Archives for category: Creative Writing
punch too

Picture supplied by Punch’s new owner

I know I wanted to tell you a snippet from the exhibition today, but then I received this lovely email telling me about what Punch too is up to. I do understand now why he was so keen on leaving and finding a new home. When I read the message I remembered instantly that he had recited Shakespeare before, but the other Dedes weren’t a particularly good audience. He was very serious and gave it his best, but some of the others made fun of him. This really put him off and he never tried again, or at least not publicly. He might have honed his skills in front of the bathroom mirror though. I am so pleased that he found someone who appreciates his gift. Do I spot a victorian lace collar in this image?

Here is the complete email:

Hello Dietlind and Dedes one and all.

Well, Punch has been sharing with me over the past few days since his arrival and has helped with the household budgeting to boot!

Often when I am tempted to buy something in a shop I hear him encouraging me to exercise a modicum of self restraint. Now who’d have thought a Dede could have such magical powers. haha. Anyway, it’s worked so far although I think he may have ulterior motives.

During one of our frequent tete-a-tetes he divulged his unrequited love for Freeloader saying they had a shared history of mistaken identity! It’s a long story so more of this later.

As evening fell and I was preparing the traditional Friday night curry I could hear him in the sunroom muttering to himself and on paying a bit more attention I could not believe my ears. “oh Horatio ( quoth he )…An unlifted shadow lies across my memory ….Things standing thus unknown shall live behind me….If thou didst ever hold me in your heart…absent thee from felicity awhile….and in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain…..To tell my story.” I could only applaud and throw roses where he stood. I think he has the makings of a fine Shakespearian actor.

knowitall

There is just over a week to go until the exhibition opening. Some press releases have been sent out. As I am so used to doing my own thing quietly, I am not not particularly well connected. Unfortunately that now shows when it comes to inviting media. I basically have no clue what to do. The staff at the gallery is very supportive, but of course I am not their only artist. Last night I sent a mayday email to a PR friend who is currently overseas and she too was very helpful. She got back to me immediately with some really good ideas. I can’t complain. Indeed, the feedback I get is overwhelmingly positive and it is amazing how this positivity can carry you.

I spoke to the gallery manager today and finally decided to print a few nice posts (images and text) from the blog to hang up on the walls. Does anybody have a favourite to suggest?

Two of my personal favourites are the “dharna” episode last year and the guy fawkes one. I just re-read them and honestly, I am so looking forward to settling back into our normal life once the exhibition is over and the house is all done up … Hopefully soon!

Today’s new puppet is Know-it-all. Outwardly he is quite loud, but if you get to know him better, it will soon be revealed that it is only a disguise. He tries to paper over his cracks by simply being noisier than anybody else.

lap dog and court jester

I wish I had more time. Today was a public holiday in New Zealand (Queen’s Birthday) and I had hoped I could catch up on a lot of work, but the day is coming to an end and there is still plenty of things left on the to-do-list. I spend all day working on new  puppets. My goal is to finish 20 puppets for the exhibition. Under normal circumstances that shouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately the working conditions are far from perfect: the house still isn’t finished and I don’t have a studio space. I share a little table with the builders and of course I can only use it when they are not here.

This leaves me with the weekends and nights. Fair enough. But while the house is water tight it is not totally enclosed yet and we are approaching the middle of winter. Okay, one could argue New Zealand is a Pacific Island and therefore the winter can’t be that harsh. After all, there is no snow in Auckland. But then, there is not much between here and Antarctica either and it is frigging cold at night.

Enough whingeing… I have nearly completed eleven new characters. The picture shows Lap Dog and Court Jester, two companions of the King. He is acquiring quite an entourage. I know Lap Dog won’t keep him honest, so I pin my hopes on Court Jester.

(Notice the ladder in the background? I wonder where these two want to go with it!)

kiniI

I spent a lot of time with the King lately while I helped him into his new clothes. And yes, I do like the King. He is a fun guy to be around. There is no doubt he is a giver and he is very benevolent to his subordinates. He gives freely but he is not a sharer. I would advise you to never ask him a question. He won’t give an answer, at least not a straight one. Instead, he wiggles and squirms and tries to put the ball back into your court. I finally figured out it is all about control. After all, he is the king and he is the one who rules. Unfortunately, every so often he has to make it clear that he doesn’t have to justify himself. If he wants something he has to get it, no questions asked!

leave skeleton

Lil’ Sculpture has finally made his decision. He was sitting up on his bookshelf observing the Dedes closely and you should have seen the Dedes’ faces when he announced his decision. His choice was Deutsch Fraulein (German girl). How on earth did Lil’ Sculpture come to the conclusion she would be an outsider? Beats all of us really. But anyway, he is convinced and stuck to his guns. Deutsch Fraulein played hard to get and didn’t want to answer in the beginning. She doesn’t want to have her photograph taken either. We don’t have many pictures of her, even though she was one of the earliest Dedes and she has this wonderful smile.

