This summer I was hired by a production company in New York City to make five large fish puppets. This is their story.
Prototype
The puppets needed were to be operated outdoors by a single person over the course of a few days. I needed to find a lightweight solution that could respond to wind and other variations in weather.
I started with the idea of using conical tomato cages as the base for the body. Also pictured: Bill.
The build time was short, and I only had a week to make a prototype before heading to New York for other work. I asked Bill Holznagel, an excellent builder and performer for Tears of Joy and his own company Signal Light (if you live in Portland and haven’t seen their show Playtime with Pete and Randy, do yourself a favor).
An emphasis was put on the desired “flowiness” of the puppets by the client. In an earlier test, I’d looked to find that element with a combination of materials and performance. It’s show here in shadow, ’cause when you’re videoing your self, you make sacrfices.
Some early variations of fabric choices and fin designs.Every puppet has certain elements that serve to create it’s personality and reflect emotion. The opening mouth and the eyes proved to be very importantThese puppets were intended to interact with people at a large party, so it was necessary to test the scale (no pun intended).
Finalizing the Design
In New York, I worked with my friend Sam Hill, a fellow mask maker and sculptor, to finish the build. We worked in studio in Greenpoint to figure out the final details.
My first note was to make the fish bigger. It’s close to 6′ from mouth to tail.It took awhile to get the tail to stabilize.Trying out some scale patterns.Cutting lots of fabric.Fish factoryAttaching the scales required strategy. We still needed to be able to access various parts of the puppet during construction and throughout its life.The puppet needed to have a strong eye that could potentially let light pass through.Testing for optimal position: one that would reveal a sense of character and a clarity of focus.Finishing the attachment of the gold lamé around the mouth. It was a thirsty sort of day.
A few more tests…
We took the first puppet out to see how it moved in the outdoors. You can tell from the video noise that it was windy day.
But we also got to interact with curious passersby, which was an unexpected benefit 🙂Many times during the tests, I had to watch to catch all the details I wanted to adjust. It was fun to finally get to be a puppeteer too.Checking the puppet at the studio at sunset. That’s a happy fish.The school awaits pickup.
Opera-matic, a collaborative arts group in Chicago, contacted me this last spring to make a mask for The Moon on the Lagoon, The community performance featured lullabies and the faces people find in the moon. What a cool idea!
I was sent this image by a group in Chicago commissioning an owl mask.
Part of designing the mask is figuring how it will align with and/or cover the performer’s face. The producers knew they wanted the mouth of the performer available, so I approached it much like a three-quarter character mask.
Inspiration and discovery continue throughout the process of making. Those moments are my favorite in my process. These inspirations can manifest in an accident, through a coincidence of timing, etc.
The first version of this mask was made for the Grand Guignolers company in Los Angeles. It was to be human in scale, which directed my choice about how to create visibility for the actor.
Coy. So coy. Just a like a mantis.Though difficult to see here, the exoskeleton is textured with small brushstrokes to add life to the painting under stage lights.
This amazing insect was so inspiring, it started appearing in other projects, like the shadow puppet show bugged, created with Rollin Carlson.
An exploratory image from the making of “bugged”—like so many images, it didn’t make it into the show.
Working in shadow encourages an essentialization of form. It’s interesting to look back and see which elements carry on and evolve through the various iterations. After this further exploration of this form through puppetry, I realized wasn’t quite satisfied with the silhouette. I jumped at the chance to improve it with my next commission for the insect.
Round 2: blocking in a sculpture for a new version.Refining the sculptureI had to cut off part of the clay mandibles to accomplish the papier-mache. They were made separately and joined once the cast had been pulled from the clay.This praying mantis has more texture on the eyes than the exoskeleton. It also has a special paint on the eyes to create a feeling of iridescence.
I refined the eye hole to be even more incorporated in the geometry of the sculpture. The next time I had the opportunity to work on this mask, I played around a little with color. Research images guided my thoughts.
