{"id":6180,"date":"2022-03-12T22:04:46","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T22:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/?p=6180"},"modified":"2022-04-01T20:33:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T20:33:11","slug":"fantasy-and-puppetry-animating-the-fantastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/2022\/03\/12\/fantasy-and-puppetry-animating-the-fantastic\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy and Puppetry: Animating the Fantastic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On April 1 2022<\/strong> \u2013 April Fool\u2019s Day \u2013 the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow will be hosting a very special online event<\/strong>. Fantasy and Puppetry is a celebration of the art of puppets and puppeteers in bringing fantasy and the fantastic to life, on stage, on screen and on the page. It will feature five of the most exciting and celebrated puppet-centred artists, writers, puppeteers and performers working in the world today: Brian and Wendy Froud, Howard Gayton, Mary Robinette Kowal and William Todd-Jones<\/strong>, all brought together by their friendship with World Fantasy Award-winning writer, editor and artist Terri Windling<\/strong>. Between them, these artists have been closely involved in some of the finest fantasy films, movies, TV series and stage performances of the last forty years: The Dark Crystal<\/em>, Labyrinth<\/em>, the Muppet movies, Sesame Street<\/em>, The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>, Dark Crystal \u2013 The Age of Resistance<\/em>, His Dark Materials<\/em>, John Carter of Mars<\/em>, The Neverending Story<\/em>, Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 the list is seemingly endless. Join us, with our Master of Ceremonies Terri Windling, to discover how their skills as designers, craftspeople and puppeteers have interacted with their skills as storytellers to animate lifeless matter and awake the world\u2019s imagination!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See full programme below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> to book your free ticket!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Froud<\/strong> (artist and conceptual designer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brian and Wendy Froud<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Brian Froud is a world-renowned painter and film designer whose portrayal of faeries and the Faerie Realm has influenced a whole generation of artists, writers, filmmakers, and folklorists. Raised in Kent, he studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art, and began his career as an illustrator in London (in the same studio as Alan Lee). He then turned to making books of his own, and designing films \u2013 most famously, the now-classic children\u2019s films The Dark Crystal<\/em> and Labyrinth <\/em>(both produced by Jim Henson). <\/em>Brian\u2019s art has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, written about in scholarly texts, and won numerous awards. His internationallybestselling books include Faeries<\/em> (with Alan Lee), the Lady Cottington Pressed Fairies<\/em> series (with Terry Jones and Ari Berk), Good Faeries\/Bad Faeries <\/em>(with Terri Windling) The Runes of Elfland<\/em> (with Ari Berk), Brian Froud’s Goblins<\/em> (with Ari Berk), How to See Faeries<\/em> (with John Matthews), and Brian Froud\u2019s World of Faerie <\/em>\u2013 all of them inspired by the legends, lore, and landscape of Dartmoor. His recent books, Trolls<\/em>, and Faeries\u2019 Tales explore the lives and history of the elusive trolls and faeries; they were created in collaboration with his wife, author and artist Wendy Froud. Brian\u2019s latest project is the Netflix series Dark Crystal \u2013 The Age of Resistance<\/em>. Brian, Wendy and their son, Toby, all worked on the series. Brian and Wendy live near Chagford in a seventeenth-century Devon longhouse filled with books, art, goblins, and faeries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.ferniebrae.com\/brian-froud<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wendy Froud<\/strong> (doll artist, sculptor, puppet-maker and writer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brian and Wendy Froud (and friends!)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wendy Froud is a sculptor, writer, and one of the most revered doll artists in the world today. The daughter of two artists, she was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where she studied art and design at the Center for Creative Studies. She began her career as a sculptor on the set of The Muppet Show<\/em> in New York,and went on to work on such feature films as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth<\/em> and The Empire Strikes Back<\/em> (for which she sculpted and fabricated Yoda). Wendy\u2019s doll art and mythic sculptures have been extensively exhibited, published in three children’s books (A Midsummer Night’s Faery Tale, The Winter Child, The Faeries of Spring Cottage<\/em>), and featured in an art book, The Art of Wendy Froud. <\/em>As a writer, her work has been published in The Heart of the Faerie Oracle, Troll’s Eye View,<\/em> the Cottington<\/em> series, and other magical volumes \u2013 including her latest books, Trolls<\/em> and Faeries Tales<\/em>, created in collaboration with her husband, \u2018faery painter\u2019 Brian Froud. Wendy and Brian live in old thatched farmhouse in the Devon countryside. Wendy, Brian and Toby have worked together on the Emmy winning Netflix series Dark Crystal – The Age of Resistance<\/em>, and are currently working on a few new projects in development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.ferniebrae.com\/wendy-froud<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howard