Archives for category: Hand Puppets

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First things first. In the picture above you see the Super Dede Competition management team . From left to right: Detail, Mouse and Devil. You don’t see Detail very often in a picture. She is very particular about her appearance and rarely approves a photo of herself. She is the only Dede featuring straight lines and she finds her eyes too dark for her light complexion. Ah well, she certainly won’t take part in the competition. This might be another reason why she happily volunteered to canvas for contestants.

The nicely dressed lady in the front is the director of the theatre where the competition takes place. She considered herself pretty enough to take part in the Super Dede Competition. When she auditioned the management team informed her the competition is strictly for Dedes only. Of course she is invited to participate with comments and suggestions like the rest of the audience and the readers. She was a little miffed, but still went off to reserve herself a seat in the front row. She just loves the theatre so much.

Yesterday, our reader Jessie suggested some puppets that would make an interesting addition to the cast. I gave the list to Detail and she diligently went off to talk to the nominated puppets individually and asked them if they were willing to be put on the list. (Remember, being on the list doesn’t mean they will actually partake in the competition. In the first week the readers will whittle down the list of 10 suggestions to 5 final contestants.)

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From left to right: Granddad Max, Twofaced, Philosopher (lying down) and Deutsch Fraulein.

First up, Detail asked Twofaced if she wants to be a contestant. Her response was “Mhm, not sure.” Detail said “Okay then, I take it that’s a no” and crossed her of the list. Then she went on to ask Granddad Max. Granddad Max said “Mhm, not sure.” Detail nudged him with her ellbow and said “C’mon, don’t you feel flattered that someone put your name forward? And it would be great to have the perspective of an older member of society in the competition!” Granddad Max still said “Mhm not sure” but Detail put him on the list and promised if she had more than 10 applicants she would ask him again.

Next on Detail’s list was Deutsch Fraulein. “If you asked me to be a contestant on the “bachelorette” I would jump at the opportunity” the girl said arrogantly. “The Super Dede Competition, sorry, is not my thing.” Detail shook her head, crossed her off and moved on to Philosopher. Here she faced a dilemma. On the one hand she didn’t want bother this puppet as she knew what he would say. On the other hand she didn’t want to disappoint Jessie, who had put him forward. In the end she took a deep breath and asked. Sure enough, he waived the question aside. “Don’t bother me with that silly competition but I don’t want to spoil it for you guys so just leave me out of it.”

Detail was exhausted. All this hard work and she only has three contestants so far. The competition is supposed to start next Monday. Dear, oh dear!  There were two more puppets suggested by Jessie. One is called Patience. Patience is the one that got lost in the process, never to been seen again. But  Detail is not giving up. She couldn’t find the wannabe artist Sunny either, but he must be around somewhere. So there are still two maybe’s. Good luck, Detail.

And remember you still can get the free ebook of the previous Super Dede Competition from smashwords.com until tomorrow. Enter the code VV39S to get the ebook with a 100% discount.

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It looks like the idea of a Super Dede Competition 2016 has found general approval. The preparations are running high and the competition will start on Monday the 4th of June.

Not everybody is excited though. Smuggy, who was mainly noticed for his heckling last time, tried to prevent it all from happening by running away with the curtain. But Chambermaid held on tight, she does not want to let go of her dream. This morning Snippedy, the clown put Smuggy in his place. He said it is okay for Smuggy to be opposed, as he doesn’t have any talent whatsoever. Snippedy on the other hand, has been working hard in the past years to improve his skills. You might remember that last time Snippedy didn’t make it into the final group of five contestants. He had absolutely no votes from the viewers. This won’t happen again, he is adamant. I had to bite my tongue. Don’t you think the comment was very imprudent, knowing that this guy’s talent is definitly heckling.

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We had a really tough weekend at the Dede household with lots of crying and desperation. Devil was frustrated. His “Freeday” didn’t turn out as he expected. One of the Instagram readers suspected that it is just another devilish ruse and who knows how much you really have pay for it in the end. The reader made a good point. Devil has no idea how other people perceive him. Of course, he thinks he is the nicest Dede on the planet. We won’t burst his bubble, but it does explain why his generous offer wasn’t taken up in droves. He has kindly extended the offer until the 5th of June 2016. And no, it isn’t a devilish ruse. The book really is free (go to Smashwords.com and enter the code VV39S before you check out to get your free copy).

