File puptcrit/puptcrit.0902, message 660


From: Grego <grego-AT-gregoland.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:48:22 +0900
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Marionettes a la Planchette


Mathiew, the string running through the chest is placed high enough  
to assure that the puppet will be bottom heavy. What keeps it's feet  
on the ground is the same thing that keeps your feet on the ground,  
gravity.
Roland, I couldn't agree with you more. Surely they provide a  
convenient prop for street musicians. Too often crummy puppets get  
flailed about with the same senseless abandon that hollywood  
directors employ in bombarding us with pyrotechnics, while leaving  
nuance on the cutting room floor. Never underestimate the gullibility  
and lack of taste of John Q. Public.
On the other hand, any kind of puppet can be performed badly, and a  
well-made planchette can be rather charming.

Thanks for the cool links Alice. I've got a couple more cents worth  
to throw in.

There's a lousy shot of me operating planchettes in a Commedia themed  
show here:
http://www.gregoland.com/grego/collaborations.html
But this thread inspired me to post another page with better pics here:
http://www.gregoland.com/planchettes/
Those puppets weren't made with much attention to movement potential,  
and the costumes are too heavy. But their crude antics earned some  
smiles anyhow.

Another bit of video of that unnamed piper puppeteer features his  
unusual two-string planchette configuration:
http://www.archive.org/details/mangoooproductionspuppetsinGhent
A very guy knowledgeable about history as well as the practice of  
planchette performance is Chris Gheris, from Belgium.  I met him at  
Charleville-Meziere, where he was gathering material for the folk  
arts magazine Goe Vollek.
http://www.plansjet.be/Home.html
The most elegant ones I've ever seen were made by Dave Miles, of  
California. He painstakingly carved, painted, and outfitted them with  
great detail, and works them while playing his hurdy gurdy. Kind of  
an old-fashioned guy, Dave has very little self-made internet  
presence, no pics that I know of. He's an old friend, played on my  
CD, but is probably better known for having also played with  
Metallica. Whatever pays the rent, eh. Dave on Dave:
http://swingleydev.com/archive/bio.php?message_id=51986
Finally, while planchettes are not quite ubiquitous, they might be if  
these people have anything to say about it, because they'd like to  
sell you one:
  http://fairetymetoys.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Planchette

-G





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