Moving Things with Necks and Springs

The first step of this project in making for me was focusing on the mechanical parts of the puppet. Because this is an area I have less confidence in compared to sculpting, casting, sewing and designing, it requires tackling with the most enthusiasm and momentum. The first prototype I made was inspired by the vertebrae in a spine;

Image courtesy of http://www.spinalhub.com.au

The basic form consists of discs which are held together by muscles and ligaments, making up the spinal column. This works effectively because the tension of the ligaments allows the spine to flex. I decided this was a good place to start in making a very rudimentary version of this; wider plates between the vertebrae of my prototype allow the spine to take on the shape of the neck better, and allow holes to be drilled with hold the 'ligaments' of elastic which keeps the neck mobile. Tensioning these to be stronger on top means the neck sits with a natural upwards curve.

On a small scale, this prototype worked well; it had a lot of organic movement and wiggled naturally. However, when scaled up to full size, it was heavy and unruly, having a tendency to droop to either side, and didn't cope with having the weight (a water bottle) on top of it without being fully held up by the actor:

At this point it was clear that I'd have to take a different approach to making the neck. After some liaising with tutors, I was advised to look into a more spring-based device, and after some loose sketches it became apparent than an 'anglepoise' lamp would become a good base, even if just for the springs. After buying a lamp and toying with the flexibility and movement, it seemed that it may work well for my Dodo's neck with fairly minimal modifications; it bent in a way that one images a swan's neck bending, and with suitable bulking-out this shape would work well for my puppet. Here's how it looks after removing the shade and wiring, and after welding a pole to extend the base of the lamp as a secure point to be later anchored to a plate and a harness. The welding process was a large learning curve, being hot, loud and extremely bright. Luckily, because the lamp's structure is mild steel and not alumium, MIG welding was appropriate for this task.

Image courtesy of migweldhowto.blogspot.com

MIG - 'Metal Inert Gas' - welding uses a handheld nozzle which creates an art of electric between the wire electrode, visible in the diagram above as looking like a pen nib, and the workpiece's metal. The heat from the arc of electricity causes the wire and workpiece to melt, melding the two together in a strong bond. The gas nozzle ensures the work area is shielded, enabling a more precise weld. In order to get a good contact between the two pieces of metal, we rasped the powder coating off the base of the lamp before welding the mild steel rod to it. This has made a strong, solid connection between the two pieces which should make it much easier to attach the lamp onto a solid base through further welding later on.

A pipe-bending spring from the local Wickes marks the start of this base, as the neck shouldn't be rigidly attached to the harness if possible; some movement would be good, allowing the bird to look down to peck at the floor, or up to reach a berry. This will hopefully be made viable by sitting the mild steel rod inside the pipe-bending spring, and then using three or four metal tabs on both the rod and the base, and connecting the two with further springs. With any luck, this will create a sturdy and self-supporting anchor point that still allows flexibility and movement from the actor.

The next big 'moving part' I am tackling is the jaw mechanism. Before making a physical sample, I toyed and discussed a lot of ideas with tutors, friends and Strangeface's Russell Dean, amongst other online presences from puppetry groups. Here's a selection of sketches I came up with, musing different possibilities. It became apparent quite early on that simplicity was key with these moving parts, and as such I strived to develop the mechanism which seemed the most straightforward and easily modified; the PVC pipe spring method, shown as the last illustration here.

My first realisation of this mechanism was through the use of an old section of broom handle, some MDF from the scraps bin and a small piece of PVC tubing that was laying around. I found an excellent tutorial for making this type of spring mechanism on youtube, visible here; 

And so I set about scaling it up. My first test piece was actually slightly oversized, mainly due to interest to see if it would work on such a large scale, and it did - until I over-opened the lower jaw, putting so much strain on the MDF notch that it lifted off the entire section of MDF that was actually holding the lower jaw in place. This prototype is also very heavy, so whilst the movement is great, it's clear that I had to find an alternative material to make the upper and lower jaws out of.

This is the revised, version two prototype of the moving jaw. It works very well, and will need to be anchored somehow to the head via the top jaw. In this sample I have used the end of a broomstick, but for the actual one I would like to put in a metal bracket to attach to the lamp, for security and weight purposes. Also, instead of string, I would like to use a bike cable and brake handle, which will run down the inside of the hollow, rigid reins that will be explained further later on. For practice purposes, string works fine - but it wouldn't hold up to constant wear and would fray and break rather quickly.

The next step for this project is to make a final design for the head of the bird and a detailed scale. The head will be made out of vacuum formed plastic in two halves, which will be bonded together in the middle. Because of this plan, the head will be sculpted in two pieces, either side of a wooden template, so the vacuum formed result will match up perfectly in the middle. To achieve this, I must have very accurate drawings of how the bird will look from the front on, and a good set of measurements and style guides that will dictate how my sculpture should look.

