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I'm not sure what to say tbh. I don't know the context of marionette art, let alone 1990's Russian marionettes so I feel ill-equipped to comment. but it speaking to me despite my lack of knowledge/marionette-literacy (lol) is in and of itself a testament to the work! it did remind me of the marionettes in The Double Life of Veronique, which I should really rewatch sometime!
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[spoiler???? i guess???:]
I also probably enjoyed it bc I've been really into heads in chest as a motif lately. why? unclear still
Feb 9, 2025
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amazing display of european 1970s visual excess, some of the most beautiful set design I’ve really ever seen. Has sort of a brechtian effect like it‘s holding your face between its hands, shaking your head, yelling “its play pretend, it’s play pretend, its all paper mache and paint”. reminded me of the fox wedding in dreams, neither has any motivation to veil from the viewer that the performances are performances. often silly but it’s clown school, it’s confetti, it’s a harem carnival, it’s craft baby.
Feb 13, 2025
he's an incredibly eccentric puppeteer, & i just did his free 90 minute "introduction to puppet mastery" workshop (linked) and it was insane and awesome. he compares puppetry to the way of the samurai, and puppeteers to dentists. i did also cry at one point over how beautiful the puppet versions of his parents were. would love to do his longer 8 week course but it's a bit out of my price range, however!!!!! the free workshop has honestly left me feeling very inspired and prepared - i know enough of the basics to make a puppet, and u know what???? i think i freaking will
Dec 8, 2024
bro in 2022 i went to my local art center and i saw The Well by Estonian performance artist/dancer Maria Metsalu of Young Boy Dancing Group. it was insaaaaneeee. a whole existential experience, commentary about psychoanalysis, life, just craziness with an epic soundtrack by Oxhy.
extra, probably very specific recommend: last summer i bought the text/poem version of The Well. its soooo good and inspiring.. buy the texts to plays/performance if you can!!
(also, maybe if u ask nicely she gives a link to the video of her performance)
Feb 25, 2024
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17h ago
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
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* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025