nature boy is an original puppetry-poetry performance that follows the epic journey of a mysterious boy from a distant star who lands on a planet where a quiet war wages against the planet’s inherent nature. Evoking a children’s fantasy for all ages, nature boy is a poetic meditation on connections between biodiversity and imagination. This work-in-progress will explore the technology and projection elements of nature boy and be accompanied by originally composed electro-acoustic live music.
Created by: Bart Buch
Puppeteer/Performers: Steve Ackerman, Bart Buch, Blake Love, Emily Zimmer
Musicians: Patrick Harison and Tom Woodling
MAW technician: David Steinman
Bart Buch
Bart Buch is an independent puppet artist from Minneapolis who creates unique poetry-‐puppetry performances with spare text, saturated moods, enveloping musical language, and a graceful yet raw visual style. Buch is Education Co-Director at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and has recently received a Jim Henson Foundation Grant to develop a new, original puppet production called nature boy.
MAW
MAW is a vehicle for activating public spaces with large-scale projections of sound and video. MAW develops software, hardware and methodologies for participatory urban projection, and helps artists and community organizations utilize these instruments to creatively claim and transform public spaces. MAW disseminates these instruments and works with artists interested in technology to promote mobile public projection. MAW aims to connect patrons with artists and artists with communities through commissioning programs. Commissioning programs are tailored to the needs of a specific event and include performances on-demand, training of artist with a mission, and collaborative development of public performance events sought by community organizations.