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One of our followers,  Jessie Martinovic in Australia, downloaded the book and sent us a wonderful message (see comment in the previous post). Thank you so much Jessie for this amazing feedback, it made my day. Unfortunately it was too late to lift Devil’s spirits.  You know how it is, once you are in this downward spiral, you go down, down, down until you hit the ground. So Mouse and Devil, who are usually an excellent team, sat down together and cried their little hearts out. Each of them tried to outdo the other as to who is the poorer puppet. In the end Mouse pointed out that it is dire for them all as I have set up another instagram account called beyond_the_dedes. I won’t tell you what Devil called me on instagram, but I can assure you, he wasn’t the nicest puppet on the planet then :)) I knew very well they won’t like it. They really want to have my full attention. But I can’t help it, I do other stuff as well! At least now we have proper separation.

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Yesterday, the benevolent King had enough of their antics. He looked at the sorry pair and remarked that it doesn’t help anyone when they drown themselves in a sea of snot-drenched hankies. That made them think and when Chambermaid came along this morning to clean up their mess, they listened to her suggestion.

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Once she had picked up all the hankies, Chambermaid dragged a big piece of fabric into the room and suggested they should make a theatre curtain from the material and run another Super Dede Competition. The 2016 version. Devil wasn’t entirely convinced. He knows how much work it is and they would also need support from the readers to make it work. But don’t forget, a minute earlier he was still very depressed, and just putting the idea to the readers is something of a victory for Chambermaid. She of course dreams of becoming a contestant and that could mean “good bye snotty hankies for ever!”

Mouse doesn’t have an opinion. As usual, she just wants to be busy. Faster than you can say boo she got her clipboard out to make notes about how the whole thing could work across two platforms: Instagram and the blog.

So what do you think?

 

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Yes, the Dedes are back to normal. Unfortunately part of their normality is their struggle for survival. They don’t want to have anything for free, but for some of them it is very difficult. Look, for example, at Rob D Light. He has been looking for a job for ever and lives under a blanket of newspapers. His old one is ripped and he gratefully grabbed the discarded ransom note because it was glued on 120gsm paper. That will be a bit warmer than the thin newsprint in the approaching New Zealand winter.

SuperDedeCompetition_CoverMouse said Cool Cat should do some work to get noticed, but that is easier said than done. Mouse works relentlessly. She is a workaholic to be precise, but does she earn a decent income? No! She has put together the Artist’s Survival Cookbook which is available in print, and just two days ago, she put the latest publication The Super Dede Competition as an ebook on smashwords. The problem is the marketing. Not one Dede is an expert at that.

So, Mouse has taken charge of this now as well. She put the price on US$3.99, which for an ebook might appear a bit dear, but she argued it should be viewed as a donation to the Dedes. They don’t want to have anything for free, though it is obvious they can’t survive on thin air. “Look at it” she said defending her decision. “It is the price of a cup of coffee”. Then she went on to explain where the money is going. $1 from each book goes to Rob D Light and another $1 goes to L’Artiste so he can continue his carefree work. The rest that is not withheld by Smashwords for administration will go to repay debts the Dedes have accumulated in recent years. Originally she wanted to put it in the kitty for a rainy day, but no, it is better to get rid of debts first the others said.

So here we are: click on the image, buy the book, donate to the Dedes and tell all your friends about it. The Dedes will be eternally grateful.

xxx

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I am often asked how the Dede puppets came about and I think now is an appropriate time to tell the story as it was Mother’s Day last Sunday.

Here is the short version of the story:

When I was little, my mother used to tell us kids about a devil hand puppet she once made but left behind when moving house. I never saw the puppet but she talked about it with such passion that in my mind it must have been the most beautiful hand puppet ever. Some decades later I tried to get rid of a rather large pile of newspaper and I was quite surprised when I suddenly had a very strong desire to make a devil hand puppet. My mother and I didn’t have a particularly good relationship and when I started making the puppets I realised I was about the same age my mother was when she told me about her puppet. Anyway, the devil turned out beautifully – even if I do say so myself – and I continued making more. Within a week I had a cast of fifteen and they were received very favourably by my friends. At this stage my mother was still alive and could see pictures of the first puppets and hear how well they were received. Sadly she passed away shortly after. I can but view the puppets as my mother’s legacy to me. There isn’t a day when I don’t think about her and develop a better understanding of her life and her motivations.

In the picture above Cash Cow, who has my eyes, holds a picture of my mother. Can you see the similarity?

Below is my very first Dede puppet, Devil. He will always have a special place in my heart, even though I am sure he has nothing in common with my mother’s devil.

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Pig and Professor love the arts and I had to promise them long time ago that I will take them to the gallery as soon as possible so they can have a look at all the wonderful works. In the next two weeks all the participating artists are taking turns in manning the gallery and it was my turn last Monday. I will be there tomorrow and next Wednesday again, but Pig and Professor didn’t want to wait any longer. So here I can show you their first impressions. There is more good work on display in the gallery, so if you are in Auckland and in the neighbourhood of Mt Eden swing by and judge for yourself.  You enter through a narrow door and go down a flight of stairs.  The gallery is on two floors below street level.

