In October 2024 I travelled to Yogyakarta on the island of Java to undertake a residency with Papermoon Puppet Theatre with Jesse Hamilton from Pico’s Puppet Palace. In total the residency went for 3 weeks instead of 4 as originally planned as this is what worked with the logistics of everything involved and my budget. I was headed there to work on a creative development of a new show using a new style of puppetry that I didn’t normally make and work with in my company Pico’s Puppet Palace. We were also booked to perform our show ‘Pico and the Golden Lagoon’ at the biennale international puppet festival ‘Pesta Boneka – Seeds of Hope’ that took place at the end of the residency. I had chosen Papermoon for a variety of reasons but mainly because I was interested in their neutral palette they used in making the puppets, their use of natural materials and fibres and their non-verbal shows.
During the residency I worked on making masks and two smaller rod puppets. I started the foundation with terracotta. I then covered these moulds with cling wrap and papier-mâché. After the papier-mâché was dry I dug out the terracotta. I also started to make details on the faces with paper clay. It was a very time consuming project (of course) and in hindsight I think I was a little too ambitious it what I could achieve in the time I had. Even though I was at the studio 6 days a week for most of the day, time just flew.
Inside the Papermoon studio there were collections of all their different styles of puppets made over the years. You were welcome to pull them out and study them and play around with them. During the residency Papermoon were also rehearsing themselves and making new puppets and sculptures and so it was great to also take time out from my own project and just sit back and observe their process.
There were two other artists at the residency house and studio at the same time as us from the U.S.A and from New Zealand. This was also a great sharing opportunity, because although we were all working on individual projects we lived together and worked together at the studio and so were able to share ideas and experiences and also learn from each other. This relationship also ended up in a performance collaboration at the festival as part of one of their performance installation pieces.
As part of the residency there was a condition to do some kind of exchange, workshop or presentation to the public. We were invited to a local village to perform with Pico’s Puppet Palace at the Ngaran Kite Festival called ‘Humans on Planet Earth’. This was a great experience and the local community loved Pico. We also got to see some amazing traditional kites flying in the air, watch a Gamelan performance and play a Javanese traditional bamboo instrument with Government Officials for the opening of the festival, on a stage that was set up in the middle of the rice fields.
We also did a field trip to a local Wayang Puppet Masters Studio and House. Here we were introduced to the Gamelan and shadow puppets and history of his family and artistic experiences balancing both modern and traditional approaches. Later in the week we traveled to the Yogyakarta Museum to see a 2 hour performance of the Gamelan and shadow puppets, normally an overnight experience.
I think one of the highlights of the residency was the festival Pesta Boneka. Originally we were just going to be spectators at the festival but after applying we were later invited to perform ‘Pico and the Golden Lagoon’. This festival was amazing. 25 countries were represented at the festival and over 100 artists from all over the globe came together to perform, part take in workshops and live and breath all things puppets. Our performance went great, but I also found it invaluable the experience of seeing so many different styles and approaches to puppetry that my head is so full of ideas and inspirations. It was also a great opportunity for networking and I do believe future things will come out of this experience, as there are conversations in the pipeline.
The residency supported me to reach some of my goals I had towards the creation of my new puppetry piece. I was able to try out some new making techniques as well as trialling new manipulation techniques too. However, I didn’t get as much done as I had anticipated as I mentioned before. Before embarking on this residency I had so many ambitions and goals I wanted to achieve, but practically when in the studio and in the making process I was humbly reminded that these discoveries take time and to be patient and have a longer vision. After seeing so many shows at the festival I did gather a bunch of ideas I want to include in the new performance. This new show still has many more creative developments ahead but this experience in Indonesia definitely boosted the depth and experience of creation for me as an artist. It was great to be out of my own personal studio at home and be surrounded by other creators and artists in a multicultural context. The Yogyakarta culture reminded me to be patient but also at the same time willing to jump into spontaneity and make anything work in any situation despite the obstacles. That community and group work are the strength. To not stress too much but keep working until the dream is created. This is something valuable I was reminded of during the residency that definitely helped me with my new show.
Overall it was a very enriching experience and the first official puppet residency I had done overseas with a company. Thanks so much for believing in me and supporting this with the scholarship.
Thank you Thank you Thank you.
BUDGET
Residency cost $1800
Flight $1250
Materials $50
Visa $50
Travel Insurance $120
Food $100
Incidentals $100
Total = $3370
INCOME
UNIMA scholarship $2500
Own contribution $870
TOTAL = $3370
*notes
The budget altered slight compared to the original draft. The visa ended up being cheaper as I needed a different visa than I first thought. Materials and incidentals were way cheaper than I had budgeted. Most of the materials were supplied by Papermoon and the few extra things I bought were in expensive.