Will Jackson, founder of Engineered Arts and the inventor of ‘Robothespian’ will talk about the way he is using automata and robots in interactive displays and automatic mechanical theatres.

Automatist, engineer and designer, Will Jackson graduated from Brighton in 1987 with a degree in 3-D design. His mother Sue Jackson founded the legendary Cabaret Mechanical Theatre where he collaborated with many of the artists exhibiting there including Tim Hunkin and Paul Spooner. Will’s recent projects include interactive exhibits for The Glasgow Science Centre and Kew Gardens and together with his company Engineered Arts Ltd, he has created ‘RoboThespian’. RoboThespian is a life sized robotic puppet aimed at bridging the gap between 3-D performance and 2-D media. Created to move, speak communicate and entertain, its primary function is theatrical performance. RoboThespian’s first role is as part of a mechanized theatre installation due to open at The Eden Project in Cornwall UK in April 2007.

This is ‘RoboThespian’s’ debut appearance at CMT’s retrospective exhibition at Kinetica.