Automata stands at the fulcrum of objects and performance, artifacts and ephemera, magic and mechanics, artifice and interface. In looking at the intertwined histories of experimental object performance, miniature theater, and experimental film, we find common ancestry in the early cinema of attractions, the nickelodeon, and the zoetrope; and in the camera obscura, shadow theater, peepshow, magic lantern, and Punch and Judy show. We are dedicated to experimental work which explores, merges, or subverts these forms in unexpected ways. Automata is an artist-driven organization. We have, since our first performances in 2004, created a context in which visual art, performance, film/video, interactive technology, and experimental writing intersect with the puppet and its contemporary siblings. We deliberately started Automata without a physical space, with the goal of finding a home as we grew in an organic way. Working in a variety of existing spaces in Los Angeles, we have invited playwrights and composers, designers, visual artists, and new media experimenters to collaborate and create new works using performing objects. In 2007, Automata opened a micro-theater, The Manual Archives, in Silverlake. We also present work at a number of other spaces, including the Velaslavasay Panorama and the Museum of Jurassic Technology.