Gayton<\/strong> (theatre director, performer, scholar and teacher, puppeteer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Howard Gayton<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Howard Gayton has worked for over thirty years as a theatre director, performer, and teacher specialising in puppetry, foolery, and Commedia dell\u2019Arte; his work is inspired by all manner of mythic tricksters, zanni figures, jesters, buffoons, and sacred clowns. He has directed and performed many puppet shows for the acclaimed Little Angel Theatre in London, as well as for Norwich Puppet Theatre, Light Theatre at the Eden Project and other venues; he teaches glove puppets at The Curious School of Puppetry and tours a traditional Punch & Judy<\/em> show. Howard was the co-founder of Ophaboom, a Commedia company which toured across Europe for twenty years; he is now co-director of Columbina Theatre, with playwright Peter Oswald. He recently completed a 500-mile theatrical pilgrimage, walking from London to the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, and is currently researching The Esoteric Art of the Fool<\/em> at the University of Exeter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/endicottstudio.typepad.com\/howardgayton\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Robinette Kowal<\/strong> (Hugo, Nebula and John W Campbell award-winning novelist and short story writer, puppeteer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mary Robinette Kowal with cat Sadie and puppet Lee!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mary Robinette Kowal is an author, a professional puppeteer and voice actor (SAG\/AFTRA). Mary Robinette has performed for LazyTown (CBS), the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jim Henson Pictures, Sesame Street, and founded Other Hand Productions. Her designs have garnered two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence, the highest award an American puppeteer can achieve. She records fiction for authors such as Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi. Her own fiction has won multiple Hugo Awards, as well as Nebula, John W Campbell and Locus Awards. Mary Robinette lives in Nashville with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

maryrobinettekowal.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Todd-Jones<\/strong> (master puppeteer, puppet-designer, performer, movement consultant and writer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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William Tod-Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Todd began his career as a builder and performer of puppets for Jim Henson\u2019s film Labyrinth<\/em>. Other award-winning projects include Harry Potter V<\/em>, Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/em>, various Muppet movies, Batman<\/em>, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy<\/em>, John Carter of Mars<\/em> and many others. He travelled the world as the Master Puppeteer and Manny performer of the Monlove\/Stage Entertainment touring show Ice Age Live. Todd established the ground-breaking and award-winning Creature FX department for the BBC\/HBO TV series His Dark Materials<\/em>.  In recent years, he has specialised in combining the disciplines of puppetry and computer graphic animation, developing techniques in optical motion capture, performance animation and digital puppetry. He is determined to use art in the service of the environment, drawing people\u2019s attention to our dependency on nature. \u2018Puppets are not about the person performing but about the person looking\u2019 (William Todd-Jones).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terri Windling <\/strong>(writer, editor, artist)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Terri Windling<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Terri Windling is a writer, editor, and artist specialising in fantasy literature, folklore, and mythic arts. She has published over forty books (The Wood Wife<\/em>, etc.), receiving nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFWA\u2019s Solstice Award for \u2018outstanding contributions to the speculative fiction field as a writer, editor, artist, educator, and mentor\u2019. She writes fiction for adults and children, nonfiction on folklore and fantasy topics, and a mythic arts blog (Myth & Moor<\/em>). She has edited fantasy fiction since the 1980s, working with many of the major writers in the field, and she\u2019s published numerous anthologies for adult and young readers, including the sixteen volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror<\/em> series co-edited with Ellen Datlow. Being married to puppeteer, she has a particular interest in the ways puppetry is portrayed in fantasy texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.terriwindling.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marita Arvaniti<\/strong> (student, theatre practitioner, scholar)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marita Arvaniti is a Greek PhD student at the University of Glasgow, investigating the representations of theatre in contemporary Faery Fantasy literature. She holds a BA in Theatre Studies from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens and an MLitt in Fantasy Literature from the University of Glasgow. Marita is a member of the University of Glasgow\u2019s Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic<\/em>, and the Administrative Assistant for the Once and Future Fantasies Conference<\/em>. She is currently working as an archivist with Company of Wolves<\/em>, a Glasgow based laboratory theatre company, and directs fantasy plays with the amateur theatre group Puck\u2019s Players<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Programme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