The Tenta-Neck

The first thing I decided to make for this project is a prototype for a neck for my bird - the area which is currently troubling me the most. My first logical stopping point is a model that has a lot of similarities to a biological neck, with a strong spinal column surrounded by elastic 'tendons' and 'ligaments'. The wooden prototype I made for this works fantastically, having a nice spring and jiggle to it, and was a simple case of cutting and sanding wooden blocks and MDF circles to make a basic, repetitive neck.

However, when I scaled this neck up to a full size, things didn't run so smoothly. Whilst the neck was highly flexible and moved very naturally, it wasn't good at taking weight at all, and almost entirely relied on the wearer to support it. Whilst this is fine in a test run of a few minutes, it seems that this could get tiring very quickly - and such, I must find an alternative solution. Whilst it is interesting to have elastic creating tension in the neck, it also puts a lot of pressure on the plates which hold it together. Over time, this may result in snapping. The prototype is made out of foam board and styrofoam; the foam board sounds light, but is actually fairly weighty, and whilst the styrofoam is incredibly light it is susceptible to being pressed into other shapes which would effect the shape and movement of the neck, or even forcing the elastic out of it. It feels like this kind of layout would be very effective for a body part which has to hang and rock freely - an elephant's trunk springs to mind - it doesn't seem to be appropriate for a structure which needs to support itself. It feels like I need a stronger and more industrial neck to place my Dodo's head on top of.

Examining the Dodo

The Dodo was a flightless species of bird which went extinct in 1662 due to hunting. Limited to the small island of Mauritius, the Dodo had no natural predators and such was an approachable and unusually trusting creature. Whilst the general census seems to be that the Dodo became extinct because of it's own stupidity and inability to survive, in reality the Dodo was actually a species wiped out by humans. With it's lack of flight and docile character, the Dodo was an easy target for hunters and after the population had been weakened by a flash flood, humans hunting on the island and the importation of animals which destroyed the bird's nests resulted in its ultimate demise.

Pictured to the right of the figure in the illustration above, the Dodo is stout and round but a fairly large bird, standing at around a metre tall. The amount of meat these birds provided made them an ideal food source, and sadly it seems to be human nature to exhaust resources without considering what will happen when their finite nature materialises. The short documentary below provides a good and reliable insight into the background of the Dodo and why it was wiped out.  

This bird is a really interesting subject because it so recently became extinct; recent enough to have good evidence of the size, shape and colouring of the bird which can be used to create a relatively accurate semblance. The main colours of the bird are depicted differently in different examples, but the contrast between the warm grey and yellow face of the bird below contrast really nicely.

Unit Specifications

"Throughout this unit students will create a body of innovative, creative and sophisticated work.  The student will be expected to demonstrate a critical awareness of the context of their work, a developed understanding of the production process and the ability to translate the needs of performance into innovative and creative objects and environments.

For this self-initiated and self-directed unit the student will be required to prepare and manage their own timetable and project brief, which fully demonstrates their conceptual and technical skills, and knowledge of the professional environment. 

The unit combines research and conceptual development, in-depth independent thought and a professional engagement with practice. The portfolio of work produced is expected to be creative, innovative, professionally constructed and presented, supported by sound research, visual development, and appropriate professional practice information.

The student is expected to develop and display an understanding of the profession in which they wish to work and to take responsibility for their own direction of study. They can choose to work individually, collaboratively or on a commission basis. This work can revolve around one specific career pathway or encompass a range of skills from the separate core specialisms of the overall course. 

The work may involve live projects or commissions but equally projects that students have devised themselves. In preparation for working in the industry, a summative presentation portfolio must be submitted as a classic or digital portfolio, industry business cards and other promotional materials."

 Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of:

Professional performance contexts.

Understanding through application of: 

The advanced synthesis of research, conceptual development and critical investigation.

Understanding through application of:

Project development and critical reflection.

Technical and applied skills through: Appropriate advanced imaginative and creative making practices.

Technical and applied skills through: Professional project portfolio that communicates to prospective clients.

The Brief

The aim of this project is to create a puppet of an extinct species - the Dodo - to highlight the importance of conservation and being considerate to other creatures on the planet. It is intended to be a roaming puppet most suitable for festivals, street events and other events with a large amount of both space and people. The puppeteer will use the puppet as a platform to invite people into discussion and reading leaflets about ethics and conservation, particularly relating to the food industry. The puppet will be created in such a way that it is playful and positive, whilst carrying a message with considerable moral weight. The puppet is to be articulated enough to have a good sense of liveliness to it and to create a strong illusion of life.
The story of the Dodo named 'Beef' is that he was engineered from a DNA sample from the long-lost extinct species and genetically modified to be as large as possible to be an easy source of meat. However, a visiting scientist - our Sophie - saw how wrong the situation was and stole him from the laboratory late at night. She now rides him through cities and fields spreading the message of compassion and conservation. This is a palatable way of encouraging young people to consider the morality of meat and the lives of the animals we choose to eat, with the aim of reducing pollution from animal agriculture and preventing vulnerable species like Tuna from being wiped out from overfishing.

