Observations: Puppetry out of the shadows

Emma Love
Friday 27 February 2009 01:00 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

When most people think of old-fashioned puppets, they think of the Punch and Judy shows they used to watch at the seaside when they were little. That is unless they've seen the lovingly crafted paper characters of The Paper Cinema; a company which cleverly mixes animation, art and live music to make a surreal, nu-folk cinematic experience. A cult hit at the Edinburgh Forest Fringe last year where people queued round the block for tickets, now, creator Nic Rawling is putting on a new show as part of the East Festival, celebrating culture in east London (from 5 to 10 March).

The show, based on a series of dreams which explore fun ways to navigate the city, will be the first time he has used drawings in colour. The concept is simple: Rawling uses a projector and light, creating perspective by working his intricate paper puppets by hand. For this show, he is collaborating with the musician Roger Eno, who will play the piano. Like a quirky silent movie, there is no narrative, just music, with strange sounds and instrumental comic references.

"We approach cinema as if it's a live gig," explains Rawling, who has already taken The Paper Cinema to the Glastonbury and Latitude festivals. "The audience gets lost in the music and then focuses back on the band. Here, you get lost in the film and then realise that it's being made in front of you." Which rather puts Punch and Judy's "he's behind you" efforts in the shade.

www.artsadmin.co.uk; www.findeast.co.uk

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in