Mechanical Hand

After looking in to ways of a making puppet mechanics i found a video where an umbrella was used to make a mechanical leg, so i then got the idea to use an umbrella to make a hand. I used the metal arms that hold out the fabric which i cut off and used the end two third of the arms as fingers. I then attached all the fingers together and constructed a hand around them i then used metal wire to attach to the fingers so that the fingers can be opened and contracted. I think that the hands work quite well as they retract and open well but are quite stiff to open so it isn't that practical. 

My Talchum Mask

Gerard - The Hoodening Horse

For our folk art project i decided to make a puppet/prop based on the hoodening plays. I decided to make it out of wire structure as it was easier and quick to make that out of wood like the original ones are made from, i also thought that i would be able to get more of a horse shape using wire than wood. I first constructed a simple wire structure to make a head and bottom jaw before covering it with chicken wire.I then covered this structure with a layer of paper mache and then a layer of paper pulp to give it more strength. I then attached the jaw and head using string and a wooden stick to the head so that it could be held.   

Horns

I decided to make some horns to go with the mask that i had made. I decided to make as the mask was based on the wilder mann, i based them on animal horn. I made them by creating a simple wire structure which i then stuffed with newspaper and covered with paper mache and painted an off white colour to make them look more like bone. I think that the construction of the horns went well as they are strong and have the look and effect that i was after, i then attached them to a wire helmet like frame so that they could be worn on the head. The problem with them is that they are not very piratical as they are heavier than i intended meaning that they are slightly to heavy to wear on the head so they move around and are a little unstable. This could have been solved by making a more stable structure to attach it to the head or making them lighter by removing the metal frame within as the paper mache would be strong enough on its own.   

Latex Mask

Towards the beginning of the folk art project we made masks, we made them by first making a mod rock cast of the face. Then when it had dried taking it of the face, i was able to pour a plaster mix into the hollow of the cast. Then when taking the mod rock cast off to leave just a plaster block which was the basis of the mask, which i then built upon with clay to make the features a bit more unnatural. I think that i could have thought more about what i was basing the mask on an made it more interesting by basing it on something like krampus etc.  

Then using the block with clay on as the structure to build the mask of i then brushed on about 6 or 7 layers of latex, then a further 6 or 7 layers of latex with thickener and a bit of white paint added in to get this (below)

I then decided that i was going to add hair so that it look more like a something from the wilder mann. I added the hair by cutting bit of hair of a old halloween wig and glue gunning it on to the mask. I like the mask but i don't think that it work as well as i intended to as i didn't make it interesting as i could have.

Talchum

Talchum could be characterized as a Korean dance performed while wearing a mask, miming, speaking and even sometimes singing.Mask dance dramas share fundamental characteristics, even though they vary considerably according to region and performer. Their basic themes are exorcism rites, ritual dances, biting satire, parody of human weaknesses, social evils and the privileged class.

                     

Namahage

Namahage is a daemon like being that is from Japanese folklore, the daemon is portrayed during a new years ritual that takes place on the Oga peninsula area in Northern Honshu, Japan. During the ritual men wear ogre masks and traditional straw capes (Mino), they then armed with Deba knives (now fakes are used often made from wood or papier-mache). The reason for the ritual is to stop laziness so the fully dress ogre men go round finding children that may be lazy or badly behaved and chant.  

Hoodening

Hoodening or Hodening is and east Kent tradition, but related traditions also take place in other parts of the UK and dates back to the 18th century. The play centers around a ploughing team at a farm in the Thanet although groups exist in the Deal. A common feature with in all the plays is a wooden horse, which consists of a head mounted on top of a wooden pole with fabric attached to hide the wearer, the head also has a hinged jaw that would snap shut with a crack.

The Derby Tup

The Derby Tup is also known as Old Tup or the Derby Ram and is a mumming play associated with house visiting customs around Christmas time in the Sheffield area. The Tup is similar to the Hooden Horse in construction – a head on a pole with snapping jaws and rams horns, held by an operator covered by a cloth to represent the body. The play is accompanied by the singing of the widespread old folk song “The Derby Ram” and is the story of how the ram is butchered and made into useful and desirable items for the local people to use. Other characters include his keeper and Beelzebub and Little Devil Doubt who solicit for donations with menaces.

Mummers Plays

Mummers plays are seasonal folk plays that are pro formed by groups of actors often being performed in the street or in public houses. Originally starting in the British isles but now performed in other parts of the world too.

The Wilder Mann

The wilder mann is a series created by photographer Charles Freger, the photographs were taken over two winters in 19 European countries. All the photographs are taken of costumes that are based on the legends and myths of the wild man and the various different forms they take in festivals that take place all across Europe between December and Easter.

Folk Art

The basic meaning of folk art is art of the people as it is unlike other arts as it is more accessible. This is because of the basic skills and materials that are use in the making of folk art. Folk art is more about the decorative aspect of art rather that be for aesthetic or political purposes it also doesn't focus on proportion and prospective that is associated with traditional arts. Folk art is not affect by any movements that effect fine art/ high art, nor most of the time any folk art is not made by any professional artist.