Mask – Page 2 – Tony Fuemmeler

A summer of puppetry & dance

Posted on October 25, 2015 by tony in Creation Process, Youth

I had an amazing summer of work, which has lead right into some great projects this fall. I have been so occupied with doing, I haven’t had much time to share.. so here are just a few quick highlights!

The Creation Story: Lincoln Center Education & Carmen DeLavallade

After taking part in a second summer of Lincoln Center Education’s Teaching Artist Training program this July, I had an excellent opportunity to put those new and exciting ideas directly in to practice. Working for LCE at the nearby Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, I lead experiential workshops to introduce a group of seniors and a group of youth to the immense body of work of the late renaissance man Geoffrey Holder.

Looking one of Geoffrey Holder's pieces after making some art together. Photo: Šara Stranovsky — Looking one of Geoffrey Holder’s pieces after making some art together.
Photo: Šara Stranovsky

Then we moved on to the next phase of our work, in collaboration with the wonderful and imaginative Chris Green. Chris designed a number of puppet images (based on the work of Holder) to be used in a performance of The Creation Story by Holder’s wife and longtime collaborator, Carmen DeLavallade. Working with Chris, Carmen, and her team, I engaged the students in finding the movement to bring each of these images to life.

Building ensemble with the cast. Photo: Šara Stranovsky — Building ensemble with the cast.
Photo: Šara Stranovsky

A bear mask I made from a sieve. Photo: Lucy Gram — A bear mask I made from a sieve.
Photo: Lucy Gram

In rehearsal! Photo: Lucy Gram — In rehearsal!
Photo: Lucy Gram

What is the nature of a rainbow? How does it move? How does it feel? Photo: Šara Stranovsky — Researching the performative nature of a rainbow: How does it move? How does it feel?
Photo: Šara Stranovsky

Taking a rest from flight. Photo: Šara Stranovsky

Carmen DeLavallade, surrounded by birds, flowers, and the sun at the Damrosch Park Amphitheatre. Photo: Lucy Gram

Chris and I with Carmen after the performance. Photo: Lucy Gram — Chris and I with the generous and legendary Carmen DeLavallade after the performance.
Photo: Lucy Gram

The youth perform a post show bird attack! Okay, I egged them on a little :) — The youth staging a post-show bird attack!
Okay, I egged them on a little 🙂

Hagoromo: Wendy Whelan at BAM

Right after that project, I was lucky enough to continue working with Chris as a rehearsal puppeteer in the early stages of development of Hagoromo. The show, premiering at the BAM Next Wave Festival in November 2015, is a huge collaborative undertaking. It stars Wendy Whelan, former principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, and features musicians, puppets, a mezzo-soprano, tenor, and a large chorus. Check out the NY Times article!

Discovering the way for three people to move as one being.

The first steps are… literally that. We had to uncover the way to do a basic walk before we could learn to dance.

The story is adaptation of a Japanese Noh play. For this multidisciplinary opera, there are two life-size puppets based on body casts of the incredibly talented Wendy Whelan. Our initial job was to work out the kinks.

Both doing and watching are necessary to learn how to successfully bring a puppet to life.

The dance of the puppeteers is a separate, but equally interesting, dance to that of the puppet itself.

Wendy and Chris discussing the fine points of puppet capability. Many of our rehearsal discoveries lead to small tweaks in the design.

Find out more about the Hagoromo performance and process through this excellent resource on the BAM website.

And watch a video of me with Catherine Gowl and Pepper Fajans as we puppeteer in a mirror exercise with Wendy Whelan.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjd9jCANq2M]

It's a small puppet world! One of the other awesoem rehearsal puppeteers, Katie Melby, had previously performed with my talented sister-in-law, Katie Kaufmann, in the Twin Cities! — It’s a small puppet world! One of the other awesome rehearsal puppeteers, Katie Melby, had previously performed with my talented sister-in-law, Katie Kaufmann, in the Twin Cities!

Making it work

Posted on October 21, 2014 by tony in Creation Process, India, Mask Images, Volunteering, Youth

As a child, I would often hear my father say: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” The most pressing thing on my mind at the time was: Why would one want to skin a cat at all?

I still haven’t answered that question. However, I do know there’s more than one way to get something done. And I have been trying a good number of approaches as I work on the masks for the Maya project: different styles, different materials, different processes.

This (currently ear-less) cat was sculpted on top of a bucket on top of an old dabba of ghee on a pedestal, and skinned with papier mache.

Ska, the 9 headed serpent, nears completion! The foam snake body was sculpted by Sunil, and I made the vice-laden faces to attach.

