Archives for posts with tag: life
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Oh, the wait!

September 24, 2013 //
5

rainy day

For weeks now I have been telling the Dedes that once we have moved into the new studio space we will do lots together. I sense they have given up on me! They think I am fobbing them off and they accuse me of not putting enough effort into finishing the space. In fact I am flat out. I call the new studio space the “America’s Cup room”. Every day I think we will be able to finish, we are so close, but then something unexpected happens. So, tomorrow will be the day, and if not tomorrow it will be the day after. It definitely has to happen this week as we have to move out of the rented office space by the end of the month. Here you have it – by the weekend we are moving and the new chapter will start!

Meanwhile, the Dedes are bored out of their minds. The world at this end has turned to spring, the magnolia blossom has been and gone. Yesterday we had a fantastic warm day. Today we have a horrible storm. Most of the Dedes are curled up in a box. Only Monkey hangs around. Now that they are not paying much attention, I can tell you guys that in fact heaps has happened in recent weeks. I am reluctant to tell the Dedes just yet. I don’t want them to get too excited. I know them. They will pester me to start on the new projects immediately but I really have to finish the studio space first. So, please, bear with me!

Little Piggy and Farmer John have left us for good. They found a new home over the weekend. You might recall, they wanted to stay at the Depot Artspace. Well, they weren’t left on the shelf for long. It feels strange not knowing where they went and it is a little sad that we will never hear from them again. So if the person who bought them comes across this blog, please, let us know how they are getting on.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Creative Writing, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Social Network

Monkey’s “help”

September 8, 2013 //
8

lartiste mitzi monkey

The rucksack must have become uncomfortable during the night and they found their way out. But they only made it a few steps to the side, to the rolled-up yoga mat. There I found them in the morning. L’Artiste staring depressed into space, Mitzi squinting up at me, I don’t know what she  is thinking, but she seems to be okay as long as she has a lap to sit on. I have to admit, I am not particularly good with depressed puppets, so pretended I didn’t see them as I walked past on my way to the kitchen. Monkey, who was right behind me, stopped and told L’Artiste in clear words he should snap out of it. Life is hard for everybody. L’Artiste said lamely, “Leave me alone, I want to wallow in my sorrow.”

Monkey shrugged his shoulders. “Ah well then, you can’t be helped!”

And I thought: what happened to my poor Dedes? They were such a fun bunch to have around. I really have to engage them in new projects.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Creative Writing, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Promotion, Social Network

The outing

September 7, 2013 //
2

lartiste and mitzi

As Lil’Piggy and Farmer John decided to stay at the Depot Artspace, L’Artiste saw his chance for an outing. “Pick me, pick me” he called every time our paths crossed. “Artists need new impressions. You know this just as well as I do, don’t you?”  How could I say no, particularly as he is featured in the short film that is now showing on Waiheke.  I didn’t need to think twice about who I should take as his partner. I always knew I had to take two Dedes to give a good performance. As it happened, L’Artiste got himself a Lil’Dede cat recently, called Mitzi, and the two of them became inseparable very quickly. So Mitzi  was the second lucky one to come.

We started off in beautiful sunshine here, but by the time we arrived at the wharf a blanket of dark clouds covered the sky and we could see the rain coming down over our suburb in the distance. Pretty much all day we were just a little bit ahead of the weather. It was a pity because the threatening clouds seemed to keep people away and not much happened on the island. There was a busker in front of the gallery and L’Artiste danced his little heart out to the beautiful tunes, but he just couldn’t create much interest.

He was very quiet on the way home and when we finally arrived back, he didn’t want to come out of the rucksack.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Promotion, Relationships

Finally!

September 2, 2013 //
2

farmerjohnandlilpiggy

Hurrah! We finally finished sanding the window frames in the new studio space! Farmer John and Lil’Piggy were the only two puppets around when we performed our victory dance and they joined right in. High Five and all. I can tell from Farmer John’s look that he thought it was about time (being a hands-on man himself, he wonders what took us so long), or is he secretly peeking at the scale on Lil’Piggy’s forehead to see if it is fattened up enough?

