Archives for posts with tag: imagination
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Drum roll for the candidates

November 27, 2012 //
6

Okay, I’ve got the list of candidates for the big ‘Super Dede’ competition. I was asked to take a group photo. But I’ll tell you what, this was more difficult than herding a flock of flees! Some of the Dedes were so hyped up that it was virtually impossible to get a good one. And of course afterwards everybody wanted to see the result and they couldn’t agree on which one was the best. Predictability they all looked at themselves, not the overall impression of the group.  Ah well, I am doing all this on a voluntary basis and I have to have it done before I go to work… So they’ll have to live with what I’ve put up now!

Just a quick reminder of who’s who. In the back row you see from left to right: Cash Cow, Monkey, Harvey, L’Artiste Dede and Foxy Lady. In the front row: Snippedy the clown, Socialite, Mouse, Pig (lying down) and Scardy Pants. Don’t ask me how the last one got on the list. I reserve judgement about the selection. I have no idea how and why they became candidates.

We now have to find five finalists that will compete for the ‘Super Dede 2012’ title.

Mouse set up a Polldaddy form (below) to get feed back from our readers. The five highest ranking puppets will become the finalists. I am a bit skeptical that it works, I am not into all this stuff, but I will keep my promise and hold back. Mouse explained that the readers can vote for as many puppets as they like and their vote is anonymous. Right… but I had to laugh when she said the free version of Polldaddy only allows 200 responses. What is she expecting? Furthermore, Mouse said all those who don’t want to fill out a poll (and she winked at me) can instead put forward any Dede (look them up on the Character page) by just typing the name into a comment. Mouse will keep track of the manual votes and will tally it all up in the end… I had to remind her she shouldn’t expect too much. I know how easily Mouse is hurt when she puts so much effort into something and it doesn’t work out.

Devil and Detail, the organisers, requested the poll should close this Saturday. This will give them enough time to finalise the format. The preliminary format is as follows:

1. The candidates have to introduce themselves

2. They have to answer 3 questions

3. They have to perform (anything of their choice)

Happy voting!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

On show

November 25, 2012 //
14

Last night we had an impromptu party. Every Dede and their dog was there. It just happened. Such a typical New Zealand thing. They brought their own drinks and mixed and mingled with everyone. It was really, really pleasant. I had some refreshingly good conversations. Of course there was also criticism. I mentioned that I am finally working on the proposal for the new exhibition and I am nearly finished. I want to have it done and dusted before the silly season starts. All the puppets standing around me at the time were rolling their eyes and Devil said: “It is all about you again. Isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” I asked “you will be there too.”

“Yes, you will be showing us off!” replied Mouse

“I thought you liked to be on show?”

“Yep, but we are on show and have to do all the hard work, then you get the accolades!” added Sunny. It was obvious they had an axe to grind with me.

In the meantime the noise level had dropped and everyone was listening to our conversation. Suddenly we were  in the centre of a circle and all Dedes were standing around us.

“We would like to do something that is for us, and only for us…” Devil demanded and everybody clapped and cheered.

“You mean without me?” I was a taken aback and was nearly going to say… Give it a go and you will realise it won’t work, but Devil explained further: “No, not without you of course, we know we need you… But something largely run by us and you hold back a bit!”

“Look at the blog” Professor said “people are not interested in your stories. Whenever you feature – sorry, I have to spell this fact out to you – our ‘Likes’ drop!”

“Hang on, when I had my photographs up, we got far more ‘Likes’ than you guys ever got!”

“Shush! Just look at the name of the blog? Your pictures have nothing to do with it. Don’t even go there!”

“Okay what do you want to do then?” I asked.

There was a long silence.

“What about a beauty contest?” Pirate, the entrepreneur, piped up. A beauty contest! – I nearly burst out laughing, but bit my tongue.

But everybody else got quite excited and a big discussion ensued: “Why not? Maybe not a beauty pageant, maybe a talent quest: Dedes got talent or something!”

“We can include our readers….” someone else said and everybody thought it was a brilliant suggestion.

Listening to them I started to warm to the idea. After all, these are very popular formulas. I told them they should work out what they want to do, and let me know. I will see to it that it happens.

What do you think?

 

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

On an island…

November 24, 2012 //
0

Nobody came forward with any ideas about how to stop Smug Little Devil undermining my decision making. …Truth be told, I can’t really act on it yet, as I have only heard the accusations through the grapevine. So I will have to leave it for now. It’s hard though, not to do anything. I have to confess his behaviour irks me greatly. I am confident the Dedes’ allegiance is still with me for now, but for how much longer? I will prick my ears up… and if he should be so silly to give me half a reason I will pounce on him and take him to task. That is the plan! But I know he is a cunning little weasel. He doesn’t trip up easily. I have to be very, very patient.

