This work explores the intersections between opera, puppetry and wearable technologies and contributes to the growing body of work in the contemporary opera and experimental electronic music fields. Study II is a new experimental work for two performers that explores the dominant themes of puppetry and specifically the notion of control and interactions with the body and projection of the voice. The world of puppetry involves a complex hierarchy for the performers and also challenges audiences to consider causal actions during the show. The traditional relationship between the puppet and the puppeteer is examined in the first work, Study I, where the puppeteer is deliberately placed in the position of power, which is the prevalent understanding of the relationship.
One Amsterdam based puppeteer, Neville Trantor, who has been working with his puppet for 35 years says his work has been an experiment with the relationship between him and his puppet. ‘It all has to do with power,’ he says, ‘and who is the boss.' Sometimes it's him, sometimes it's the puppet. Study II however plays with the paradox of the relationship inverting the normal perceived power relationships and we see the influence of the puppet on the puppeteer. The role of vocal manipulation is also examined in the context of the relationship between the two characters on stage, drawing on the idea of the ventriloquist who moves the puppet, yet produces the voice of the puppet. This influence of the puppet on the puppeteer is portrayed in the design of the performance by the puppet having control over the voice of the puppeteer via the movement of their limbs which are tracked via sensors on the wearable devices. Data from the wearable controllers is fed into a computer where it controls the processing of the puppeteers voice.
The work draws together the fields of electronic music, and opera performance practice to consider how the musical and performative overlap can be structured in relation to the concept of puppetry. The use of wearable gestural controllers opens up a modern paradigm for the concept of the puppet, where the data from the movement of the bodies can be used in many ways to control the performance elements. The performers can control each other, their voice and the production of the sound and media elements. The work is significant and topical in relation to recent gender politics regarding control of the body. The work offers an opportunity to extend the practices of artists from discrete fields in a new and complimentary way and is significant in its attempt to expand opera practice in Australia. The development of this work was supported by the QLab residency program at the Q Theatre.
Reference: Smith, Amanda. The Uncanny Life of Puppets in the Body Sphere https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/bodysphere/features/puppets/4618828 Accessed 14 Feb 2019