Amazing Automata

Los Angeles, California, US

Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel

A carousel trades in its classic horses and calliope for endangered species, native flora and fauna, and a modern soundtrack.

Overlooking the Elephants of Asia exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo, the new $2.5 million Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel is like no other carousel in the world. Consisting of 66 hand-carved and... »

Amazing Automata, Outsider Architecture | Edited by Rachel

fitzwilliam, United Kingdom

Lord Mayor’s Parade, Belfast

Robotic car thieves, freakish animals and huge neon floats in Northern Ireland's capital

Featuring an eclectic gathering of robotic car-stealing monsters, multi-headed animals and Chinese dragons, the Lord Mayor’s Parade turns the streets of Belfast into a wild celebratory festival... »

Amazing Automata, Wondrous Performances | Edited by Dampo and atimian

Olomouc's Communist Clock

Tiny communists hammer away on the Olomouc Astronomical Clock

Every day at noon, twelve chimes are hammered out by little "communists" at the Olomouc Astronomical Clock in Olomouc, Prague. The clock was originally built during the medieval era between... »

Astounding Timepieces, Amazing Automata | Edited by Tre, Henry and 2 others

The Amazing Robots of Wu Yulu

A chinese farmer builds robots from scrap

In 1986 the movie Short Circuit came out and hit number one at the box office. It was the story of lovable robot Johnny 5, and perhaps the first time a robot was the protagonist of a film. That... »

Inspired Inventions, Electrical Oddities, Retro-Tech, Amazing Automata | Edited by serflac and Dylan

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre

Traveling collection of amazing automata

It's not a theater and it's not a cabaret, so what exactly is it? The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is a collection of contemporary automata - a kind of mechanical sculpture - that functions as a... »

Inspired Inventions, Amazing Automata | Edited by spinkk, Dylan and others

Minneapolis, Minnesota, US

House of Balls

Funhouse of found art and participatory sculpture

Local sculptor Allen Christian established the House of Balls in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District almost 20 years ago as a physical incarnation of his idea that, “we all possess the creative... »

Outsider Art, Amazing Automata, Purveyors of Curiosities | Edited by littlebrumble, Annetta and 2 others

Farmington Hills, Michigan, US

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

Astounding collection of coin-operated games and automata

Nestled behind and between two shopping malls, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum party-store-ish, pink-awning-ed exterior belies the utter visual cacophony that will assault your senses upon... »

Museums and Collections, Unique Collections, Amazing Automata | Edited by Lizardo, Dylan and 3 others

Torre dell'Orologio

Go inside to really appreciate the 500-year-old technological masterpiece

Commissioned by Doge Agostino Barbarigo in 1493, the glorious Torre dell'Orologio, also known as St. Mark's Clock Tower, or "the Moor's Clocktower," facing into Piazza San Marco is a marvel of... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces, Amazing Automata, Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by Annetta and Nicholas Jackson

Halle de Milly-la-Forêt, France

Le Cyclop

Jean Tinguely's bizarre monster sculpture is hidden deep in a forest

In the sleepy village of Milly-la-Forêt, France, lies a monstrous, whimsical monument called Le Cyclop. Measuring almost 75 feet high, the unusual sculpture took 30 years to complete by Swiss... »

Strange Statues, Inspired Inventions, Amazing Automata | Edited by treeswithknees and Nicholas Jackson

The Navigators

Ship-sized kinetic sculptural fantasy

A rivet-covered bronze sculpture with the face of a man and the body of an industrial-age ship, The Navigators is actually an enormous kinetic machine. The 60-foot sculpture by artist David... »

Strange Statues, Inspired Inventions, Amazing Automata | Edited by Annetta and Nicholas Jackson