When the two Dedes came down the stairs, Pig stopped in his tracks and turned in awe to Professor “This space is amazing” he whispered “We should have volunterred to take part in the installation.”  The images you see in the background here are by Sonja Gardien. It is a photographic series reminding us of the impact of climate change.

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Opposite Sonja’s image are Stacey Simpkin’s photographs of some of the old baches (holiday homes) on Rangitoto Island, a very well-known volcano located just outside the Auckland harbour entrance with a wonderful checkered history.

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Here Pig and Professor move towards Dorina Jotti’s amazing Photograph “Cross-Referenced”. This snapshot doesn’t do the image justice at all, as the blues look too light and washed out. In reality it is of a rich and dark colour, which is very difficult to reproduce with simple devices. The photograph was craftily printed on a ten-colour printer.

At the top right you see a display by contemporary jeweler Sarah Walker-Holt. Once again, the snapshot doesn’t do the work justice. Art is best viewed in original.  :)

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Another fantastic work by Dorina Jotti. This is a zen meditation exercise, an enso, which is a circle drawn in one uninhibited brushstroke to express the moment when the mind is ready to let the body express.

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The wonderful series “Brotherhood” was created by Kirsten Weir and depicts members of the Hell’s Angels in their headquarters. Pig didn’t want to get any closer, as he knows that Kirsten has to seek approval each time she wants to exhibit the images and Pig doesn’t want to get her into trouble. But you can believe us, these images are striking.

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The deer is another one of Carly van Winkel’s photographs. Her series is about animals that are raised purely to be released in front of hunters to be shot. Sad!

Carly is an excellent photographer and you might remember that she took the images at the launch of “The Artist’s Survival Cookbook”. If you want to learn more about how to take breathtaking photographs… Carly and I are running an “Intro to Photography” workshop at Studio 541 in Auckland on 4th June. She also does tell some hilareous story’s about the capture of her hunting photos.

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On the bottom floor you will find a series by Alice Ng showing dilapidated buildings in the Auckland area. There is a special aesthetic in such images, isn’t there?

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And then of course there are the Dedes with their mobile phones. Professor and Pig were so excited when they finally discovered their mates in the last room (they requested to be placed as far away from the entrance as possible) so they can do some work. Even now, they hardly looked up. That was a bit of a disappointment for the visitors.

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This was just a quick walk around the gallery. There is more work by Vicky te Puni, Julia Glover, Toni Mosley, Yvonne Shaw, Trish Campbell, Melanie Tollemache and Jessie Rolston  It’s worth the trip.

 

 

 

 

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The last few weeks were pretty hectic with preparations for the exhbition opening. The whole affair was organised in a timeframe of only 3 weeks, as it had to fit in with the opening of the law firm that is in the same building. It was amazing how well organised the 14 exhibiting artists were. All of them are highly professional and it was a pleasure to be involved in putting the biographies, statements and the descriptions of the work together. We also managed to get flyers for the first three workshops ready in time.

It is not that easy for the Dedes to leave their friends behind, so I promised the ones that went and sat in the Gallery a new mobile phone. In the end I took four Dedes, but as Alien has his own antennaes he didn’t need to be bribed with a new device. Before we even left the house the others got into their new toys straight away and they haven’t looked up since. Because of this, Alien quickly got annoyed with his mates and in the end he wandered off to make friends with the goat my friend Carly has put in the exhibition. The goat looked at Alien but wasn’t the least bit interested in his advances. He was very well aware that he is king of the show and admired by all the visitors.

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If you are in Auckland, the show is in the brand new space of Studio 541, at 541 Mount Eden Road. The gallery is open from 11am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.  Check out the space, it is truely amazing. We have three teaser workshops organised. If you are interested in how to non-destructively work in Photoshop with layers and masks, join me on the 14th of May from 9am to 3pm. I will be running the workshop, assisted by Carly van Winkel and it is a real steal at $80 for the day.

On the 4th of June we will have an intro to Photography course in which Carly will explain all the awkward technical terms so that you can use your camera on manual and create the most amazing shots. This time I will be assisting. For more info go to the website of Studio541

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The Dedes are getting on with their lives as usual. They all have their own ways of dealing with the current situation Harvey for example is dreaming of the big lottery win and Pig and Professor are out on the turps.

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On Sunday they woke up and wondered what the white residue in the bottle might be. They looked, turned the bottle, looked again.  Both agreed it looked suspiciously like a pickled brain, but neither of them wanted to admit that maybe the alcohol was taking it’s toll.  Gee were they reliefed when Top Dog came in and asked what they were doing with his bottle. Everybody knows that Top Dog has drowned his grey matter in the substance a long time ago.

