Majestic robots walk the streets of a French city; “these giants revive our childhood eyes”

Remember the feeling of being a little kid and looking up at the world in wonder? That´s what it´s like to walk down the streets of Toulouse when witnessing the La Machine spectacle, shared the artistic director François Delaroziere.

Theatre in the streets

The French theatre company La Machine collaborate with technicians and designers to create majestic mechanical creatures and exhibit them by taking theatre to the city streets. In Toulouse, France, residents and visitors get a unique chance to live amongst a spectacle out of Jurassic Park, as streets become possessed by two colossal robotic creatures.

La Machine chooseS special dates throughout the year to release their creatures into the city, recreating ancient mythical scenes to the sound of live music or letting the robots roam the streets freely. “We always work with movement, it is our artistic line and we always use materials such as wood, leather, copper or glass, we never use plastics,” explained Fredette Lampre, head of marketing at La Machine.

Delaroziere expressed to the Press that his ambition was to gift this vast work of art to the residents to unite them, so they would have a common topic and “talk to each other.” He commented that during his shows, “the whole city becomes a place of theatre,” making the days exceptionally special for the passers-by.

“These giants revive our childhood eyes; we lived in a world of giants. That was a time of life when we were more open to emotions; we took everything in,” highlighted Delaroziere.

“I watch people´s reactions. And some love it, some don´t. But you have to recognise how modern it is and all the research and creativity that has gone into it,” commented a long-time resident of Toulouse to the Press.

The research and creativity

The 12-metre-high mechanical spider took two years to produce by a team of 60 people in France, while the robotic minotaur, more than 14 metres high only moves with the assistance of 17 operators. The mythological half-man, half-bull creature is partly electric and partly combustion, made of unpainted lime tree wood and metal. The creature is constructed to appear real; even making the sound of breathing as it moves.

Toulouse´s mayor,  Jean-Luc Moudenc remembers the launch of the unique creatures in 2018, as 900,000 people gathered in curiosity to the city centre; “It was a magical and extraordinary moment, thousands of Toulouse residents were there.”

In October this year, La Machine will premiere their third mythical creature; Lilith, the Guardian of Darkness. “She is a disciple of Ades, she comes from the underworld. She travels through cities to build an army,” shared the team, revealing that the Scorpio woman will be up to 11 metres tall and walk on crab legs.

“It is a show which directly links to heritage and which attracts a lot of people,” highlighted Delaroize, noting that the creatures continue to bring tourists to the city. “The goal is to make citizens dream by sharing a big celebration,”