Driftwood puppets
Seren Trodden
Swansea College of Art at UWTSD
This body of work presents a group of puppet creatures made from driftwood and seabird feathers foraged on local Gower beaches. These particular beasts are not based on specific dinosaurs or other animals; they have been imagined through discovery of form, guiding the making process into being. I have selected natural forms which resonated with me and suggested creature body parts. These are then adapted and combined with other sections to build complete figures at various scales. Joint mechanisms allow a sense of life-like movement, made from fabric, wooden dowels and metal hinges, as well as other found ironmongery. They are intended as simple wild-wood, sea-washed puppet creations, with an element of movement worked into their design and fabrication to create both hand-held puppets and strung marionettes. Materials abandoned on the beach by the elements and by society have been revived, reinvented and brought back to life.