Friday 6 May 2016

May's puppet of the month - 'Space Man' Mark

What are you made out of?

I have a fibreglass head and a soft foam rubber body sculpted on to a wooden and aluminium armature. Plus a shiny spacesuit, naturally.

You're modelled on Mark Down, how did your designer and maker, Nick Barnes, do this?

I was sculpted from photos of Mark and also from sitting sessions with him. Mark was the lead actor in the show I was in, On Emotion, which played at Soho Theatre in 2008. He played an autistic man interested in puppetry. The writer of the piece, Mick Gordon, was interested in Mark's character struggling to read emotion due to his autism and worked in collaboration with neuropsychologist Paul Broks to work on the production. Blind Summit was commissioned by them to create the puppetry and explore this area further.

What are you up to now?

As a beautifully designed puppet I'm often used for demonstration purposes for workshops run by Blind Summit. Later this month I will be working with University of the Arts MA Animation students on skills and techniques needed to bring a puppet and character to life.

How are you going  to enjoy the sun this week?
Take my suit off! 

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