Hugo – a roboticised, disembodied 1930s ventriloquist’s dummy – was one of the first automata I incorporated into my stage act, from around 2011. At the time, I made figurative pieces from modded found objects. Over the last decade I’ve moved away from these pieces in favour of automata that leave more space for the audience’s imagination. I now focus on automating sounding objects, rather than creating characters to interact with on stage.