Perhaps Life Imitates Art, But Automatons Imitate Life

Well yes, we did go to see the movie Coco over the weekend, but this Day of the Dead Band by Wanda Sowry came before that.

Through the end of January, the Exploratorium is hosting Curious Contraptions, a wonderful show of automatons (automata, if you will). And I mean wonderful.

Now I admit that I am not the biggest fan of the Exploratorium - I think that it can induce migraines, even if you are not susceptible to migraines. Or maybe ADHD, or instant memory loss, I forget. But the noise, the crowds of very young, very active and very loud people, the low lighting, and the strange layout are very disorienting. Perhaps that is their plan?

But this exhibit has made up for all of my less-than-positive feelings about the Exploratorium. And the fact that my "date" kept me waiting for over an hour? I got to play with the automatons by myself, so even that didn't ruin my time there.

I think my favorite automaton was Boy Stabbing Peas (video below) by Andy Hazell. It seems hard to believe now, given how much time and energy I devote to growing vegetables, that once upon a childhood, I couldn't stand the green buggers. Especially peas.

So I was made to sit at the table until I "finished". Or fell asleep with my head in the plate (Truth. There is photographic evidence somewhere.)

It probably was a good thing that way back then teachers didn't hand out much homework, because I spent long evenings sitting at that table. And unlike Boy Stabbing Peas, there were no headphones. It also never occurred to me to try and choke them down with catsup. Lucky Boy.