young people. Being located within a community hub for young people we will offer free and low cost workshops, events and exhibitions.  

Transition to a Community Interest Company (CIC)

To make this possible we have set up Cabaret Mechanical Theatre Learning CIC so we will be able to apply for additional funding to run low cost and free community workshops. Plus any profit from our touring exhibitions and retail sales will be reinvested into the CIC.

The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre team has grown and we have set up a fantastic board of Directors to help us with the exciting developments.

What will happen in the space?

In the new Mechanical Making Space and CMT HQ we will continue to do what we do best, plus more community workshops and exhibitions. 

The Collection & Archive

We will bring together our collection of over 160 automata together with iconic items from the archive.  We have hundreds of original artworks that bring back to life the memories of the legendary shop in Covent Garden and the early days of Falmouth where the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre began. These important artefacts and exhibits are carefully curated for our touring exhibitions worldwide.

Automata Repair Shop

Some of our automata are over 40 years old and are activated by thousands of visitors every year. Our skilled technicians need a space to maintain and repair the automata ready for our exhibitions that tour the UK and the world.

Workshop & Events

We will run a varied programme of workshops in the Mechanical Making Space for the community and specialist workshops for makers, educators and automata enthusiasts. We will run events, talks, screenings and exhibitions within other spaces that are part of Hastings Commons such as the beautifully renovated Observer Building and Rose Cottage Studios a few metres from Rock House.

Online Shop & Workshop Materials 

To support our income we need a space to prepare our retail products such as original automata, books and prints as well as pack up kits for our online workshops that we run throughout the year. These are shipped all over the world.

Workshop Facilitators & Training Opportunities

Through online and in person workshops we provide opportunities for makers and educators to join our international team to deliver our automata making programme. 

Offices

To make all this happen we also need a small office space. 

The new Mechanical Making Space will be ideally located within a bustling area less than 10 minutes walk from Hastings Railway Station, the beach and Hastings Pier. There are also plenty of independent cake and coffee shops for all of our coming visitors.

Meet the team:

Sarah Alexander - Co Director. 

Lisa Finch - Co Director 

Max  Alexander - Technician, retail & social media

Gary Alexander - Photography, film & general geekery

Patrick Bond - Automata technician

Artist Facilitators:

Stephen Guy Fire the Inventor

Ryan Jenkins wonderfulidea.co

Celeste Moreno Celeste Moreno Design

Loulou Cousin Instagram

Jake Fee Jake Fee

Becca Rose beccarose.co.uk

Board of Advisors:

Ben Davidson Rodic Davidson Architects

Gail Borrow, Director Explore the Arch &  A Town Explores A Book  

Henrietta Boex, Curator & Arts Consultant

Michael Start - Horologist & Director of House of Automata

Patron:  Anthony Horowitz - Writer and screenwriter

Chief Engineer: Tim Hunkin  - Engineer & cartoonist

How The Money Will be Spent

The space is an empty shell so we need to kit it out to make the best use of every corner. This will include a mechanical window display so there is always something to see. 

Crowdfunder target:  £20,000

Match funding: £5,000 - We will receive match funding from the East Sussex Council Community Wellbeing Fund when we hit their targets.

We keep what we make

If we don’t reach our target by 2nd August we will not be able to move into the new Mechanical Making Space in Hastings Commons.  

However, with the funds that we do raise we will run a programme of pop-up and community workshops in Hastings starting in September 2023.  We will continue to fundraise to make the move to a new space.  

Rewards

PLEASE NOTE: Rewards are no longer available as the main campaign has closed. Check out our Online Store to find badges, prints, automata & more.

Choosing Multiple Rewards If you would like more than one reward you will need to make separate pledges for each one. Alternatively choose one reward and add a donation to cover everything you would like then send us a message.

All rewards include standard Worldwide Shipping. Tracked shipping available, please read the individual rewards for details.

Collection from Hastings If you'd like to collect your reward it will be lovely to meet you and the included postage costs will go towards making the space even better! We aim to have all physical rewards available for collection from the end of August. You will receive an e-mail when your reward is ready. (Excludes English Spring characters. These will be available once Paul has signed them in the autumn.)

NEW - Party Popper Machine - Martin Smith has generously donated one of his Party Popper Machines to help us get up to the stretch target. This is number 5 of 10 in graphite black. There is just one available. £650 (normally £850!)