A variation from the previous sculpture. Research provided additional ideas fro coloring. The eyes were further refined and smoothed with paper clay.For the eyes on this version, I began with a sponge technique to break up the flatness of the red. On top of that, I used a stencil technique to suggest the segmentation of the eyes.
I’ve learned great things each time about this he next time I work on this mask, I want to explore greater width. Here are all the versions so far:
Side by sideIn this silhouette, the mask is almost three times as wide as the human head!
A few months ago I was approached by a photographer in Eugene, Oregon, named Dennis Galloway. Among his many other projects, he shoots panoramas of artists in their studios. We arranged a time and he came up an took this awesome photo.
We chatted about masks and photography and travels as we did this shoot. It went so quickly!
My studio, in panorama! Photo by Dennis Galloway
The distortion caused by the rotation of the camera makes it look so much bigger than it is, and changes the shapes of things. Now I want curved tables to work at!
What makes a mask a mask? How does a change in technology affect this ancient practice of transformation? I stumbled upon this video on Facebook. It’s pretty interesting what they are doing. In one respect, it’s a live-time version of makeup—the face is decorated with moving images, but the dimensions of the face are not altered as they would be when wearing a physical mask.
Later, I looked around for more information. I found another blogger’s article here. Text below is reprinted from that post.
“On a Christmas episode of Fuji Television’s SMAP X SMAP, two members of the J-pop boy band SMAP (Shingo Katori and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) were used to demonstrate just how close we are to the next level of using these type of “laser” projectors in an entertainment venue. Both members had little round nodules placed at strategic points on their face to allow for a motion-tracking software program to follow their movement and adjust for the beams of light to “colour” their face in a wide-variety of ways. In one moment they would look like a Transformer and in another, they are cat-like aliens in disguise. Shingo and Tsuyoshi-san wore real make-up to help highlight their facial structures and to act like a reflective canvas medium for the lights to sculpt their faces into truly alien forms. To note, they had to close their eyes during the demonstration.”
What do you think? Is it a mask, or something else?
It’s taken a few months to organize and upload the photos from my trip to India, but I’m happy to report they are are ready! And good golly, there’s a lot of them. So a few options exist.
If you want the entire adventure, including all the work on Maya the musical and my subsequent travels to south India, follow this link.
If you want to see just the travels to south India, click here.
Learn how to make a mask that feeds the performer and is designed to play powerfully on indoor and outdoor stages. In this hands-on workshop, participants will design, sculpt, cast and paint a paper mache character half mask. Attention will be paid to sources of creative inspiration, qualities that promote dynamic onstage play, and techniques for shaping a well-engineered character mask. Participants will leave the workshop with a plaster cast of their face and one painted mask.
WHO:
This workshop is excellent for costume designers, actors and performers, and mask enthusiasts at all levels of experience. Pre-registration by March 25 is required.
WHEN:
6-9 pm Friday, March 27
10-7pm* Saturday, March 28
10-7pm* Sunday, March 29
*There will be an hour lunch break on Saturday and Sunday
WHERE:
Oregon Children’s Theatre, 1939 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR
TUITION:
The cost of the workshop is $225. Special discount for blog readers: $200. Include the code “makingfaces” in your registration email.
Cost for materials is included. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required upon registration.
TO ENROLL: Email me at tony_fuemmeler@yahoo.com for more information and with any questions about the workshop.
Inspired by the study of mythology by Joseph Campbell (a favorite of mine too!), as well as theatre creators Ariane Mnouchkine, Jacques Lecoq, Peter Brook, and Complicite, Professor Stephanie Roberts is leading an exciting collaboration between UMKC Theatre and the UMKC Conservatory IMP Ensemble.
The working title is The Epic Project. It is a three year endeavor to weave contemporary and classic stories into an epic narrative suited to our times. The actors have been devising for nearly two years already. I was invited to be a part of that exploration this last February.
