Australian animatronics experts bring international experience back to the Gold Coast

The internationally acclaimed experience of John Cox’s Creature Workshop is currently on display in a Gold Coast exhibition How to Make a Monster - the art and technology of animatronics.

Being staged at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, the exhibition is the grande finale for an event that, since 2008, has toured the world giving a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the skills and process used to bring creatures and monsters from the written page to the movie screen.

Highlighting the work of 1995 Visual Effects Academy Award winner for the movie ‘Babe’, John Cox and his Creature Workshop team, the exhibition looks at the science, technology, engineering and art required to bring monsters to life.

Based on the Gold Coast, John Cox’s Creature Workshop is acknowledged as a leader in the design and manufacture of animatronic fantasy creatures, monsters and realistic animals.

The exhibition sees visitors encounter all kinds of movie monsters and play with real animatronic mermaids, snowmen, gorillas, aliens, animals and more from classic films like Pitch Black, Inspector Gadget 2, Scooby Doo, Peter Pan, Nim's Island and Babe.

The exhibition also informs visitors about how fantasy creatures are created from the page to full size inventions while presenting monster workshops and masterclasses where those who attend can learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ from some of the best in the business.

Having first toured Australia and New Zealand between 2004 and 2008, the exhibition has been on display internationally over the past eight years.

According to Exhibition Co-ordinator Julie Anderson, “the exhibition has changed over the years since it first opened at the Queensland Museum (in) 2004.

“Amongst the new pieces we now show how we used 3D printing to create a baby ankylosaur for a Sci-Fi series and at this venue have included some of John’s art work including ‘See Life’ that John created for Swell Sculpture Festival 2015 which has 510 individually programmed LEDs inside delivering a beautiful and subtle environmental message.”

Over 800,000 people are expected to visit How to Make a Monster - the art and technology of animatronics before it closes for the final time on 12th June.

Click here for more information on How to Make a Monster - the art and technology of animatronics.

For more information on John Cox's Creature Workshop go to www.johncox.net

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