In my defense, (and this is now an explanation for all the Dedes, who feel they should have been selected for the gallery trip), the idea was to send five puppets who have absolutely nothing in common. They were supposed to be online friends, not real ones. When we tested it for a few weeks in the living room it worked very well. They communicated very nicely via their modems and didn’t look at each other. Instead they looked out into the big wide space before them, but had no idea who they were connected to. Unfortunately in the gallery they managed to turn their heads round and they saw who was on the other end of each modem. I believe that was when the real trouble started. When Ms SM suddenly realised she had opened her heart to a pimply teenage Boy and Smug Little Devil was not chasing that young hot fox, but middle aged Liar. Alien just thought it was a big, big joke and wanted to party!

I apologise, I didn’t think it through… I just acted on my great artistic ideas and ignored the personal pain I might have caused the participants. But then…. get real! When you find yourself on a deserted island, you have to learn to overcome your differences and cherish what you have in common. After all, you are all Dedes, aren’t you!

Phew, now I really worked myself up :), but I feel much better!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

That little schmoozer

November 23, 2012 //
6

I have noticed the Dedes who were at the gallery are somehow different from the home crowd. The ones at home are a lively bunch. The travelers seem somewhat sedated in comparison. I expected them to be brimming with new ideas and stories.

Far from it!  Boy, Liar and Ms SM sleep all day (and night). Alien – who needs no sleep – sits in the middle of the lawn speaking to his people at home, where ever this might be. He doesn’t even need a phone. He just sits there and smiles and from time to time laughs out loud. Watching him, I get the feeling he is terribly homesick.

That leaves Smug Little Devil to bath in the attention of the home crowd. Of course everybody wants to hear some stories and he is the only one who likes to talk about it. I heard through the grapevine that he loves to tell everyone how terribly I failed in selecting the best team for the excursion. He could have done a much better job.

He uses a silly little trick… He schmoozes each Dede by telling them they definitely should have been chosen for the trip and he would have so much preferred to have stayed with them for six weeks than with the other losers he had to go with (… the ones I had selected). I am not entirely sure what he is trying to achieve….except unsettling everyone.

Help! What shall I do now? If I don’t nip this in the bud right now, I will have another riot on my hands.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Photography

Back to normal

November 22, 2012 //
0

When I left work last night, it looked as if I had got all my files back. It took eight hours to transfer the recovered files to a different hard drive. I will have to have a close look at them today. The Dedes were noticeably relieved about the news and they were all very compassionate about my mishap and said nice words. Except for Smug Little Devil  (one of he puppets that just came back from the exhibition).  I had forgotten about his irritating habit of laughing out loud at other people’s mistakes. As if I had deleted the data deliberately. Who would do that? But as if his devilish, and rather arrogant guffaw wasn’t enough, he adds insult to injury by telling you what you should have done in the first place. He always knows and he always knows best.

In the beginning I thought he is quite a nice little puppet, but now, I just want him to shut up. Of course he told me I should set up a back up system that doesn’t take long and doesn’t cost the earth. As if I didn’t know this myself.

Gee, was I happy it was Wednesday and sports night. So I could excuse myself swiftly. When I left I heard him say to the others “You know all she needs is a back up system”

“Let it go!” I heard in various voices.

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Categories Art, Fun, Life, Photography, Relationships

Home coming

November 20, 2012 //
0

I am so happy… our heroes from the “Wallace Art Award” came back home yesterday. All the Dedes were excited and organised a ticker tape parade for their return. But boy, were our five travelers exhausted. Actually only four were exhausted and guess who was the chirpy one?

“Aliens don’t sleep”, a very grumpy Liar told me, and I think he was telling the truth for a change.

Alien had wanted to party all night, every night! And since the other artworks were very different and a bit stand-offish, he pestered his four friends, who gradually turned into his enemies. Ms SM, who can be a night owl herself, said they got so annoyed with him they even hatched a plan to push him aside, but  he fell off his stick instead. They felt bad about that, but luckily he didn’t break. The next morning the curator came along and put him back up. So they got a few hours reprieve, but didn’t dare try again. From then on they just gritted their teeth. They all agreed it was extremely difficult to live together in those crammed conditions for such a long time (they were away for six weeks). And they pledged never to go on holidays with friends again.

