Mermaid Parade organizers host
virtual international puppet show
BY ROSE ADAMS
Brooklynites can let their
imaginations run wild on
March 21 when a colorful collection
of marionettes and papier
mâché fi gures come to life
at the virtual “Puppets Come
Home” puppet slam hosted in
honor of World Puppetry Day,
said the event’s organizer.
“There’s going to be different
styles — some hand puppets,
some Italian marionettes,
stop motion,” said Brendan
Schweda, the producer of the
show and a regional director
for the non-profi t Puppeteerss
of America.
COURIER L 26 IFE, MARCH 12-18, 2021
The international puppet
show, hosted by Coney Island
USA, will feature performances
from Kenya, Costa
Rica, Turkey, Chile, Israel,
Thailand, and beyond, with
each skit employing a different
medium, like masks and
stop motion video. The performances
will also cover a variety
of topics ranging from
silly to serious. One skit stars
EVERYBODY LOVES PUPPETS: (Above) Italian puppetry company Di Filippo
Marionette will perform a skit featuring an acrobatic bicyclist. (Top
left) A skit by Thai puppeteer Puppets by Jae will shed light on the life
cycle of ants. Courtesy of Brendan Schweda
a character doing a circus routine
on a bike, while another
will depict the life cycle of an
ant colony, the organizer said.
“It’s about how they deal
with members of their community
passing, how they move
on,” Schweda said. “You see a
cycle of life that’s not too different
from what we go through”
The puppet show will also
feature an informal tour of
the Coney Island USA building
— where the art organization
has its museum, the sideshow
theater, and the “freak
bar” — as well as a discussion
with Paul Zaloom, an actor
and puppeteer who performed
with the famous troupe, Bread
and Puppet.
The “adults only” show,
PUPPETS
which will broadcast at 9 pm
on Coney Island USA’s website,
comes as part of a century-long
tradition of puppetry in Coney
Island, Schweda said.
Puppets fi rst came to the
People’s Playground in the
mid- to late-1800s in the form
of the popular slapstick puppet
routine Punch and Judy,
which began in England in the
17th century.
As the times evolved, so
did the puppetry. By the early
1970s, Bread and Puppet was
putting on avant-garde puppet
shows tackling political
themes that used large, papiermâché
puppets inside its shortlived
Surf Avenue theater.
Schweda said that “Puppets
Come Home” — a series
he’s hosted with Coney Island
USA since 2018 — aims to continue
Bread and Puppet’s Coney
Island legacy by showcasing
puppetry innovation from
around the world.
“My main motivation is to
produce these works and get
people out there and give cutting
edge new puppeteers a
platform,” he said.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
It’s the circles of lights!
A new interactive installation
dubbed “Refl ect” by Brooklyn
artist Jen Lewin opened
at Domino Park Friday, offering
visitors to the popular Williamsburg
waterfront greenspace
an immersive outdoor
exhibit of circular light panels
to walk, dance, and jump
around on while keeping a safe
social distance amid the pandemic,
according to the lawn’s
director.
“As the uncertain start of
another unprecedented year
commences, Jen Lewin’s installation
at Domino Park will
symbolize new beginnings and
togetherness,” said Michael
Lampariello in a statement.
“We are thrilled to feature such
ART
a distinguished, yet accessible,
artist for all to enjoy here on
Brooklyn’s waterfront.”
The 2,400-square-foot setup
lives at the park’s fountain in
front of the old Domino Sugar
Factory’s landmarked refi nery
building. The display features
three concentric rings made up
of interactive platforms which
the park’s owners hope will inspire
visitors to refl ect and connect
as the city comes out of the
COVID-19 winter.
“This installation comes at
just the right moment, people
are craving safe ways to enjoy
the city.” said Kate Gavriel, the
cultural affairs director for the
park’s owners, developer Two
Trees.
During the day, the pads refl
ect light differently depending
on where they’re viewed
from due to their so-called dichroic
surface, which gives off
a psychedelic array of colors
reminiscent to either a rainbow
and an oil sheen.
At night, the installation
glows and responds to steps,
which trigger splashes of light
in different ways powered by
an internal code and custom
hardware.
Domino Park staff will
check on the exhibit as part of
their regular rounds to make
sure people stay COVID safe,
according to the space’s managers.
The installation at the
Kent Avenue park — which is
privately-owned by Two Trees
but open to the public — is
its fi rst in the United States,
after debuting in Japan in
spring 2020 as part of a larger
15,000-square foot artwork
called “Cosmos.”
Lewin, who has a studio
in Vinegar Hill, said she was
glad to bring her creation to
her home turf and give locals
young and old a playful piece
of art to enjoy.
“I’m thrilled that Refl ect
will make its American debut
in my hometown of Brooklyn
at Domino Park, where I hope
New Yorkers will fi nd a muchneeded
escape in the vibrant,
playful nature of this work,”
the artist said.
String ’em up
Interactive light circles public art
exhibit debuts at Domino Park
BROOKLYN
On the bright track
Puppets Come Home at
Coney Island USA www.coneyisland.
com/puppets, (718)
372-5159. March 21 at 9 pm.
Adults only.
“Refl ect” at Domino Park 300
Kent Ave., between S. Second
and S. Third streets in Williamsburg.
Opening March 5,
daily from 8 am-10 pm. Free.
STEP LIGHTLY: A new interactive installation dubbed “Refl ect” by Brooklyn
artist Jen Lewin at Domino Park.
Photo by Demian Neufeld, Ryders Alley Media; Matt Emmi; Joshua Pullar
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