December 2019: The Gashlycrumb Tinies

W is for Winnie, embedded in ice.

Concept and designs for a marionette performance of the book The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963) by Edward Gorey.

This project was part of my studies at Edinburgh College of Arts. The assignment to develop concept and designs, alongside a realized marionette and technical drawings.

A photo of a man holding a marionette. The man has a black bowler hat, a white shirt and a black jacket, his face made up to resemble a skull. He is sitting and has the marionette in his lap, holding it up with his left hand. The marionette has a carved head painted in black and white. It wears a knit sweater and a knit hat. It looks melancholic. The man is smiling towards someone out of frame. A photo of a man holding a marionette. The photo is taken at a low angle and the man is dark in the shadow, but he is wearing a bowler hat and a long jacket. He is controlling the marionette with both hands. It is 'walking' alongside him. The marionettes shirt has a geometric knit pattern in black and white, there is a pompom on the back of his hat.

Concieved as a travelling performance to be performed in spaces such as schools and libraries, this project speaks to an audence age 9-12 on the subject of death. Death personified takes on the role of puppetmaster and caretaker of the children of the story. They are a gentle character, occasionally intimidating or silly, but always sincere and empathetic towards their charges. The children themselves present their stories, ask questions of, or just converse with Death.

A photo of a man and a marionette. The man has a bowler hat and his face is made up to resemble a skull. The marionette has a carved wooden head, a knit shirt and hat, and fabric limbs. It is in greyscale. The marionette holds its hand up as if whispering something to the man, who is looking thoughtful. A photo of a marionette. The marionette has a carved wooden head, a knit shirt and hat, and fabric limbs. It is in greyscale and standing next to the black shoes and legs of its puppeteer. It is waving to someone out of frame.

Winnie the puppet is made out of a carved head, a calico body, knit garments and casein paint. Aside from the rigging system he is all recycled materials. Thank you to Bo Bergman for modelling.