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Modern Automata Museum
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Photo: Guido accascina, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Museum

Modern Automata Museum

Museum in Italy

Montopoli di Sabina (RI), Lazio

Directions

At a glance

Type
Museum
Area
50 m²
Protection
Italian national heritage
Coordinates
42°14′06″ N, 12°40′57″ E
Address
Via Case Nuove, 7

History and description

The Modern Automata Museum is a private museum of Montopoli di Sabina in the Province of Rieti, Italy, dedicated to modern automata, founded in 2001, entered in the Lazio Regional Museum organisation and listed as one of the "places of culture" from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.

The museum is located at the Castelletto di Vezzano (ninth century), a fortified outpost of Farfa Abbey.

The primary objective of the museum is to convey literary, scientific and artistic knowledge to primary and secondary schools students, through workshops for the construction of automata.

The Museum director is Guido Accascina.

Museum collection

The automata are small mechanical sculptures, made of paper, wood and metal, which are set in motion by the visitors of the museum. They have been compared to Japanese Haiku and have been called by Lindoro Pazzotti "a small view of the world in a turn of the handle."

The permanent collection consists of approximately 300 automata, made by Japanese, American, German, British, French, Canadian, South American and Italian artists.

United Kingdom: Peter Markey, Paul Spooner, Keith Newstead, Neil Hardy, Eric Williamson, Rob Ives, Susie Stolpe, Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, Andy Hazell, Peter Lennertz

Italy: Rennie Orsi, Girovago e Rondella, Luca De Pascalis, Ivan Fodaro, Marina Gigli, Alessandra Celletti, Sonia Fabbrocino, Guido Accascina

Works

Among the main works, the museum houses "Turkish Soup" by Paul Spooner, Keith Newstead seven works made during a workshop held at the Mantua Literature Festival in 2010, sixteen original works by various artists created for the exhibition "Against the idea of war" and twelve original works of various artists made for the exhibition Circus (2013). Many of the works are an example of the use of recycled materials for the construction of automata.

Activities

The museum exhibits his works in the permanent headquarters of Montopoli di Sabina, and has created a series of traveling exhibitions that are exposed to other Museums: A Museum in motion (2002), against the idea of war (2003), Circus (2013). The museum is also a place of experimentation, cataloging, archiving, documentation and dissemination.

Exhibitions and workshops

2002 - "Discovering the secrets of movement" - from March 26 to April 22, 2002 - Explora Children's Museum - Rome - Italy (with workshop)

2002 - "Small sculptures in motion" - from November 8 to December 8, 2002 - Gallery Artealcontrario - Modena - Italy (with workshop)

2003 - "Against the idea of war" - February 21, 2003 - Explora Children's Museum - Rome - Italy

2003 - "Against the idea of war" - from March 15 to ' April 8, 2003 - Schloss Neuemburg - Germany

2003 - "Automata at Magliano Museum" - From December 22, 2002 to January 6, 2003 - Museo Archeologico di Magliano Sabino - Rome - Italy (with workshop)

2005 - "Modern Automata Museum" - from April 7 to May 4, 2005 - Puppet Museum: Int.al A. Pasqualino - Palermo - Italy

2005 - "Dragons and knights from the fortress of Monaco to the hills of Montopoli" - June 9, 2005 - Convent of Santa Maria - Montopoli di Sabina - Rieti - Italy

2007 - "Against the idea of war" 23 to 25 November 2007 - Abbey of Farfa - Rieti - Italy

2007 - "The secret of the movement" - from 21 December 2007 to 13 January 2008 - Public Palace of Siena - Show on Governance - Siena - Italy

2007 - "Against the idea of war" 22 to 30 September 2007 - Public Palace of Siena - View: Peace on the walls - Siena - Italy

2008 - "The secret of the movement" - 3 to 7 September 2008-12th Festival of Literature - Palazzo della Ragione - Mantova - Italy (con workshop)

2010 - "The secret of the movement" - 12 to 17 January 2010 - Playroom Hospital of the Infant Jesus - Rome - Italy (with workshop)

2010 - "The secret of the movement" - from 7 March to 14 March 2010 - Game De Lellis Hospital - Rieti - Italy (with workshop)

2010 - "The secret of the movement" - from July 1 to September 15, 2011 - Porto Azzurro - Elba Island - Livorno - Italy

2010 - "The secret of the movement" - 9 to 14 November 2010 - Playroom Hospital of the Infant Jesus - Palidoro - Rome - Italy (with workshop)

2011 - "The secret of the movement" - from July 1 to September 15, 2011 - Porto Azzurro - Elba Island - Livorno - Italy

2012 - "Modern Automata Museum" - March 3, 2012 - Feast of the half Lazio Museums - Montopoli di Sabina - Rieti - Italy

2012 - "The secret of the movement" - from July 1 to August 30, 2012 - Porto Azzurro - Elba Island - Livorno - Italy

2012 - "Bremen workshop" - 15 to 17 October 2012 - School at Halmerweeg - Bremen - Germany …

Keep reading on Wikipedia

Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Modern Automata Museum».

Photos

Getting there

Poggio MirtetoTrain, nearest
4.2 km as the crow flies
Modern Automata MuseumVia Case Nuove, 7

Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.

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More museums in Lazio

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Things to see in Montopoli di Sabina: 4 historic places

Frequently asked questions

Where is Modern Automata Museum?

Modern Automata Museum is in Montopoli di Sabina, in the province of Rieti (Lazio), Italy. Address: Via Case Nuove, 7. GPS coordinates: 42.23503, 12.68262.

What else is there to see near Modern Automata Museum?

Nearby you’ll find: Torre Baccelli (2.5 km away), Farfa Abbey (3.3 km away), Grotte di Torri (3.8 km away).

Sources and licences

Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.

Credits for the 4 photos
  1. Modern Automata Museum — Guido accascina, CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. Modern Automata Museum - Against the idea of war - Keith Newstead — Guido accascina, CC BY-SA 3.0
  3. Modern Automata Museum - Circus - Paul Spooner — Guido accascina, CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. Modern Automata Museum - Workshops - Bird-migration — Guido accascina, CC BY-SA 3.0

Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences

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