“Presently situated backstage at the Royal Opera House, this is a massive, tripod-mounted entity, several tonnes in weight, with an articulated, illuminated proboscis. ‘I’m not going to call it a robot, it’s much too feminine for that,’ says [Conrad] Shawcross, eyeing the huge, raw-steel creation as it waits behind its safety ropes. [Edward] Watson, who will share the stage with it, is suitably respectful. ‘It’s dangerous’ he says. ‘You could kill someone if you went near it.'”