In the first week, we were introduced to puppetry as a medium of storytelling. We learned how hands, gestures and movement can express emotions and narratives without relying on dialogue. What I found most interesting was how even the smallest movement could completely change the meaning of a scene.
Making of the puppet
Click the link to watch the final show we presented with our puppet!
5203de86-5732-4cca-b690-70a764904e25.MP4
Understanding the body movements
We were divided into a group of three and asked to create our own puppets along with a story. I contributed actively in developing the storyline and thinking about how the puppet would behave and move. While performing, I focused on making the movements feel intentional rather than random, which helped me understand the importance of control and timing.
We were then asked to extend our puppet into a non human creature. Our group created a character called Trikaya by adding two more heads, a beak, a large tail and extra hands. I was involved in conceptualizing how these elements would come together visually and how they could be used during performance. It was challenging to manage such a complex form, but it also made the process more experimental.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11esv_ZpZrr_CU1Femj9xcuO-3cMW3vkz/view?usp=sharing
We also explored landscape puppetry using a large newspaper sheet. Instead of treating it as just a background, we used it as an active part of the story. I helped in thinking about how it could be folded, moved and interacted with to create a sense of environment.
This week helped me understand that creativity does not depend on complex materials. I really enjoyed the hands on process and working with my group. Collaboration made idea generation faster and more dynamic, and I started becoming more comfortable expressing my ideas.