There’s also more than one way to feel successful. I think some of the success of a mask is measured by its accessibility. It is a really satisfying feeling when a person can pick up a mask I’ve made and instantly feel that they know what they will do with it. There is a feeling that the mask is strongly and clearly communicating its nature to the performer.

This parrot mask, modeled perfectly by Shahish, was built on basket augmented by newspaper, cardboard, and cello tape.

I’m not trying to say that masks can’t or shouldn’t be mysterious. Many a mask can take some work to get to know and to perform well. However, when there is a sense of recognition in the actor’s eyes because they can intuit the nature of the character, or see the possibilities in the mask, I feel I’ve done a good job.

Avian Evolution

Materials, working conditions, and needs of the performance are often in flux, so I find that adaptability is key. I have my preferred methods of creation when on my home turf, but while in India there are a number of differences. For example, used cardboard boxes, brown bags, and newspaper are not easy obtainium in Mumbai as they are in the US. Here they are commodities that can be purchased if you know where to look. The challenge can then become to use what you have in front of you to get the work done.

Phase 1: A costume mock-up before I arrived

Phase 2: Trying to improve the original — Phase 2: Adding detail and dimension to the original

Phase 3: Altering the position of the mask

Phase 4: Cutting it all up and putting it back together.

Phase 5: Testing the altered mask on a new volunteer. Accessibility—and wearability—achieved! — Phase 5: Testing the altered mask on a new volunteer. Accessibility and wearability achieved!

Furthermore when working on a project as large as Maya, often previously approved ideas need to change slightly to serve the show. Sometimes the choreography, blocking, and the style of mask just don’t synch up and to be successful we find how we might change.In some cases, the choreography can be altered with minimal fussiness. In the case of our peacock character, Prasad was so amazing and alive in physical characterization that it was better to change the position of the mask to match what he was proposing.

Five Sprites, Please

Just a few days before all the basic structures and paint jobs were due, I was asked to make the antlers of the deer masks removable. This would permit easier shipping from venue to venue on the tour. I decided to use old bottles and their lids as the mechanism for this request. A 600 ml Sprite bottle had the perfect neck, but also a very short lid to which I could attach the wire and foam antlers. But it would have to do. I went out into the madness of the Dadar market to purchase five Sprites, trying to decide whether I would drink any or just pour it out. It was a hot day. But I couldn’t find a single one. Then I found a plastics shop (owned by Shahish, incidentally. See parrot pic) that carried long neck bottles with tall lids. Success!

Thanks to my good friend Amy Jo, who shared this idea with me years ago.

Mama Tiger with ears and paint. atop a bike helmet, atop an actor.

Photos from the Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets

Posted on February 28, 2014January 27, 2018 by tony in Balinese Dance, Ceremonies, Faces in Art, Mask Images

Photos from the Setia Darma House of Masks & Puppets

Here are my photos from our visit to the mask and puppet museum near the village of Mas in Bali. There are many masks from major Balinese performance traditions of Calonarang, Topeng, and Wayang Wong included. There were also masks from other Indonesian isles and many other countries. I’ve included text from the museum placards (or at least the spirit of it) in the descriptions for each photo.

Enjoy! Full photo album from the trip forthcoming!

Your friendly neighborhood mask maker,

Tony

This trip was made possible in part by a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

One month away!

Posted on December 6, 2013 by tony in Trip Planning

I started this blog to chronicle my 2014 trip to Bali — and it’s almost here! In just 30 days, I will be flying from San Francisco to Taipei, and then from Taipei to Bali. When I travel, even small distances, the reality of the event hits me when I get in the car or approach the ticketing counter at the airport. Sometimes I don’t even pack until the day I’m leaving. This time, however, it seems like the month I have left to prepare is just barely enough to get it all done.

Balinese character mask. Crooked teeth are signs of comic characters.

Balinese monkey mask. This one has a movable jaw!

I am going to Bali for an intensive month of study in the arts of traditional wooden mask carving and topeng (Balinese masked dance). I will also have periodic classes in kecak (the monkey chant), Alexander Technique, and yoga; and symposia on the similarities between Western and Balinese mask traditions. This program is offered through the Dell’Arte International School of Blue Lake, CA. I like the the way that it’s structured to allow you to study masks from both sculptural and performative points of view.

It’s so exciting to be able to immerse myself in study and in a new culture!

This is a long-awaited opportunity. I have been working as a mask-maker the last 10 years. Most of the last 8 years have been in Portland, Oregon. I have spent that time creating masks for a variety of theatre and dance companies, and each collaboration has brought new ideas into the mix. I’m proud of the work I’ve done. I also feel ready for a bigger push, one that can help me find my way to the next level. I feel ready to study under a master.

But for now, I have to pack.