Very much to the disappointment of the Dedes who stayed at home, all the returnees retired early last night. Only Alien was prepared to tell a few more tales, but he had to make a quick phone call first and so went into the garden. When he didn’t come back for ages everybody toddled off, rather disappointed.

What a fizzer of a party! Some of them agreed we will have a proper home coming party on Saturday. If the travelers are up to it, that is!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Failed reunion

November 19, 2012 //
0

Yesterday, Chance invited her half-sister Detail and her niece, Minor, for a picnic on my yoga mat. They hadn’t seen each other for months. These two sisters have a really strange love/hate relationship and I normally wouldn’t comment on anything family related, as the puppets can get very defensive when you talk about a close relative.

I have admitted it before, I favour Chance over Detail. Chance is much more relaxed. She doesn’t mind if you ignore her when you are otherwise engaged. She just shrugs her shoulders and says: “Your loss not mine” and leaves.

Detail on the other hand has a knack for driving me up the wall (particularly when I am already stressed). She always wants to have it done her way! Don’t get me wrong, it is good to know her and in less stressful situations – when I have plenty of time and can pay her enough attention – she is really, really lovely. You just need to know how to take her. Let’s face it, Detail wants to be super woman. She is a solo mum and it can’t be that easy with a teenage daughter like Minor. And I suspect she is only so finicky because she actually lacks confidence. She gets a lot of security by spending an exorbitant amount of time on precision.

Bring on Chance the airy fairy one and, I mean, honestly… any outsider can see that this can’t go well. But what can you do if it is family? Well, one thing is for sure, I want to stay out of their arguments. If you get caught in the middle….

Often their bone of contention is around  Minor. Chance doesn’t have kids of her own, so she dots on Minor when she can. Unfortunately Detail thinks Minor has picked up a few bad habits from her aunty. In particular, this very aggravating “wha-ever” response.

Back to yesterday…

True to herself, Chance was late, fifteen minutes or so. This of course set Detail off on the wrong foot. When Chance finally arrived with a bowl of prezel bows, Minor (who has a slight weight issue) dived with her hands into the bowl before it was placed on the mat. Detail exploded immediately, telling her daughter she should pay more attention to her appearance. Chance tried to defuse the situation and said teenagers have to eat a lot.

Detail jumped up and said, “you always undermine what I am doing”, grabbed Minor by the wrist and dragged her out the door.

Chance popped a pretzel bow in her mouth and said: “Ah well. I guess that is it for the next six months”

That was the shortest family reunion I have ever seen!

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships

Chance is back

November 18, 2012 //
0

Chance is one of my favorite Dedes. You couldn’t really call her a  beauty, and she is easily overlooked. I love her for all the different angles she has. She is indeed a very weird bird. Anyway, Chance has been away, staying in the office for while. She was supposed to charm visitors, but Foxy Lady – who was on the same assignment – made a much better impression. Foxy Lady is quite something, but this is a different story… Today it is about Chance and her family.

Chance is footloose and fancy free and has no fixed abode. So you can’t look her up. You have to wait until she comes round to your place to see you. Now, due to her long absence she felt it necessary to meet up with her half-sister Detail and her niece Minor (the sloppy teenage daughter of Detail) for a family reunion. Detail really hates it when Chance just pops in unannounced. No, no, you can’t just pop in and visit Detail, you have to ring a few days ahead, so she can bake a cake and clean the house.

So, Chance was in a bit in a pickle. On the one hand she wanted to see her sister, but she couldn’t just go round to her place. So she asked me if she could invite her relatives to have a picnic on my yoga mat later today. I love to help and said yes, even though personally I think it is not such a good idea. I know Detail will get her knickers in a twist. Chance will forget something  and without doubt I will hear about her gaffe for an entire week.  I can hear Detail already: “Oh this useless sister of mine, she couldn’t even lay the table for the reunion.” But I stay clear of any family matters; Chance and Detail are just like chalk and cheese and Minor doesn’t really help either. Her favorite expression is “Wha-ever”. (Which, by the way, drives Detail bonkers as well.)

While I had Chance there, I asked her opinion on what I should do in regards to the blog. I am a bit concerned that we don’t get that many likes lately. Chance immediately said, the Dedes need to get their art-life balance right.

“You mean work-life balance” I corrected her.

“No” she said, “the work-life balance is for humans… But for us Dedes it is the art-life balance.” and then she explained that although the Dedes are art, they don’t want to be inaccessible and aloof. For them it is really important that everybody can find something in them, independent of gender, age or culture.

“Now this is a tall order” I said “You will never achieve that!”