Recently she has taken up photography as a hobby and she definitely prefers to be behind the camera rather than in front of the lens. So she made a deal with Lil’ Sculpture. She will answer his questions if he puts up one of her photographs instead of a picture of her. Lil’ Sculpture didn’t have a problem with that at all and so the deal was sealed.

Here are the questions and her answers:

1. What makes you unique?

Deutsch Fraulein: Oh dear, can’t you tell? I am different! I have this birth mark on my forehead. It is very clearly a German flag. You know, I should have been someone else but this birth mark has ruined everything. It really hindered me from becoming what I really should have been. Did you know that originally I should have been the Dede Princess?

2. Do you consider being unique a curse or a blessing?

Deutsch Fraulein: In my case it is a curse. I have to carry an historic load through no fault of my own. If I’d been the princess it would be a blessing. People would respect me for my status.

3. What is the most difficult thing for you to cope with?

Deutsch Fraulein: I have no home. I have no roots. I was born here, but I am a foreigner. People take one look at me and know I am not from here. But funnily enough, if I moved to Germany I would be a foreigner too.

4. What do you like most about your uniqueness?

Deutsch Fraulein: I could do without my bloody uniqueness. I want to be like everybody else. I saw a doctor to find out whether the birth mark can be removed, but no, there was nothing he could do. I have to live with it forever.

5. If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

Deutsch Fraulein: A magic cap! An invisibility cloak. Something I can wear to become invisible.

rain

A terrible storm has popunded the area for the last three days. The wind was howling around the corners of our half finished house. Not the kind of weather you want to go out in, particularly if you are not water proof. So the Dedes huddled together in their corner, while I had to brave the weather. Lil’ Sculpture, back in his vantage point on the book-shelf, tried to decide who he will put his five questions to. His idea was to identify a puppet who is a Dede, but still an outsider within this otherwise homogeneous society. When the idea first came to him he thought it would be easy to pin point a candidate. Now he realises there are a few contenders. In fact they are all more or less outsiders to some degree.

Then he wanted to question Clay Head, who used to be a Dede but turned into something else. Clay Head had obviously left the community by choice. Unfortunately no-one has seen Clay Head since the move. It might be that he has left the Dedes for good. Alien was his second choice. Of course an alien must be different. But watching closely how they all interact Lil’ Sculpture became aware Alien is well established in the Dede society. He is the life and soul of every party and doesn’t  give a toss about what everybody else thinks. Even if he is an outsider, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with his role. Then there are others who desperately want to be different, but are not so. They are like any other Dede.

As the Dedes are bored sitting in their little corner all day they are now starting to pressure Lil’ Sculpture and warned him if he doesn’t make up his mind soon, somebody else will take over and ask the next questions. “You can tell you are not a Dede” Socialite said unkindly, “Dedes don’t take so long to make decisions.”

He begged them to give him another day. He has short-listed three candidates and he will make up his mind by tonight.

lil interview

The first set of questions L’Artiste had thought up were clearly geared towards me. I thought the idea was to ask non-specific questions, but then, I am not taking part so it is none of my business. Anyway, L’Artiste disappeared again to come up with new questions for Lil’ Sculpture. No, L’Artiste isn’t the fastest runner out of the blocks but finally, finally, he was ready to present our mascot with his questions.

1. You are obviously an outsider, but having said that, is there anything you have in common with the Dedes?

Lil’ Sculpture: We are all made from recycled materials.

2. What sets you apart from the Dedes?

Lil’ Sculpture: I am cut from a different cloth. I am made from  polystyrene and twigs, while they are made from newspapers.  I am just dumb padding, while they carry the knowledge of the world in them.

3. Outsiders often have a better insight. What do you think about the Dedes?

Lil’ Sculpture: They are a great lot. I certainly wouldn’t say anything bad about my hosts. It was generous of them to take me in, otherwise I would have landed in the big skip. I will always be grateful!

