Spirits Dancing

The windmill prop I mentioned previously was made for the National Museum of Australia‘s July school holiday program Little BIG Things. It ran in conjunction with the museum’s new Landmarks exhibition, which explores a broad history of Australia through stories of places and their peoples.. The kids visiting the Discovery Centre drop-in activity area could make small sculptures of a big thing from where they came from, and then write a story about it to place on the blades of the windmill.

Against the huge windows in the foyer of the museum the windmill looks quite small despite being 3 metres tall. At home when I did a trial assembly of the windmill outside my studio window, it looked enormous! There are some more photos of the windmill in my Flickr photoset.

Tags: make, national museum of australia, prop, windmill

These cool crocheted fox masks are only a couple of the unusual masks made by Huck and Stuff. I’m such a slow and occasional knitter and crocheter myself (in fact I’ve crocheted so seldom I shouldn’t count as one at all) that I’m amazed at the use of either to make masks or puppets. But they look great and given the wire frame construction are probably light and airy to wear, which is a terrific advantage.

If you remember the 1980′s ABC TV series of Blinky Bill, the puppets for that were designed and knitted by Beverley Campbell-Jackson, one of the founders of  Spare Parts Puppet Theatre .

(via Whip up)

Tags: crochet, knit, masks, puppetry, puppets

Eric Testroete, a 3d artist in Vancouver, made this awesome papercraft self-portrait head mask for Halloween last year. If you scroll along at his site you can see the making process. Wouldn’t it be cool to use heads like this in theatre?

Tags: eric testroete, papercraft, puppetry, puppets, self portrait

Yiying Lu (of fail whale fame) has designed a set of ten beautiful sea creature masks for children for the Sydney Aquarium. Go and look at them, they will make your day better!

Tags: masks, sea creatures, sydney aquarium, yiying lu

A mindblowing day at the puppet carnival: see my Flickr photoset for heaps more photos; I’ve just chosen a few here. Also Naomi and Gary have more, too, each a different take :). As far as I can see its just the three of us blogging from Unima 2008.

Cheryl Linnaker’s Yawaru gecko

Joan Baixas’ masterclass present the ‘Great Laughing Mutant Project’

Hersute Monsiour Telefon, the puppet I put in the Million Puppet Project

Trans Faunas by Swerve Association

Perhaps one of the creatures by Edith Cowan University Contemporary Performing group?

Murphy’s Puppets Allenby’s FAMOUS Flea Circus

Swerve Association’s sheep

My attendence at Unima 2008 is supported by the ACT Government

Tags: mask, million puppets project, perth, puppetry, puppets, street theatre, UNIMA, unima 2008, world puppetry festival

Students from the Edith Cowan University Contemporary Performers Group, lead by Deborah Hunt entertained the lunchtime crowds in James Place, Perth, yesterday, as part of the UNIMA Worl Puppetry Festival. These made my day! By chance there was a busker playing, and they worked their activities in around what he was playing.

More photos in my Flickr photoset.

My attendence at Unima 2008 is supported by the ACT Government

Tags: mask, perth, puppetry, puppets, street theatre, UNIMA, world puppetry festival

These penguin masks, being worn outside the UN Framework of Climate Change Conference in Bali last November, interested me because I liked the way the coarse gauze was so effective, while not hiding the faces. The photo is taken from our newspaper at the time, via Associated Press.

I’ve always thought a cool way of making a penguin character would be to have a head mask, but then wear a tuxedo as the rest of the costume, letting people make the penguin suit connection themselves. However no-one has ever taken me up on the suggestion!

We turned our lights off for Earth Hour tonight. It was a beautiful clear starry night.

Tags: bodysuits, climate change, earth hour, masks, penguin suit, penguins, puppetry, puppets

Missmonster at Instructables details how she made her fabulous, scary and very furry werewolf costume. This photo is pre-fur!

(via Puppetbuilding.com)

Tags: make. mask, puppetry, puppets, werewolf

The GreensBlog has some politician masks you can download and print. They were intended for halloween, but, you know, they might come in handy in the next few weeks!

Here in Canberra this time around we have a unique opportunity to alter the balance of power in the Senate immediately. The Coalition parties hold 20 of the 40 seats in the Senate, and it only requires the loss of one of their seats to a progressive to bring some accountability back to the Senate. In the ACT we can do that immediately if only 11,000 people change their vote to a progressive one in the Senate. GetUp! is running a campaign and unique multi-party ad to this effect.

Tags: australia, election, getup!, greens, mask, politics, senate

The Eye of Sauron goes off to a villian’s party!

Tags: craft, eye of sauron, make, mask