Automata is dedicated to the creation, incubation, and presentation of experimental puppet theater, experimental film, and other contemporary art practices centered on ideas of artifice and performing objects. We stand at the fulcrum points between objects and performance, artifacts and ephemera, magic and mechanics, artifice and interface, and are dedicated to creating and nurturing new work that is engaged in cutting edge art practices. We seek to radically redefine and re-contextualize the notion of object performance, locating it at the intersection of contemporary performance, media, visual art, sound art and experimental writing. 

We strive to honor the history of puppetry as a folk medium that is disarming and approachable; that has been a vehicle for local mythologies and histories, a staple of community rituals. We regularly present work rooted in history, especially the history, mythology and geography of Los Angeles, fostering a sense of belonging and identification with this sprawling city.

Automata was founded in 2004 by artists Susan Simpson and Janie Geiser. Since that time, we have been presenting intimate performances of original work, film screenings of contemporary and historical avant-garde film, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and works of composers, playwrights, puppeteers, designers, visual artists, and new media experimenters, with a particular interest in intimate viewing situations, where artists and audiences can see each other and interact in a variety of spaces in Los Angeles.