As a part of their exploration of character and archetype, I worked with the actors to create animal-spirit masks. The inspiration for this work came in part from old mask and mummer traditions from Europe and also from animal and spirit masks from around the world. I asked the students to engage with familiar objects and new materials as they uncovered the spirit of the animal within.
Enough chatter. Here are some pictures!
Initial experiments
Joshua uses a basket to create a mouth.An experimental mask made by Edwin. It’s made of wax paper and captures the movement and essence of a different material.We then tried making animal masks using only one material: cardboard.Making a mask not only requires choice of material, but constant check-ins along the way.Masks aren’t complete until the performer’s body is added. We used this as a way to check in on our work as we built.
Digging further into materials
What we’re working with.
Uncovering the animal spirit
We did many experiments with materials and forms, then took what we learned and started making the mask for each actor.
The actors made a ball of paper the size of their head and attached it to the armature stand. This helps them size the mask correctly.
On the second to last day of our process, Julie Denesha from KCUR came and interviewed some of the actors. Check out her amazing photos here.
Mariem/Mosquito Photo: Julie Denesha
See the work-in-action!
Come see the workshop performance in this phase of the Epic Project in Studio 116 at UMKC’s Performing Arts Center (4949 Cherry St.) Previews run from Friday Mar 6-8th and runs Mar 11-15th. Shows at 7:30 with the exception of Mar 15th at 2:00pm.
Seating is very limited so please reserve your FREE tix at 816-235-2782.
Over the course of the last three years, I’ve had the great pleasure to work with Many Hats Collaboration’s Jessica Wallenfels and Eric Nordin (and a slew of other talented artists) on the development of an original work of dance theater, The Snowstorm. It’s been a great journey, and I want to share a little of that process with you in this post.
Beginnings
Creating original work requires a lot of skills, in addition to having a vision for the show. Among these are communication, collaboration, being present, creative problem solving, flexibility, comfort with ambiguity, etc. The process was always a pleasure—largely due to the talents and leadership of Wallenfels and Nordin—and it also took us in many directions.
I played a couple of roles throughout. Initially, I worked as an actor to help develop physical vocabulary for some of the key scenes. Through this process, Wallenfels was able to get a sense of what it would take to tell a clear story through movement set against the music of Rachmaninoff.
The Hawk, the Bear, and the Hen in rehearsal for the 2013 workshop at Portland Actors Conservatory. One of these actors was eventually cast in the 2015 production.
A year or so later, after many such experiments, a short evening of scenes was presented. One of the things we were trying to determine was if masks were a good fit for the show. Since it was just a test, we used placeholder masks that approximated the feeling of each of the masked characters.
We found we weren’t sure if masks were the best solution. Early in 2014, Jessica and I met to discuss our thoughts on the approach. I had just returned from Bali—and Jessica had been there herself, years earlier—so we thought we could also explore shadow puppets.
Fox tries to free the HenShadow Bear!Hawk of Darkness
I decided to create a shadow puppet show that used the same two pieces of music in the first scene of The Snowstorm. I performed it with a second puppeteer for a Puppet Slam produced by Beady Little Eyes last spring. After more discussion, we decided that the shadows would likely be too difficult to see clearly in the thrust stage at the CoHo. We held on to the possibility of using both masks and puppets as we began to meet with the entire production team.
Though I didn’t pursue this further, the final wolf mask does have some textural similarity.The surface treatment is borrowed from various Russian folk patterns.Fabric was one material I considered using for the mask.In an early iteration, all the masks were face masks.
Researching the various animals in the story came next. Through our meetings, we had decided to go with masks. I tried to find a design concept that would serve the multiple needs of this particular production: a fantastical quality, a handmade look, and an ease of movement were among these needs. As I was working in India, I would make sketches and email them back to the production team so that all of our designs could work well together. Nothing was feeling like it hit the mark, so I tried to think of other ways to solve the problem. Finally, drawing on my recent experiences making a peacock mask for Maya, I proposed using a kind of helmet mask for the show. This option promised an interesting transformation onstage and seemed exciting to build.