The puppet will be covered in soft-touch textiles like fur to create a creature which is as pleasant to touch as it is to watch it performing. All of the materials used in making the puppet will be man-made as opposed to made from animal hides or bird's feathers, as it would be oxymoronic to be spreading the word about ethics whilst wearing an unethically-made puppet. Synthetic materials such as Mongolian faux fur will be used to create the illusion of soft, 'downy' feathers on the young Dodo.
 The puppeteer will wear the puppet on a harness which connects to the inside of the bird through a fake 'saddle', and will wear a pair of false legs which sit over the connection between the puppeteer and the puppet and give the illusion that the puppeteer, is, in fact, riding the Dodo. The puppeteer's real legs will sit inside of the feet of the bird, allowing the puppeteer to be in full control of all aspects of the puppet's movement.

The primary materials for the construction of the body of this puppet are a strong but lightweight PVC frame, and upholstery foam which covers this frame and gives a smooth roundness to the puppet's body, whilst still being durable, light and flexible. This will aid in the transport of the puppet as it will be able to be laid on its side in tight spaces. The feet of the puppet will be made out of carved upholstery foam with a lightweight sandal inner and a sturdy EVA foam sole. The head of the puppet will be initially sculpted out of water based clay in two halves on an MDF template, to then be vacuum formed and assembled. This head will have a hingeing jaw which is operated with a simple PVC spring on the inside of the head and a straightforward 'reins' control. The upper jaw of the head will be operated through the use of rigid 'reins' made from aluminium tube bent into a curve to give the appearance of a soft piece of fabric, when it in fact manipulates the head of the puppet from the pivot point at the top of the neck. The head will be connected to the neck with a thick cable tie that means it can be removed if necessary for transport or maintenance over time.

The foam shell of the body will be connected to the PVC frame through use of EVA foam 'pucks' which sit either side of the holes in the upholstery foam to stop it from warping and squashing under the pressure of the attachment. Cable ties will be used to secure the foam as a lightweight, strong and if required removable form of attachment. Glue would not be suitable for this process as the shell only directly contacts a small amount of the PVC frame, so the bond would be under a lot of pressure and would eventually cause the foam to rip. The wings of the puppet will be made out of one inch thick upholstery foam with EVA foam 'spines' which allow them to flap well, and they will be connected directly to the PVC frame of the puppet to ensure they remain stable and durable. The tail will be made out of half inch upholstery foam panels shaped into a ball which will also be connected to the PVC frame to allow 'wiggle'.

Strangeface; Experiencing the Workplace

Working with Russell in the Strangeface workshop has been a very interesting time. I have learnt from all steps of creating a Strangeface mask, and in the process was presented with the fantastic opportunity to make my own from scratch. To best present my experiences in being in the workshop, I will go through each step of the process section by section.

Sculpting
Russell has a great deal of knowledge and years of experience in sculpting effectively. He sculpts all of his masks using basic white studio clay, intended for firing, but instead vacuum forms over it before it dries out and cracks. He has taught me a lot about sculpting theory, such as the importance of lines in a sculpt, and how e.g. parallel lines are uninteresting to the eye, where as a line which curves slightly or intercepts with another line will catch the viewer. Russell starts all his mask sculpts by making a maquette, and I gave this a go. It was difficult trying to capture what I wanted from the character within the 20-minute quick 'sketch' timeframe, so the maquette ended up being a very rough guide.

The character I want to present is a naive schoolgirl who happens to have a third eye, which she is somewhat ashamed of. When I started the full size sculpt over the top of a vacuum formed life cast of a face, I got a much better idea of where I would go with her expression. The Strangeface masks are designed to show different expressions dependent on not only the actor's movements and sounds, but also the angle the mask is viewed from. They are sculpted in a way that leaves them widely open to the interpretation of the viewer, and forever in a state of trying to decide which expression the mask is pulling. This is a part of a human's instinctual drive to empathise and understand other things it reads as being a face, hence why some of Strangeface's masks are rather abstract and quite far removed from being a human - but still read as one.

Here is the sculpt after a few hours of work on it. I find the process exciting but also a little intimidating. Whilst I have done some sculpting, I feel hugely inexperienced - especially being shadowed by Russell's 1000+ sculpts - but the learning curve is challenging. I want the mask to read as different expressions especially from each side - one side being a little apprehensive, a little sorry for herself, and the other being a shy, possibly even a little bit coy or even cocky smirk. I was worried about the sculpt looking a little bit older than I wanted at this stage, and was recommended to smooth her out more - the smoother a sculpt is, the younger it looks, making younger sculpts actually harder than folded, detailed, older characters.

