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ACTION FIGURE (suspended animation) Performance by Pippa Garner
In 2019, we approached Pippa to develop a work for the Other Places Art Fair in San Pedro. Pippa said she wanted to be a human puppet that viewers could control. We took her rough sketches and co-developed a machine that could safely suspend her in the air while participants used a found exercise bike to control her body. Many participants were at first excited to try the machine, but once they understood what it felt like to have that control over another person, they quickly had to confront their feelings. Pippa’s statement about the piece:
“The robotic age owes its origins to the humble string puppet, an articulated effigy completely controlled by a live puppeteer acting out the human tyrannical instinct. ACTION FIGURE presents the string puppet in full size, featuring a live–alert but inert–human puppet (Living Doll) manipulated by a guest puppeteer seated on an Exercycle. Objectification is the theme, and the two figures showcase familiar roles: Control Freak and Underdog.”
Produced in collaboration with California Carts- Nick Rodrigues and Chachi Mathis