The actor sees through a stylized opening in the mask.The actor puts the mask on like a hat.
Preparing for rehearsal
Typically, I prefer to provide the finished mask at first rehearsal. I feel this way because it allows the actors (who may have no experience performing with masks) to get used to the different performance style they will need to employ. With this show, we knew we wanted to have a little more flexibility and room for discovery. So with the design we thought we wanted in mind, I generated some rehearsal masks to give the actors a sense of what it would mean to perform in the masks.
Hawk’s rehearsal piece gave us both a way to test the scale of the mask.I made these cartooned masks from cardboard and bike tire…… and a simple head ring.
With the information from the rehearsal room, I was soon ready to sculpt. The discoveries did not really end there, which is really the fun of the whole thing!
Weighing options on the sculpture of the Wolf.Hawk gets his glare on.I used different colors of paper maché to help the actors see the image of the character before it was painted—but we liked the handmade quality so much we kept it!For the Wolf, I used a more varied color palette and texture.Rehearsing with the real masks provided lots of information about lighting, movement, and comfort. This is a lot of foam, which I later disguised with black broadcloth.
The Final Masks
The actors brought the masks to life beautifully! (Shadows still appear in the play, even though they are not the primary element. Knowing the process, it’s interesting to me to see how all of the different artistic impulses eventually found their place in the show.) Here are a few shots from the performance.
Beth Thompson as Bear. Photo: John RudoffEric Nordin (pianist) and Jamie Rea (Swan). Photo: Brud Giles(L to R): Beth Thompson as Bear, Elisha Henig as Fox, Brian Demar Jones as Hawk, and Kira Batcheller as Hen.
Among its charms are the masks four of the dancers wear. One thing that caught my eye was the texture of the face. It reminded me of Buckminster Fuller, actually, and geodesic domes. Granted, I know only a little little bit about geodesics, but the visual similarity is interesting.
Inside of a (rather comfy) geodesic dome temporarily set up in Portland in 2013.Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, a geodesic sphere
Wireframe Self Portrait
I followed my curiosity to the homepage of the designer Eric Testroete. Eric works often as a game designer, but also has had some side projects, including this self portrait mask from 2009.
Here’s a look at some of his process. (Reposted with permission from www.testroete.com)
There are over one hundred triangles making up this faceI often find myself using bits of skills from other disciplines when making masks. This image reminds me of flat patterning for sewing.
Mirror, Mirror
Mask Self Portrait, 2011.
Eric used a similar construction technique to create this mirrored mask. I am always curious about how a mask plays in time and space, with the energy of a human beneath it, so I am really glad he posted this video it in use. And who doesn’t love a good walk in the woods?
Once it was confirmed that I would be working in India this fall, I was excited to see if I could find out more about Indian mask traditions. Quick internet searches yielded little, only some tribal Himalayan masks to the north, and a number of colorful pieces in neighboring Sri Lanka.Talking with some people on the Maya project as well as other mask friends gave me a few more ideas about where to look.
Here’s a little of what I found!
Kerala
Kathakali
Kerala is a state in southern India that borders the Arabian Sea. It is also home to kathakali, a highly stylized drama/dance. The stories told in this form vary, but many are from the Mahabharata epic.
Drummers and singers accompanied the characters throughout the performance.
If you arrive early to the performance, not only do you get to observer the performers apply their intense makeup, you also get a better seat. And I’m really glad we did.
Some of the makeup includes 3-D elements, like the white disc at his cheeks. The green faced pacha character is always a good guy in the story being told.The makeup is made largely from the powders of different stones, or sometimes vegetable matter, mixed with coconut oil.This clownish character had a white, flower-like nose attached on top of the makeup.