11: 00 am: Fantasy and Puppetry (Film)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brian and Wendy Froud, interviewed by Terri Windling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A whole generation of filmmakers, puppeteers, and fantasists have been profoudly influenced by Brian and Wendy Froud: through their bewitching art, their best-selling books (Faeries, Trolls, Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book<\/em>, etc.), and their ground-breaking work on the Jim Henson puppet films The<\/em> Dark Crystal<\/em> and Labyrinth<\/em>. In this wide-ranging discussion, Brian and Wendy will talk about their extensive work on the original Dark Crystal<\/em> film, as well as on the recent Netflix television series, Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance. We’ll learn about the creation of the goblin world of Labyrinth, of<\/em> Yoda for The Empire Strikes Back,<\/em> and of other creatures for film and stage, while discussing the artistic techniques and philosophies that imbue these characters with vibrancy, authenticity, and soul. We’ll explore the distinctive nature of “Froudian” magic, rooted in the ancient landscape of Dartmoor, and we’ll talk about why this kind of enchantment is so important in the world today. Come join us for art and conversation, with a question-and-answer session at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12.30-1.30 pm: Lunch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.30 pm: Bringing Fantasy Creatures to Life (Film, TV, Stage)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

William Todd-Jones, interviewed by Terri Windling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppet designer and performer William Todd-Jones has spent many years bringing fantastical creatures to life for film, TV, and large stage shows. In a discussion with writer-artist Terri Windling, he discusses the techniques and methods he uses for each of these mediums, not only in productions where puppets take centre stage (Labyrinth, The Adventures of Pinnochio<\/em>, The<\/em> Muppet Movies<\/em>, etc.), but also those in which behind-the-scenes puppetry is used to create visual magic onscreen. For the BBC\/HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman\u2019s His Dark Materials<\/em>, for example, he was the Beast Master in charge of the puppets on which the animated \u2018daemons\u2019 were based. He’ll explain this process with photos and clips from the set, showing how a fantasy concept is translated into screen drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.00 pm: Bringing Fantasy Creatures to Life (Theatre)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Howard Gayton<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this talk\/demonstration, director and performer Howard Gayton invites us into his studio to show how puppeteers create magic in live theatre settings using the traditional tools of the trade: glove puppets, rod puppets, etc.. He’ll discuss the process of turning folk tales and other magical stories (The Selkie Bride, The Musicians of Bremen<\/em>, King Arthur, Jack and the Beanstalk)<\/em> into puppet shows for children, and fantasy texts (such as Angela Carter’s story The Bloody Chamber<\/em>) into puppet shows for adults. He’ll introduce us to such classic figures as Punch and Judy, and the stock characters of a puppet Commedia troupe, and demonstrate how to breathe life and spirit into objects made of wood and cloth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.00-4:30 pm Break<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

4.30-6.00 pm: Panel on Puppets and Puppetry in Fantasy Narratives (Novels, Film, TV)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Terri Windling, Mary Robinette Kowal, Marita Arvaniti, Rob Maslen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppets are often used to create the fantastic in performance, but magically animated puppets also feature in fantasy books for adults and children: think of Angela Carter\u2019s The Magic Toyshop<\/em>, Carlo Collodi\u2019s Pinocchio<\/em>, Susan Cooper\u2019s The Magician’s Boy<\/em>, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean\u2019s Mr Punch<\/em>,Russell Hoban\u2019s Riddley Walker<\/em>, Mary Robinette Kowal\u2019s \u2018Body Language\u2019, and Diana Wynne Jones\u2019s The Magicians of Caprona<\/em>. This panel will consider the history and power of the puppet in fantasy narratives, from novels, short stories, comics and picture books to film and TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On April 1 2022 \u2013 April Fool\u2019s Day \u2013 the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow will be hosting a very special online event. Fantasy and Puppetry is a celebration of the art of puppets and puppeteers in bringing fantasy and the fantastic to life, on stage, on screen and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Fantasy and Puppetry: Animating the Fantastic”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[117,115,9,113,114,116,121,120,7,118,119],"class_list":["post-6180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","tag-brian-froud","tag-dark-crystal","tag-fantasy","tag-fantasy-and-puppetry","tag-his-dark-materials","tag-labyrinth","tag-marita-arvaniti","tag-mary-robinetter-kowal","tag-terri-windling","tag-wendy-froud","tag-william-tod-jones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6180"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6328,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6180\/revisions\/6328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}