Anyway, the victory dance was a bit premature. We still have all the painting to do.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

Big screening

August 30, 2013 //
12

film still

Remember the little film about L’Artiste’s woes? It looks like it is going to be shown on the big screen at the Waiheke Cinema. I hope the quality is good enough. I’ve changed the ending to advertise that the Dedes are currently being shown on the island at the Upcycle Gallery and that I will have a talk there next Saturday. The Dedes are starting to take on yet another dimension.

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Categories Art, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Promotion

A Trip to Waiheke

August 27, 2013 //
2

devil on ferry2

Yesterday my friend and I went to Waiheke Island to deliver the Lil’Dedes to their temporary accommodation at the Upcycle Gallery. Here you see Lil’Devtoo on the ferry when he first spotted the island. He was really excited and proudly wore his new dress my friend had made. Doesn’t it look better than the tiger print dress Lil’Devil bought at the two dollar shop?

As skeptical as they all were in the beginning, I think they are very happy now that they have made the trip across. Nora, the lady who organised it all, is absolutely wonderful and loves them to bits (I hope she doesn’t spoil them too much). I am confident they will thoroughly enjoy their stay. I will go and visit them on the 7th when I have a talk at the Gallery about my work and my book.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Competition, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

Getting over it

August 26, 2013 //
0

monkey and lilpiggy

I needn’t have worried. Monkey has already found a new friend to confide in: Lil’Piggy.

Lil’Piggy and Farmer John eloped together and set up camp in one of my hoody pockets. They looked so settled that I let them stay. This morning when I came into the kitchen Monkey was sitting on the floor telling Lil’Piggy his life story. Farmer John sat on the kitchen bench and watched them from afar. He reckons Monkey is attracted to the Lil’Dedes because the other Dedes never tired of laughing at his antics and always called him a monkey.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Creative Writing, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

A love that couldn’t blossom

August 25, 2013 //
6

monkeys

Well, I was wrong again. Last time I said the original Dedes and the Lil’Dedes didn’t want to know each other and they keep to their respective groups. Tomorrow the Lil’Dedes are leaving for Waiheke Island to be exhibited. When I started packing up you should have seen the monkeys. They didn’t want to let go of each other. Obviously they had forged a deep friendship in the few days they were together.  They asked me for 10 minutes of privacy so they could say good bye to each other.

I feel really nasty now, that I break them up.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Exhibition, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life

The Berlin Connection

August 15, 2013 //
6

Theresa

Lil’ Devil has left for Berlin… and I will now reveal who he wanted to impress with his tiger print dress. (He would certainly blush if he knew I was telling you). He was a present for my lovely tutorial assistant, Theresa, and he really wanted to wow her.

Theresa is a gifted illustrator who won a scholarship to do her Masters in New Zealand. The programme she was enrolled in is a Masters by project. This means the students produce a new body of work and write an exergesis rather than an entirely theoretical thesis. In her project Theresa investigated living in a different culture and her final work was a graphic novel. Much to my suprise, one of the chapters was dedicated to the Dedes. In this chapter she processed the conversations we had and let the puppets do the talking. I have to say, she did a wonderful job capturing the Dedes (and the conversations). I only have a copy of the Dede chapter but you should have seen her other drawings: beautiful and elaborate cityscapes, with heaps to see and read and chuckle about. She is certainly one to watch out for. I have no doubt she will be very, very successful.

I hope Lil’ Devil is a good luck charm and he will watch out for her in difficult times. He promised me – in true Dede fashion – that he is ready to have a conversation whenever she feels like it :). Maybe she will even get him a new dress.

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Categories Absurd, Art, Creative Writing, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life, Relationships, Social Network

A new world

August 12, 2013 //
2

I know, I’ve been rather slack lately about reporting what is happening in the Dede world. Nontheless, the Dedes are alive. I’ve got an email from Lil’Mouse who found a new home last week. He told me it is pretty cold where he is living now and everyone is wearing a tuxedo. So he went to a suit hire shop to get himself one too. He doesn’t want to stand out, he says. Can you spot him?

penguin2

He then went to a photographer to have his portrait taken, to send to his friends he left behind. I think the tux suits him perfectly. I guess he still has to wear sunglasses to avoid snow blindness.

penguine mouse

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Categories Absurd, Art, Fun, Hand Puppets, Life
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