“You can do but try!” she said and was on her way.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

The end of dharna

November 17, 2012 //
1

We went to a function at the biennial exhibition NZ Sculpture OnShore last night. I really wished the Dedes could have seen it. But they are not the outdoor type. They can’t stand the rain. The exhibition is at Fort Takapuna, a disused military space high on the cliffs overlooking the sea, a perfect location for a sculpture show.  The evening was balmy with a slight sea breeze. The light wind and the setting sun played whimsically with many of the sculptures. It felt like art heaven… and on a more mundane note… we had the best fish and chips ever. I couldn’t stop thinking the Dedes should be there as well. I have to find a way to water proof them. They really should be allowed to enjoy the gorgeous view from Fort Takapuna one day.

When we arrived back home, a light drizzle had set in (heavy rain is forecast for today) and the Dedes who were on their dharna shift were huddled together at the front door. There is an alcove which gave them a little bit of protection from the elements. I felt sorry for them but didn’t want to give in just yet. Personally I think I haven’t done them enough harm to justify a dharna. So I just stepped past them to unlock the door.

Socialite held on to my trouser leg and asked: “Could we come in and sit on the window-sill inside to continue our dharna? It would be dry and people could still see us.”

I had to laugh “Nice try” I said “but no, that is not how it works… Maybe it is time we talked.”

As Philosopher didn’t want to be involved they had elected Witch as their mediator. She was more than ready to come to the table. In fact she was already there when I came into the kitchen. We closed the door so that nobody could hear what was said. Witch told me in confidence she thought everybody overreacted a bit and I immediately said I was very happy to apologise. I had already said so on Buchalov’s Blog. Buchalov was so kind to dedicate a post to the Dedes, and in a comment I said that it wasn’t a good idea for me to have told the Dedes they should learn a lesson from Buchalov. He is a very nice chap, but not a role model for the Dedes. (By the way, Buchalov, lovely drawing of Mrs Esta Blished, the fairy godmother).

“From now on, cross my heart, I will let you be who you are. You have some strong supporters out there in the big wide world!” I finished my speech.

“Only time will tell” Witch mumbled, but I chose to ignore this.

Then we continued to chit-chat about the exhibition for a while. We didn’t want the others to know that we were in agreement right from the beginning.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

Let’s give it a go!

November 16, 2012 //
4

The Dedes have made themselves scarce after my outburst two days ago. I really think it wasn’t that big an outburst to justify their reaction. I just told them what was on my mind and you should be able to do this amongst friends, shouldn’t you? I wanted to give them an idea about how to improve themselves and education is always a good thing, isn’t it? But judging from their reaction I must have hurt them a lot!

Philosopher is the only Dede who still speaks to me apart from Bad Conscience (the guy I am not so keen on). Philosopher told me they always believed our relationship was based on mutual love and respect, but my outburst indicated that my love for them was somewhat lesser than theirs for me. But he added in his opinion there is no way you can measure love, he was only the bearer of the message. This is his style of telling me the subject is not open for discussion. He has no mandate to speak on behalf of all the Dedes. And he added: “I personally love you all the way to the moon and back.” It was heart warming and I had to give him a hug, even though he is not the huggy type of puppet.

While we were having our conversation something was going on at the front door. At first I ignored it. It sounded like an entire army of rats or possums or cats were running over the front porch. But then I heard whispering as well and I knew the Dedes were up to something. I had to ask Philosopher.

“They are doing a Dharna” he said. I looked at him blankly.

“They didn’t know either what it was, but Arindam suggested it to them. You know their friend from India? He seems to think it is an effective method to get an apology from you!”

He told me that after Arindam had planted the idea, Mouse had invited them all to the kitchen to look up on the internet about how to do a Dharna. They figured out a Dharna is a means to show the world that somebody had not treated them in a just way. So, they have to go to the offenders house and fast on the doorstep until they get justice or die.

I’m sorry if they got it wrong, it was their first attempt and they had to learn it via the internet. When they voted on whether they should go ahead, Devil immediately said he thinks it is basically a good idea, but with his love for food, there is no way he could participate. He suggested to send Skeleton Edeltraut to my doorstep, as she doesn’t eat anyway. Even though they thought it was a brilliant idea, they all agreed one puppet on my doorstep wouldn’t have much effect. After all, they all had been offended by me. In the end they decided there are enough Dedes to divide them up into groups and take 8 hour shifts. As long as Skeleton Edeltraut was always there, surely no passerby would notice that they had swapped. And then they went to bed to start in the morning.

The first shift is out there now.

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Categories Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life
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