Dug North (né Douglas Ian North) is an American artist known for hand-cranked animated sculpture known as 'Contemporary automata'. North draws inspiration from the masterworks of automatists such as Pierre Jaquet-Droz, Henri Maillardet, and the magic-themed automata of Robert-Houdin. Part of the Contemporary Automata Movement, North as an artist is less concerned with imitating living organisms, than with creating scenes and characters that make subtle comments on society. Other artists in this movement include Peter Markey, Paul Spooner, Keith Newstead and the other artists associated with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, once located in Covent Garden, London. North makes his home in New England, United States and continues to work. He publishes a weblog for collectors and makers of automata entitled The Automata / Automaton Blog
