OK, this is old news. But you’ve gotta see the pictures anyway!
On July 24 and 25, 2008, an ensemble cast performed The Lady Liberty Blues, written in the main by Wes Andrews and directed by Jess Smith, at Live Girls! Theater in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood.
I was in charge of all the shadow imagery. This was my first time creating puppets for a show, and my first time performing with them. These will give you an idea of what we accomplished:
The Little Boy Who Lived in a Jar
The Chair of Motivation
Little Cartoon Baby Bob Dylan
The Rat Cage
Secret Orcon
OHP!
If you want more information on the show, Wes created a blog, which lives nearby.
Isabella’s Art reminds me of one of my favorite poems, by T.S. Eliot.
Here is the ebb of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”:
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
That’s the name of an album by Final Fantasy, nee Owen Pallett, violinist extraordinaire.
Pallett is best known in the States as the gorgeous string accompaniment for the Arcade Fire (think “No Cars Go”).
In Canada he is also prominent as a solo artist who creates lush musical textures by looping his violin tracks. This is impressive live, as you will see in the video below.
Why I bring his story to you today is because his live show is augmented by shadows. Stephanie Comilang uses and overhead projector to add even more layers to the performance.
It’s been awhile folks. Sorry for that. Many, many things to blog in the coming days. Maker Faire photos coming soon!!!
For today, I will share one of the most thrilling discoveries of my recent life. There is an artist musician duo out of Toronto that uses shadow theater. Brilliant brilliant brilliant.
I really wish I had the skill to imbed the video for this. I don’t, yet, so here is a teaser image:
Artist Michel Gagné created this series of shorts for Nickelodeon’s Halloween Shriekin’ Weekend in 2005. You can watch this amazing piece of flash animation here.
They are also available in individual format at his website, here.
Thanks to the brilliant no fat clips!!! video blog for this. Check it out.
Every once in awhile an idea turns out better than you expected.
When I set out to plan my middle school class for the Spring, I made the crazy decision to attempt shadow masks. I’d never made them, and didn’t have any resources to explain the technical details to me. Tonight I took on the task, throwing caution into the shadows.
