Passion, Process and Performance - What is a puppet and why do we need them?

Barry Purves will lead a two day discussion and celebration of puppets in all their many and extraordinarily varied forms, from the most basic rod puppets to stopmotion animation figures. He will look at not just the different techniques, but also at why puppets, and the relationship between puppets and puppeteers, are such a fundamental element of all cultures throughout history. With the group he will try to answer 'what are puppets' and 'why do we need them?'.

In the evening Barry will screen a selection of his own and some of his favourite films in full. This evening event is open to all, and will be free to participants in the masterclass.

Barry is an Oscar and BAFTA nominated director usually, but not exclusively, working with animation. He has animated on and directed many series for television such as The Wind in the Willows, Rupert Bear, and most recently, Bob the Builder. He has worked in significant roles on such feature films as Mars Attacks and King Kong, and directed over 60 commercials and titles sequences, including a current campaign for Marketing Manchester. 

Barry's first book, ‘Stop Motion - passion process performance' was released last year, by Focal Press, and is doing very well. Using animation as a catalyst, it looks at the creative process of many media. A second book, Animation Basics - Stop motion will be released in early 2010 by AVA Publishing, and will be aimed at students and first time animators.

Dates & Times:
There are no current dates scheduled for this production, please see the events programme for details of current productions.