4. What is your biggest problem being a minority?

Lil’ Sculpture: I can’t really complain. I have become their mascot. I have found my place. I am convinced this is the best job I could have landed here. On the other hand, to be really honest, it can be a little depressing to think that this is the best job I can achieve here. It is very clear this is the pinnacle of my career. This is how close I can get to the Dedes. I will never be one of them. I am only their mascot and when I am depressed it feels belittling. They obviously don’t trust me to make a good decision. As a mascot I get blamed when things don’t work the way they should and I am not allowed to offer any suggestions.

5. What is your biggest dream?

Lil’ Sculpture: I hear I am not the only polystyrene sculpture. There are other ones out there just like me. One day I would like to catch up with some of them. But then, I am also a bit scared as we grew up in different places. We might look the same but there is a chance that we have absolutely nothing in common. As long as I don’t meet them I can dream on!

lartiste answers

Socialite was a bit slow coming up with questions and telling us who she wants to tag. We should have guessed, really. She was after L’Artiste. She had been so keen on interviewing him ever since his film “Life of an Artist” was posted. This time she got lucky. It took her a while to find him, though, to present him the questions. But then he couldn’t hide forever.

1.Why are you an artist?

L’Artiste: I think I have answered this question before. I just am, there is no reason for it!

2. What would you be if you weren’t an artist?

L’Artiste: Dead!

3. What would you consider a must read for every artist?

L’Artiste: “Josephine the singer, or the mouse folk” by Kafka. I only read it recently when the blogger Eva-d recommended it after I had released my film. It deals with the perception of the arts by the audience and the artist. It made me think a lot.

4. What was the most intriguing piece of information you have heard lately, not sourced from the internet?

L’Artiste: I read a very interesting article about fraternal polyandry in a Western Chinese province.

Socialite: You’ll have to explain that.

L’Artiste:  No, I only have to answer the question! And I think I have.

5. What are you currently working on?

L’Artiste: On a “Stair spirit” for the new stairs we will have in the house soon. It is sort of like the Saints that were placed at bridges to ensure a safe journey across. My one will of course look totally different, but has the same function.

socialite and witch

We were very suprised that Witch wanted to tag Socialite. It is an open secret: there is no love lost between the two of them. Socialite is an outgoing champagne kind of gal, while Witch is a staunch teetotaller who loves to stay at home. There are worlds between them. Anyway, Witch presented the questions to her nemisis. And Socialite jumped right into answering them.

1. Describe yourself in three words?

Socialite: I am outgoing, it is easy for me to make friends and I have a great fashion sense. I know what’s hot.

“Three words” Witch reminded her.

Socialite: Mhm outgoing, driven, sharp and gorgeous of course.

2. What don’t you like about yourself?

Socialite: I like myself. There is nothing that needs changing. Oh, my big nose maybe. Yes, definitely my big nose. One day, I will fix it.

3. What would you save if your house was on fire?

Socialite: That is not difficult. My big collection of lip sticks. I feel naked without my lippy. I wouldn’t go anywhere without it.

4. What is your biggest dream?

Socialite: I want to do something really, really big. Something I will be remembered for forever. What exactly… I don’t know yet, but it will come to me!

5. If you would volunteer, what organisation or job would you choose?

Socialite: This question isn’t fair! I don’t have the time to volunteer right now, so I haven’t really thought about it. Sure, I will do it one day. But I know already I couldn’t volunteer in an old peoples home. This really would depress me. Nor could I help out in an animal shelter where it stinks. Help migrants settle maybe? No, I am not patient enough. That rules out anything with kids as well. What a silly question! I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it.

mouse and socialite

Socialite couldn’t wait for her turn and Witch went away to think of some questions. By the time I left she hadn’t come back.

“Tell me,” Socialite asked nobody in particular, “does Witch really think she is good looking?” As there was no response from anybody she answered for herself. “No, she must have been joking. She has a crooked nose with a big wart on it and she is all wrinkly. No, she can’t have been serious.”

“I think for her age she scrubs up nicely” Mouse said now.

“But Mouse, we don’t know how old she is!” Socialite replied.

“But you can see she has life experience. I love the look of her wrinkles. They are witness to a life spend laughing rather than crying. I want to look like her when I am old” Mouse continued.

“No way” Socialite waved the idea aside. “Who wants to be old? Of all people, a witch really doesn’t need to be old. With her magical powers and potions she could make herself look stunning and young!”

“If she wanted to, maybe, “Devil chipped in. “But after all she is a witch. If she looked too young would anybody take her  seriously as witch? It is her trademark after all, isn’t it? Maybe she is too coy to tell us her age because she is much younger than we all assume!”

“Now you are getting silly!” Socialite said angrily. She was sure Devil was taking the mickey out of her now.