I am a New York based puppeteer and multidisciplinary artist from Northern New Mexico. My work (in terms of puppet fabrication) utilizes cardboard, paper maché, and reclaimed materials to create new puppet works from that which would have otherwise been discarded. This convention initially began due to a lack of access to new materials, but quickly became central to my artistic practice. To me, puppetry as a medium exemplifies the resilient, collaborative, resourceful, and fiercely environmentally protective nature of my community of origin, as well as highlights the value of that which exists in the in-between, the obscure or the misunderstood. To make a sculpture out of, in essence, garbage, and then bring that creature to life accentuates the reality that much of what we throw out is, in fact, still vibrant and full of utility.
In terms of performance, my work often focuses on the surreal and fantastic nature of everyday life. I draw from my background as a working class transsexual from the American Southwest, and strive to communicate the emotional truths of those experiences through abstracted and expressive puppetry. Prior to becoming a puppeteer, I was trained as a dancer (primarily ballet and contemporary). The physical language of dance still greatly influences how I approach storytelling. I am very interested in quotidian movement and nonverbal communication, and how that movement can be altered, enhanced, and re-articulated through totemic performance.
Much in the same way that I utilize discarded objects to make my work, I often find myself incorporating found text into my projects. Even in circumstances where I am creating a work of fiction, I regularly draw from non-fiction: my own life, eavesdropping, or formal research. Although I work within the realm of the fantastic, I strive to discover what is "true" in my artwork and in the world. I find the contrast between the incredible spectacle of visual theatre and the nuances of emotional experience and historical fact to be deeply fascinating.
My creative practice is one of very serious play. I am process oriented by nature and truly revel in the feeling of making something. This habit is fueled by my strong technical streak. Part of the reason I fell for puppetry is because it allows me to dig into the minutia of the world around me. I love recreating things I observe as a means to understand them, and I get to ask myself questions like: How can I show the way one says goodbye to their lover with performers that are not, themselves, alive? How do I build an elbow joint out of things from the recycling bin? What would a box of cigarettes look like if it was really big? The technical specificity of my work is eased by the reality that, at the end of the day, I've built my career around the fact that I could never give up playing with dolls. There is something to my practice that is still so inseparable from the feeling of spending an afternoon in my childhood bedroom with an open toy chest. The difference now is that there are people watching me play, and when I'm done, they (hopefully) clap.