Here is the sculpt after it has been smoothed out, neatened up and finalised for the vacuum former. I have taken out the pupils as they are no longer needed as a point of reference. I am relatively satisfied with the sculpt, but the dissatisfaction is really down to my lack of experience in sculpting, not because of something that can be immediately fixed.

Once the sculpt is finished, a drill with a piece of wire is used to burn holes in the plastic form under the head. This sucks the plastic into the small details and crevices such as in the corners of the mouth and eyes. Russell then sprays his sculpts with WD-40 as a mould release, which also helps with any last-minute smoothing.

Vacuum Forming

For the single mask commissions, Russell will complete a sculpt then just take two vacuum forms of it - one for the mask, and one as proof, which can be filled with plaster and fixed up to make more copies of if anything happens to the original. Vacuum forming is a simple process, when the plastic has been fixed into place in the metal bracket, a heater is slid over the top. The sculpt sits on a moving platform underneath the plastic.

When the plastic is supple enough and droops under the heater, the sculpt is lifted up via a lever to press into the plastic, and the vacuum is turned on. This sucks all of the air out between the plastic layer and the sculpt, so it takes on its form well. A soft cloth can be used to push the plastic further into the crevices.

The Mask in the vacuum former. The plastic we used was a clear BPA, the same used
for making water bottles. It has good strength and flexibility.

Once the shape has been formed, some brute force is required to get the mask off of the sculpt. This is worse in masks with a lot of details and especially those with undercuts, which may require the sculpt to be destroyed in order to get the mask off. Once it has been removed, it is cleaned with rubbing alcohol to remove any clay and WD-40 residue, and a buffing cloth keys the surface lightly to allow the primer and paint to grip it.

Painting

A layer of yellow primer is sprayed onto the mask as a base for the acrylic. It is a better colour than black to cover. Flesh tone acrylic is then sponged over the top in two layers, to form a base coat with a 'stippled' texture. Russell painted my mask because I have very little experience in using an airbrush, so he could paint it to reveal it's best potential. He uses no black - a few shades of red make up the blushing and warm tones, and a muted dark green is used for the shadow. Even the 'black' parts, like around the eyes and in the nostrils, are done with a very dark blue. This prevents the flatness that can occur with using solid colours.

On quizzing Russell on how he developed his style, he explains that it's taken him ten years to get to where he is. I find this reassuring because I don't feel like I solidly have my own style; there is plenty of time to develop it. He also mentioned that because his style has had to become commercially reliable, he feels it has become stale to him. I can see this happening often in a business that is run off of a created object, especially when each new product is sculpted from scratch.

The completed mask, in need of a wig. I am really happy with the paint job that Russell did, it definitely helps to define the emotions I was trying to capture. I have ordered her a wig to complete the look and will be updating this post with pictures of the mask being worn when it arrives.

Blind Summit @ Latitude Festival 2015: Citizen Puppet

Blind Summit did their 'first professional performance' of this show at Latitude Festival near Ipswich, which I was lucky enough to go to. They presented a parade of realistically portrayed individual puppets, with characters so three dimensional that they broke the fourth wall and made fun of the way puppets are often portrayed as silly, simple, uncomplicated characters.

Puppets for 'Citizen Puppet' in the Blind Summit workshop.

Suki (left) and Tina (right) expressing their digust.

The show was a very contemporary interpretation of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', with there being no Jack, or beanstalk. The story followed the residents of a run-down town called 'Massiveville', and their shock and trepidation the day that the giant from up the beanstalk fell, dead, across their town. Their recollections had a charming realism from them, from the descriptions of the giant's leg lifelessly blocking everyone down the centre of the high street, to the awful traffic backed up around the town and disrupting their day-to-day lives.
Blind Summit challenge traditional puppetry values and transform puppet shows into a platform for adults to enjoy. By presenting 'Citizen Puppet' as a docudrama based entirely on verbatim from the characters, they turned a silly, light hearted children's tale into a very believable and surprisingly tangible collection of the struggles and experiences of the characters.

The puppeteers seemed to 'melt' away
during the performance.

The set of the show was nonexistent, relying on the sheer presence of the characters to provide atmosphere. The puppets sat atop tall benches, chairs and wheelchairs, allowing the puppeteers to freely operate them and avoiding the 'floating puppet' issue. These benches helped set the mood for the town as well - it really was reminiscent of the likes of a dodgy park in the middle of Maidstone or some other exceedingly average British town. The way this production was prevented was completely unexpected; the entire show was fantastically observed and was a huge highlight of the festival.