#AUTOMATACON2026
Programming - Saturday
Here are the fantastic programs we have planned for Saturday! Programs and presenters subject to change.
Note that the Hotel Shuttle to the Governor Westin Morris will run from 9:30AM - 5:30PM on Saturday (only).
Special Exhibitions of Kinetic and Figural Art
The convention coincides with no less than four temporary exhibitions of direct interest, and the personal forces behind these shows will be in attendance at AutomataCon. Anytime during the course of the event, you are encouraged to stroll about and experience this. Full descriptions, please see www.morrismuseum.org, under “On View” – Current and Upcoming.
Spark!Lab (time-stamped ticket from the Museum required)
Spark!Lab, where everyone is an inventor, offers children accompanied by an adult a new, informal approach to hands-on learning. And there will be a special automaton workstation on this Saturday! Spark!Lab was designed for ages 5-12, but we welcome any young inventors within a smaller space called Spark!Lab Jr.
Food Options
Event attendees will be invited to indulge in some of the best food trucks in NJ. Purveyors include Jersey Rollz, The Brownie Bar Café, and Flirty Desserts and they will be on-site at the Morris Museum on Saturday & Sunday from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Saturday evening after dinner, many of the attendees and presenters traditionally gather at the hotel bar at the Westin Governor Morris to socialize and discuss the events of the day.
The State of Automata Today
10AM - 11AM, Bickford Theater
Presenter: Marc Horovitz, Editor, Automata Magazine
Zog in LA (2004) by Marc Horovitz
Automaton Mysteries:
The Archaeological Digs of Dr. Kent P. Streaver
10AM - 11:15AM, Main Gallery
Presenter: Steven Parker
The Egyptian Bracelet by Steven Parker
Opening Ceremonies
11:15AM - 11:30AM, Bickford Theater
Presenters:
Brett King, Founder & Organizer, AutomataCon
Tom Loughman, Executive Director, The Morris Museum
Brett King, The Aetherologist (2012)
Tom Loughman
Kinetic Artists Panel:
The Creative Process – Secrets Revealed!
11:30AM - 12:45PM, Bickford Theater
Presenters:
Cecilia Schiller
Tom Haney
Bradley Litwin
Secrets Revealed! Cecilia Schiller, Tom Haney, Brad at Work
Miracles and Machines:
A Sixteenth-Century Automaton and Its Legend
11:30AM - 12:45PM, Main Gallery
Presenter: Elizabeth King
Elizabeth King, photo by Mike Belzer
The Show Will Go On!
1PM - 2:15PM, Bickford Theater
Presenter: Kathleen Maher, Executive Director, Barnum Museum
Kathleen Maher, Exec. Dir., Barnum Museum
Engine Turning, Clockworks, and the Learning Environment
1PM - 2:15PM, Main Gallery
Presenter: David Lindow, Co-Founder, the Plumier Foundation
David Lindow
News from the Netherlands:
Music, Automata, and an AI Improvisor from the 1820s
2:30PM - 3:45PM, Bickford Theater
Presenter: Dr.Claire McGinn, Curator, Museum Speelklok
The mini-Componium
Dr.Claire McGinn, Curator, Museum Speelklok
An Explorer’s Tour of Special Pieces from His Collection
2:30PM - 3:45PM, Main Gallery
Presenter: Richard Garriott, President, The Explorers Club
The Jailer (c.2010), Pablo Lavezzari
Richard at Work
World Video Premier:
Chinese Automatists – from Concepts to Production
4PM - 4:30PM, Bickford Theater
Produced & Directed by Shanna Han
The Hungry Panda Bear (2023)
Shanna Han
Makers' Mashup, followed by Magic Lantern Presentation
4PM - 5:30PM, Main Gallery
Presenters: Brett King & Friends
Brett King and The Aetherologist (2012)
Documentary Film Short:
The House of Automata
4:30PM - 4:37PM, Bickford Theater
Produced & Directed by Euan Myles
The House of Automata
World Video Premier:
Michael and Maria’s Mechanical Party
4:37PM - 5PM, Bickford Theater
Produced & Directed by Michael Start
Maria & Michael Start and Friend