For the workshop of Serendib, Emily made a series of prototype monkeys. This is the female model and is a beautifully simple design. The puppeteer slips her hand inside the torso of the monkey, and manipulates a small internal rod for the puppet.
My job is to translate these structure prototypes into puppets that will survive a run. Emily had me start by replacing the cardboard tube, which makes the hip and shoulders of the puppet, with PVC. I cut it in half, sanded it with my belt sander and wound up with something that looks like the brace on a pair of high end crutches.
The original had a simple dowel handle, but I’m a firm believer in ergonomic puppets. The less energy I spend holding the puppet the more energy I have for performance. An ideal puppet is one that fits so well, I don’t have to grip it. That’s what I’m aiming for here. It took two drafts, but I settled on a fairly standard pistol grip, canted at an angle to match the natural line of the puppeteer’s. I made the first one, and then created a pattern from it to make the second.
The PVC pieces are joined by spring steel, as in the workshop, and the arms are simple airplane cables. What’s lovely about this is that it’s extremely light, but has a firm structure.
I padded out the handle with foam and wrapped it in leather to control sweating. You’ll notice that I use very little foam. The cushier the handle is, the more responsiveness I lose from the control. I put in just enough to help it grip the puppeteers hand.
Finally, I wrapped the whole thing in black stretch velour which Emily will use to attach the silk outer body of the puppet.
The next thing I’ll do with these is to attach the head, but they are still having the mechs installed. I’ll post a picture of the finished puppets when they are ready.