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Meanwhile L’Artiste is preparing for an exhibition he is taking part in. Unfortunately Sunny, the wannabe artist, has broken L’Artiste’s jigsaw just when he needed it the most. Sunny didn’t apologise, he just grinned like an idiot – I assume because he felt really guilty – and quickly scuffled off

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As Sunny doesen’t have the money to replace the jigsaw blade L’Artiste said he has to help him with his preparations for the exhibtions – to pay for it. Though the master is not very pleasant at the moment. When it comes to putting the finishing touches to the work he is always unsure about everything. He wants to discuss the finer detail with Sunny. But the assistant with  his overly happy disposition believes everything will be just fine. He simply can’t understand why L’Artiste painfully deliberates over every little detail. “Who cares!” he says.  “It is not your heart, that will be nailed to the wall”, says L’Artiste disappointedly and continues deliberating.

This might explain why L’Artiste is the more successful artist and Sunny still a wannabe, eh.

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Just in case you are interested, here are the four works L’Artiste is putting into the exhibition.

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Down the road from the fairytale gardens (2011)

Black and white photograph on 220gsm lustre paper, mounted and framed | Framed size 600mm by 440mm | Edition of 3 prints.

A walk down memory lane, this image is a homage to those who, for whatever reason, failed  to prosper in a seemingly nourishing environment. The dead tree is uncomfortably juxtaposed with the peaceful glade and the channel of light that symbolises hope. The image was taken in a nature park in my hometown in Germany.

 

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Enigma (2014)

Composite photographic print mounted floating on layers of black paper. | Framed size 330mm x 330mm | Edition of 3 prints

A very personal description of a typical German baby boomer conundrum: the riddle of our parents’ generation’s inability to trust and communicate. It interweaves my mother’s Red Cross Helper’s badge with a well-used page of her cookbook. The swastika emblem on the rim of the badge painfully alludes to an undisclosed past negating the caring symbolism of the image. The red cross is placed on it’s side to look like an x in an official stamp, which loudly declares the key message of my parent’s generation: “Don’t ask!”

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From a distance (2016)

Mixed Media. | Dimensions 390mm x 390mm

Impossible and inconclusive ponderings on the refugee crisis in Europe from a distance. The white raft is approaching the rigid mainland and breaking its boundaries.

With this work I returned to my favorite symbol of ambiguity – the saltire (x). Depending on the viewpoint, it can mean “x marks the spot” like on a treasure map or it might mean “no entry”

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Absolutely for or totally against it (2016)

Acrylic paint on wood | Size 295mm by 163mm

The work is a reminder of the possible and peaceful coexistence of conflicting opinions about the same issue. Concurrently, the thin separating line and parallel tracks stipulate the impossibility of converging these differing notions, even in the future.

 

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Happy Easter everyone. I love Easter: four days of peace and quiet, the weather is still warm, the homely sound of the lawn mowers in the neighbourhood. It is not unlike the Northern Hemisphere, unfortunately we are now heading into the colder period.

Anyway, I have to give you a run-down what happened in the Dede world since my last post. So Evan G List said to Milky Bar Devil he should read up on morals, values and beliefs to understand what a devil is. Punch Drunk (picture above) thought it was hilarious that Evan G List wanted to teach a devil morals. But Milky Bar Devil is an eager and conscientious student and he grabbed all the books he could find on the bookshelf. We are pretty sure we won’t see him for a while, we all know how difficult it is to read a philosophical text :)

Here a little gallery of what else happened

 

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Devil pushed Bad Conscience to free Mr Vague from his grip. We all know it is not particularly nice when Bad Conscience latches on to you, but now that he was on the receiving end of unpleasant treatment, he made a big scene. He fell to the ground and whinged incessantly, calling Devil a bully. Devil immediately checked whether he sustained an injury and once he found out that this was not the case said, “You really deserved that!”

Devil is also responsible for educating the little devils – there are quite a few among the Dedes, not all of them show their horns openly. As a good educator,  he likes to make his teaching relevant and posed the question; “What actually makes you a devil?” Milky Bar Devil, who is the starpupil, immediately raised his hand to give the answer, but Devil wanted to hear from the audience. Sadly no-one came forward with an answer, so Milky Bar Devil got his chance in the end. But instead of answering, the inquisitive little mind asked if being a devil wouldn’t be a matter of perception.

Now Evan G List, who is a stickler for rules, entered the scene. Very patronisingly he patted the little scholar on his back and said while there is something in the question, the pupil should look into morals, values and beliefs. Milky Bar Devil got a little annoyed and reminded him that he is only in Lesson 1 of his training. He can’t possibly know the ins and outs of such a tricky and contentious subject already.