18 Jan 06 Mimey Puppets
Last night we attended a puppet performance as part of the London International Mime Fest! What do puppets and mimes have in common? I suppose you could come up with a list of things if you tried… The Mime Fest, though, has a broad program that’s defined in the brochure as “the UK’s unique showcase for contemporary visual theatre… offers a broad spectrum of visual performance styles and boundary-breaking, often uncategorizable shows.”
The show we saw, Horsehead (or the Rise and Fall of the Back and Front), by performance group Faulty Optic, was too twisted a horror story to make much sense, but entered the subconscious and put you in an awesome daze. Aside from the brilliantly bizarre puppets, the sets (a hospital/sanitorium, primarily) and props were so intricately designed and operated that the mechanics of the show was a significant part of the fascination. Add live, projected video of the puppets, and a mix of pre-recorded and live music and spoken word, and all I can say is “I love horseys!” Part humourous and part macabre, in the end it was an unforgettably weird experience…
See the starring puppet:
The show was at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on The Mall, an ornate period building on the outside with a modern, industrial designed interior. There’s at least one exhibition gallery there, a theatre, cafe, restaurant, bar and a bookstore packed with contemporary art books, magazines and DVDs. The Institute puts out a monthly program packed full of events - exhibitions, concerts and performances - so we’ll definitely be back to the venue.
Also, The Fest runs until the end of the month and we plan to see at least one more performance.
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GET FED:
oo thats a creepy looking mime hi antie tiffant and uncle matt
Comment by samantha — January 20, 2006 #