A new French web site, dedicated to the world of androids, artificial
animals and other automata, has been created by Philippe Sayous,
a producer of institutional movies and documentary films and proprietor
of TIL Productions, Paris.

The site "offers homage to the genius watchmaker-mechanics who, in
Europe of the 18th and 19th century, tried to discover the secret of
life while giving birth to extraordinary creatures of a very great
mechanical complexity: the automatons and androids of Vaucanson, of
Jaquet-Droz, of the abbot Mical, of the Baron Von Kempelen, of the
Maillardets, of Kintzing, of Von Knauss, of Robert-Houdin etc. ..."

M. Sayous says that the true automatons were born throughout the
19th century, the century of enlightenment, illuminated by the art
of clock making.  He also observes, "The world of automatons is
intimately linked to the one of magic," and he quotes the French
philosopher Jean de la Varende, who said about androids and automatons,
"I admire the man who gives himself so much pain to manufacture what
God makes so easily".

The English site at http://www.ancient-automatons/ is under construction;
it presently has only information to purchase the films and videotapes.

The French web site at http://www.automates-anciens.com/ -- "The site
of androids and man-made animals" -- is almost complete now, with videos,
extracts from the films, and many photographs.  One can also listen to
Jaquet-Droz's musician playing five different tunes of baroque music.
The famous life-size dolls were recently restored and are again
displayed at the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire, Neuchatel, Switzerland.

The 90-minute film, "Les androids Jaquet-Droz", produced by M. Sayous,
has been selected to participate at the UNESCO International Festival
of Art in Paris.

Robbie Rhodes