I thought one of the most impressive parts of the video was Basil Twist's abstract puppetry. His show was called Symphonie Fantastique and was preformed in a giant tank of water. The puppeteers were hidden from the audience and the puppets were constructed from fabric, feathers, mirrors, and other various materials. He studied puppetry at a school in France, which inspired his work. Since water puppetry first developed in Asia (the shows took place in the rice patties, because the puppeteers had to work with their environments), he was also taking Asian puppetry concepts and incorporated them into his style of American puppetry.
Another puppeteer featured in the video was Ralph Lee. He turned parades into puppet shows, which impacted the way puppets can be used in American festivals. Spanish and Asian cultures frequently use various types of puppets in celebrations and festivals, and Ralph Lee incorporated this idea in American puppetry culture. His use of body puppets to portray myths also combined other cultures with American puppets.
I've seen this video before and Basil's water puppets still amaze me. I love that he has completly invented an original form of puppetry. The Asian rice patty shows are nothing like his show. It's unlike anything anyone has ever dreamed up. I'm insanely jealous.
ReplyDeleteYeah I would agree with you Tyler, "Puppet Fantastique" is truely an original piece. Basil is an artist who is not afraid to think outside of the box. I think it is very interesting how complex it is behind the scenes, I mean they have people in harnesses flying over the tank in-order to handle some of the puppets. I also love how different medians can be manipulated in water. For example the cylinder being spun by a drill. This looks incredibly cool!
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