Novelty Automation, Amusement arcade in Holborn, London, England
Novelty Automation is an amusement arcade in Holborn with handmade mechanical games and interactive machines designed by engineer Tim Hunkin. The collection offers a range of devices with different themes and mechanisms, each built to play using tokens.
The arcade opened in 2015 as an extension of Tim Hunkin's earlier project, a mechanical entertainment show at Southwold's pier. It continued a tradition the artist had started years before with hands-on mechanical attractions.
The games here reflect a British sense of humor that shows through in the mechanical designs. Visitors experience a kind of entertainment that blends satire with engineering, rather than presenting purely artistic or technical achievements.
The arcade sits five minutes walk from Holborn Underground station, making it straightforward to reach on foot. Visitors pay using tokens to play the different machines, with token exchange available at the entrance.
Among the machines are unexpected creations like a housing price simulator, a reactor game, and an automated divorce machine. These devices show how the artist turns everyday worries and social issues into playable machines.
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