After the makeup was applied, there was a demonstration of the techniques used in the dance. You must train for many years before performing in the kathakali, and the abilities of the dancers makes this clear.
The way they could move their eyes was nothing short of amazing. Eyes are very important in the communication of emotions in the drama, and these dancers have amazing muscular control. In addition, the performers of kathakali can isolate muscle groups in their face. Not just like flaring nostrils or wiggling ears—try to imagine just the tops of the cheeks bouncing up and down while the rest of the face remains calm. It’s impressive!
The character designs painted on their faces come alive as these muscle isolations occur. These facial gestures are combined with mudras, or coded positions of the hands, to complete the attitude.
Lord Shiva and Parvati reveal their true nature to Arjuna after a series of comic antics.
Kerala Folklore Museum
There are artifacts from throughout southern India, including the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, inside this beautiful building.
In Ernakulam, a more modern town across the water from Kochi, I was excited to find a museum dedicated to folklore. There were several interesting faces inside. The museum was not always the most successful in providing context for the various images, but I did start to get a sense of mask styles from different regions.
This beak is part of a costume for the Garuda bird in a Kathakali play.Costume for a Poothan ritual dance of Kerala. According to wikipedia, Poothan is the lieutenant of Shiva. These dances are performed once or twice year to clean the village of evil spirits.Another ritual dance mask from Kerala. Again I refer to wikipedia, which categorizes this (and the Poothan dance) as a “devotional art form”. The festival is in August/September, so I missed my chance to see it performed.Another ritual performance called Theyyam was represented by these painted heads.After some more research on wikipedia, it seems that these heads are records of some makeup styles for performers of the Theyyam cult.I include some pictures below from the wikipedia article for reference.“Bali theyyam, Payyannur” by Jasinth M V – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bali_theyyam,_Payyannur.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Bali_theyyam,_Payyannur.jpg“Bhagavathi at Vikranandapuram Kshetram, Taliparamba” by prasadnp – PhotographedPreviously published: 2013/04/29. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bhagavathi_at_Vikranandapuram_Kshetram,_Taliparamba.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Bhagavathi_at_Vikranandapuram_Kshetram,_Taliparamba.jpg
I like this really basic expression.The mask in the lower center, also a ritual mask from Karnataka, seems to build on the basic expression.
At the rear of the kathakali stage inside the Kerala Folk Museum.
Puppets!
There were also a few examples of puppets in the museum. I knew there were some famous puppets in the state of Rajasthan in the north, but these have a different feeling than their northern relations.
Spare hands in mudras and extra feet.Shadow Puppet from Andhra Pradesh.
Karnataka
Museum of Mankind
A mask from the Limbu people near Geyzing, Sikkim in Northeastern India. It is carved in wood and depicts Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation.
We moved on to the state of Karnataka, just north and east of Kerala. In the city of Mysore, famed for ashtanga yoga and sandalwood crafts, we visited the Indira Ghandi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (aka the Museum of Mankind).
A Mahakal mask from the Limbu of Geyzing, Sikkim. It is a variant of the one in red.
The collection features many tribal art forms from different parts of India. I was lucky to find included a couple of masks from the Himalayas in this southern state. The style is quite different form the types I had seen in Kerala. I imagine the species of wood used for carving is different as well.
Though I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t find as many masks as I had hoped, the museum also features a large collection of terra cotta figures from around India. These figures provide some insight into the style and decorative idiosyncrasies of the culture to which they belong.
Terra Cotta elephant at the Museum of Mankind in Mysore.
Terra Cotta from Bihar, in the northSculpture of a woman from a folk community in Karnataka.
Miscellaneous faces
Street art in KochiThere are schools on the backwaters of Alleppey, and where there are schools, there are computers. They are guarded by this fearsome beast.At a cafe in Kochi.Random kids who instantly wanted to be in my picture while I photographed ruins in Hampi.Case trying to speak tiger at the Mysore Palace.