Mechanical Barecat Badge - Who says it’s rude to point? Designed and made especially for the crowdfunder. This wooden pin has a little slider which makes the barecat point upwards. Laser cut from birch plywood. Dimensions: 7.5 x 3.5cm (3x1.5") Includes standard untracked worldwide shipping. To upgrade to tracked shipping add £3 UK or £7 International to your pledge.

The first 50 badges sold out pretty fast (thank you!) so we have added a 2nd batch with a longer shipping time.

Estimated Dispatch: Batch 1: September 1st, Batch 2: September 21st

Tim Hunkin A4 Print - Tim Hunkin has drawn a fantastic cartoon of the Mechanical Making Space! Includes standard untracked worldwide shipping. To upgrade to tracked shipping add £3 UK or £7 International to your pledge.

Estimated Dispatch: September 30th

Cardboard Automata Workshop with Loulou Cousin Visit the Mechanical Making Space and make a quirky hand cranked character from cardboard & collage.  This will be one of the first workshops in the new space! Loulou says: "What’s exciting about collage automata is: you can be playful or serious and it doesn’t matter if you can’t draw, as long as you can cut and stick. Suitable for all ages and abilities, children should be accompanied by an adult to help them. Tues 24 October (half term) 10.30 - 12.30pm

Online talk with The House of Automata - Michael & Maria will present a personal introduction to their immersive world of automata.  Featuring real time demonstrations of surreal antique automata and other amazing mechanical devices. They will talk about the history (briefly!) and reveal some of the surprising stories and experiences the automata have had.  You will see arrows flying and tigers leaping in this surprising journey. Please join The House of Automata for what promises to be a fascinating & entertaining talk.

1 hour Online Talk

7th Oct 2023 7pm BST

Paul Spooner Interview with Ryan Jenkins - Topics include Spooner's background & history. get a close look at some of the machines from his recent Bio-Economie installation at the Nawareum and much more. Recorded in 2020 & previously only available to participants of our online workshops. Delivered via e-mail.1hr 20 mins - Watch a short clip below.

Estimated Dispatch: August 31st

Mechanical Making Space Member - 1 year membership, this will be valid from the date of our first public event expected to be in September. Includes 2 tickets to 1 event and priority booking for all events.

Fabricating Motion Automata Workshop - Sign up for this workshop in Hastings with Stephen Guy. Taking place on September 16th & 17th. Click for full details. Normally £395, get a £50 discount by signing up through the crowdfunder! Watch the video of our most recent edition of this workshop below.

Contribution to our workshop Bursary Fund - Help us to offer free spaces to children & low income automata enthusiasts. We want to spread the wonder of mechanisms to as many people as possible!

The English Spring Figures - Made by Paul Spooner Own a piece of this epic machine! Each unique character has been hand carved and painted by Paul Spooner. It was made in 2019 as a response to divided opinion and disappointment in England. They are between 16-20cm (6-8") tall and stand on a wooden disc. They will be individually signed by Paul before shipping. 

More images of the English Spring Figures can be seen in this photo gallery. All remaining figures shown below.

Estimated Dispatch: October 16th

30 minute zoom with Sarah Alexander - Have an exclusive one-to-one zoom call with Sarah Alexander, hear about the beginnings of CMT in Falmouth with her mother Sue Jackson, the move to Covent Garden and see examples of vintage pieces from the collection with anecdotes about the artists. Time & date to be arranged after the crowdfunder ends.

Founder's Circle - Contribute £500 or more to become one of our founders. Includes invitations to exclusive events. Founders will have their names inscribed on a plaque within the Mechanical Making Space should they wish it.

Claimed Rewards

These have all been snapped up. The currently available rewards are pictured above.

Cardboard Automata by Loulou Cousin - A rare opportunity to own one of Loulou's fantastically quirky cardboard automata. These crank powered machines have all been signed by the artist. Includes standard untracked worldwide shipping. To upgrade to tracked shipping add £3 UK or £10 International to your pledge.

Mechanical Spaceship Candleholder by Patrick Bond

These fantastic mechanical candle holders will make a delightful decoration for your home. Turn the handle and the spaceship whizzes around the candle. Made by Patrick Bond in Falmouth, UK.

English Spring Figures

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made