I covered
@paperhandpuppet Intervention a couple years ago, and they’ve stuck with me as one of the strangest, coolest, most unmistakably North Carolina arts/performance groups I’ve come across.
Paperhand was founded by
@donovan.zimmerman123 and
@janmartijnburger , who build these huge, strange, beautiful creatures out of recycled materials: cardboard, cloth, scraps, trash, whatever can be turned into something alive. Then they bring them into parades, pageants, protests, summer shows and public spaces where a 12-foot puppet somehow makes people stop, look up and pay attention.
What I love about them is that the spectacle has a little spine to it. Yes, it’s playful. Yes, it’s weird. Yes, there are giant animals and monsters and goddesses walking through a crowd. But underneath all of that is a real point of view.
Their work is rooted in climate, racial justice, care for the Earth and care for each other. Jan and Donovan talked about puppetry not just as performance, but as a way to build connection between people, communities and the world around us.
It’s not just “look at this giant puppet.” It’s more like, “look at what we can make together with recyclables, time, imagination and a little refusal to accept things as they are.”
Which honestly makes
@shakorihillsgrassroots feel like a pretty perfect place for them.
They’ll be at Shakori this week for the Happiness Parade and a theatrical performance during the festival.
Do not skip them if you’re going.
#puppet #northcarolina #shakorihills #musicfestival #visitnc
