Sarah Vigars
This collection of puppets has been created this year, mostly during lockdown. They will eventually take centre stage in a new intimate-scale puppetry performance called ‘Flying with Strings’, when live performance once again becomes possible.
Hoopoe marionette
Articulation
This is a fully articulated marionette: the wings and tail open and close, the tail flaps up and down, the head is fully moveable with opening beak, the crest opens and closes and the legs fold in and out.
Materials
The body, head and legs are hand carved from lime wood. The wing, tail and crest feathers are cut from a combination of 1.5mm basswood (American lime) and 0.8mm modelling plywood. The puppet is painted/stained with a combination of water based wood dyes, white milk paint and acrylic paint, and sealed with danish oil. The marionette control (a new, bespoke design) is also constructed from lime wood. Sundry materials include nylon and polyester cord, brass screw eyes, steel rod, lock nuts, bolts, glass eyes and leather for the neck.
Bee-eater marionette
Articulation
This is a fully articulated marionette: the wings and tail open and close, the tail flaps up and down, the head is fully moveable with opening beak, and the legs fold in and out.
Materials
The body, head and legs are hand carved from lime wood. The wing and tail feathers are cut from a combination of 1.5mm basswood (American lime) and 0.8mm modelling plywood. The puppet is painted/stained with a combination of water based wood dyes, white milk paint and acrylic paint, and sealed with danish oil. Sundry materials include nylon and polyester cord, brass screw eyes, steel rod, lock nuts, bolts and glass eyes and hand-painted silk for the neck and back
Swallow marionette
Articulation
This is a fully articulated marionette: the wings and tail open and close, the tail flaps up and down, the head is fully moveable, and the legs fold in and out.
Materials
The body, head and legs are hand carved from lime wood. The wing, and tail feathers are cut from a combination of 1.5mm basswood (American lime) and 0.8mm or 0.4mm modelling plywood. The puppet is painted/stained with a combination of water based wood dyes, white milk paint and acrylic paint, and sealed with danish oil. Sundry materials include nylon and polyester cord, brass screw eyes, steel rod, lock nuts, bolts, glass eyes and hand-painted silk for the neck and back.
THE PANDEMIC EFFECT
The Covid-19 pandemic has, in some ways, been a blessing in disguise for me a s a maker, though it began with a major upheaval. Just days before lockdown I lost access to my studio space due to emergency building closures. Months later, I am still in a state of limbo, working from a temporary setup at home. This has had its drawbacks, but also some unexpected benefits: while working in a confined space has been challenging at times, I have really enjoyed the new flexibility it has brought to my working hours, freeing me to create in a more spontaneous and intuitive way.
The timing of lockdown was also strangely serendipitous. Not long before the pandemic I was lucky to be awarded a ‘Develop Your Creative Practice’ grant from Arts Council England, to develop my skills as a woodcarver. Lockdown dovetailed perfectly with this opportunity, resulting in an intensely creative period, free from distractions but also immediate money concerns. Consequently I have taken huge leaps forward with my practice, resulting in a new body of puppetry work, as well as my first ever online woodcarving tu torials, launching in the autumn.