Denmark! Not the country, the Australian town
20 Sep 2011 Comments Off
in Events Tags: Australia, Denmark, DNA Puppetry, entertainment, Events, festival, puppet, storytelling, street entertainment, Thurtinkle
This weekend I went down to the town of Denmark in the South West of Australia, bordering the magnificent forests and the amazing coastline.
I meet myself in human form!
I used my travelling suitcase to help me get about on Strickland St as the good people of Denmark delighted in all sorts of stalls and activities.
My very good friend Rachel accompanied me on my perambulations and helped me tell stories to the eager and willing people.
There were quite a few very unusual people there, is it the air, or is it the water?
The Stare!
I’ve collected an Australian story from the Dreamtime of the indigenous australians, the original inhabitants of this land before the Europeans came. How the Kookaburra got it’s Laugh.
Say no to Roe
20 Aug 2011 Comments Off
in Events Tags: Australia, Events, Perth, Photos, puppet, Thurtinkle
I was having a lovely visit to Beeliar wetlands, south of Perth, when I came across a rally of lots of people down by the lake. There was a band playing and some stalls.
I was handed a sign which said ‘Save the Wetlans’ and ‘Say No Roe’, which I found very confusing. I asked a few questions and realised that the rally was protesting against the construction of a big highway extension right through the middle of this beautiful ecosystem…
I kiss a cockatoo (not a real one, a mask)
As the last of my kind, a wandering gnomad due to the destruction of my habitat, I joined in the protest and showed my support for the protest, listened to the speakers and joined in on the rally.
Save these wetlands! Say no to the Roe highway extension!
I’m with Cate Blanchett
29 Jun 2011 1 Comment
in Photos Tags: Australia, climate change, Events, Northbridge, Perth, puppet, Science, Thurtinkle
I say yes!
Recently I went to the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge where there was a big rally to get on with doing something about reducing carbon pollution and letting Australia and the world know that loads of people in Australia are in favour of a carbon pollution levy to invest in alternative energy by making the big polluters pay.
Apparently there’s a lot of fear that energy prices will go up if a so-called ‘carbon tax’ is put in place by the government and a recent poll shows that less Australians are in support of it than before. I think that this is because they have been put in fear of big energy price increases by the opposition and the media. Energy prices are going to go up. There’s no doubt about that, with or without this new measure. What is also sure is that we are pumping more carbon pollution out than ever before, the seas are on the brink of an enormous mass exctinction event and that if we don’t act now to wean ourselves off of our addiction to cheap energy from fossil fuels life is going to get very tough for everyone.
Cate Blanchett was one of the voices in this advertising campaign for action on climate change - The conservative opposition leader, Tony Abbott, lambasted the advert. “People who are worth $53m have a right to be heard – but their voice should not be heard ahead of the ordinary working people of this country,” he said.
But it’s worth reading this article by Oliver Milman: How mining and media distort Australia’s carbon tax debate
Here’s the ‘Say Yes’ facebook group
My Christmas Cracker tomorrow in Preston
29 Dec 2010 Comments Off
in Events, Family, Photos Tags: DNA Puppetry, entertainment, Events, Life, Photos, Preston, puppet, storytelling, theatre, Thurtinkle
Come and see me at the New Continental down by the river in Preston Town Centre tomorrow at 1pm. It’s only a short walk from Preston station, and the trains are all running fine now.
Even if you choose to drive, Preston is only 30 minutes from Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster so there’s no excuse not to come, really.
I had a brilliant time today with Rachel down the New Continental with stories and songs for a lovely audience of all ages. I made the ladies giggle, Rachel parcelled the children up in a giant Christmas bow, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer appeared and we all cheered when his Christmas dream came true.
With the kids at the New Continental, Christmas 2010
Lancashire Life
19 Dec 2010 Comments Off
in Events Tags: DNA Puppetry, education, entertainment, Preston, puppet, school, storytelling, Thurtinkle
I'm back at school!
Upon my return to the frozen wasteland that is Great Britain in Winter, from sunnier climes in Perth, Western Australia, I paid a visit to the lovely Cureden School in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire.
