Paperhand: Puppet Interventions with Cardboard, Cloth, and Clay

Paperhand: Puppet Interventions with Cardboard, Cloth, and Clay

Donovan Zimmerman, Jan Burger
$35.00
Publication Date: October 1st, 2021
Publisher:
Paperhand Press
ISBN:
9780578888354
Pages:
240

Description

This visually-stunning book is a lookback on Paperhand Puppet Intervention’s two decades of giant puppet pageantry, community-building and genre-defying art. Co-creative founders/directors Donovan Zimmerman and Jan Berger share memories of the genesis of Paperhand and its 23 completely original and enchanting puppet pageants, plus interventions, parades and glimpses behind-the-scenes, revealing how they deftly weave together the strands of art and environmental activism into “artivism” that inspires audiences to revere and protect the natural world.

It’s a deep dive into the myth, the ethos and beauty behind their craft and is a giant love letter to the Paperhand community of ingenious dreamers, makers, musicians and puppeteers.

About the Author

Jan Burger is a puppeteer, visual artist and activist. He walks on stilts, cuts images from paper, and draws comics. He is a co-creator of Paperhand Puppet Intervention. He uses puppets and banners to bring the collective power of large-scale art to marches and direct actions. Jan works to resist the destructive aspects of humanity and to reunite ourselves with the Earth. He lives in the old mill town of Bynum, North Carolina, along the Hall River.

Donovan Zimmerman is an artist, puppeteer, and activist working to shape positive change in the world. He is committed to transformative justice for all people, the Earth and its creatures through the puppetry arts, spectacle pageantry, and storytelling. He works to help heal the damage already done while imagining a livable future. He is the co-creator of Paperhand Puppet Intervention in North Carolina where he lives and farms along the Haw River with his family in Saxapahaw. He is deeply grateful for it all.

Praise for Paperhand: Puppet Interventions with Cardboard, Cloth, and Clay

"Donovan and Jan craft spectacles that tap into the mythic realms of the human psyche and enthrall their audiences with wonders all around that make life on Earth a sacred gift." - George Holt, Director of Performing Arts and Film Programs (1996-2019), North Carolina Museum of Art

"Paperhand gives the community an outlet for feeling and connecting, translating what's going on in the world into practical puppets on stage. It educates the children and adults about how to emote around serious topics." - Cameron Prevatte, Puppeteer