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Chinese marionettes

19/7/2013

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This week I had the pleasure to talk to John Roberts about his time in China and talk about the differences between the European upright marionette control and Chinese paddle control.

They have a huge number of strings which means they can have things like hands that can pick things up.  Heres my attempt to make a pair of hands.

Below is a video of some in action - I found myself watching the puppeteers almost as much as the puppets.  
their choreography is so tight - it's not often you get to see marionettists in action.

The Chinese marionette below is by John Roberts from puppet craft - my photos don't do it justice in anyway but it shows what they are like on the inside. I was a little suprised by how simple they construction methods were - rolled newspaper for arms - just cloth legs but the costumes and paint are so intricate and then you get to the stringing and discover that she is anything by simple.
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eyes left

12/7/2013

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I've been experimenting with an eye mechanism.
Might come in handy when I need a shifty character.

This one is a pretty basic toggle directly attached to the back of eyes on a pivot.  

It took some trial and error to see what would work but was really interesting to try of lots of different things until I got the movement I was after.  

Whilst I was playing with eyes Lyndie was trying out a type of javanese puppet hand she's not made before to see how it worked.  it's a solid piece with fingers joined.  it's strong but also quick (comparatively) to carve because the thumb is inline with the rest of the hand.

Lesson of the day: Even after 50 years in puppetry there are still new and exciting things to try for the first time.

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    Author

    Hello, I'm Alison, a puppet designer and  maker from London. In May 2012 the Arts Council supported me in training under Lyndie Wright. Thank you for joining me on the journey.

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