The infants (that’s years one,two and three) were having a christmas party.
Riding on the shoulders of my trusty steed Rebecca, I had a lovely natter with the children and we made up a story together of Santa in Australia, wearing nowt but a pair of red boardies biting into a pie while delivering presents only to find it full of witchety grub worms!
EEEUUUURRRRGH!!
Dr who tweetstory
07 Nov 2010 Comments Off
in twitter Tags: storytelling, twitter
A strange groaning noise accompanied the gradual appearance of a blue police box. the poice box settled into the mud. a large canadian moose stared.
‘Oh! Canada! That home and native land!’ sang the Doctor as he stepped forth. ‘Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!’
Amy Pond, clutching a cup of coffee, with a balloon strung through her hair, eyed the mud and the moose warily.
artstweet
04 Nov 2010 1 Comment
Interesting synergy of tweets there.
@Artsthink “How can we support artists even better and sustain the extraordinary arts we have?” #achievinggreatartforeveryone
@hannahnicklin “Would you really believe that in an era of tick boxes & statistics previous governments had just thrown money at the arts without justification?”
The arts in the UK is a bit like the sciences – there are some extremely erudite, educated and interesting thinkers out there who create work for the ‘illumined’. There are also passionate and committed eccentrics who can only speak through that which they create.There are those who are a bit of both.
We artists are constantly experimenting and exploring. We are interested in process, and what results from that process may or may not have ‘value’ to the wider public, and those who experience those results may become more interested in the process, and get more ‘value’, or they may choose not to. They may even participate in the process or emulate it. That is a result.
However, to support the arts, you must support the process and not expect a result or a product. This is to me a very important distinction. Find the process that excites you and support it. If you have money, support it financially, if not, with enthusiasm. Don’t measure the results. It’s not about that. In the end, after 50-100 years, there may be something to measure, but not when the process is happening. The most fundamental question is, am I interested in this? Does this speak to my passions and my aesthetics? If it does, pay attention and hand over the cash.
Walk against Warming
27 Aug 2010 18 Comments
in Events Tags: Australia, climate change, DNA Puppetry, Events, Fremantle, Perth, puppet, Thurtinkle, video, walk against warming
I'm hanging out with the cockatoos in Freo
I went down to Fremantle the other day to listen to all the speakers at the ‘Walk against Warming’ 2010 event. There was an election looming in Australia, and as an endangered species, one of the last gnomes left, I wanted to hear all the different policies of the ALP, LNC and Green parties.
It was a lovely day and loads of people had turned up on the Esplanade. Once again the lovely Rebecca carried me on her shoulders and I had a chat with some people. I do hope that the humans stop using so much energy from non-renewables and get their act together in time.
Seniors Week at Scitech
26 May 2010 1 Comment
in Events, Photos, Video Tags: Australia, entertainment, Events, Perth, Photos, puppet, Science, Scitech, seniors, Thurtinkle, video
After my visit to Scitech in Perth, Australia, I was invited back as one of the three special guests at the launch of seniors week this week at Scitech.
I had a grand time drinking the FREE TEA and munching on the FREE BISCUITS and meeting all the other visitors, including 104 year-old Peg
Later I handed my flip video to a passing senior and got him to film me talking to Garry about the amazing Segway. You can watch it below.
Scitech – what a wonderful day out in Perth, Australia
17 May 2010 Comments Off
in Video Tags: Australia, DNA Puppetry, education, Family, Life, Northbridge, Perth, puppet, Science, Scitech, Thurtinkle, video
I took a look around Scitech the other day and it was fab! All the poeple there are very friendly and keen to tell you all about science and technology, which is something I frankly don’t know nearly enough myself having studied magic and spellcasting most of my life. Many thanks to Renae who agreed to hold the camera for me while I waxed lyrical about what an amazing place it was. If you’re in Perth, go visit. They’re having a seniors week soon, so I’ll have to go again and hang out with the older people, see if any of them have heard of my cousin Owen Opaldigger.
