After experiencing the Occupy Wall Street protests and learning about protesters’ efforts to support the 99%, we have concluded that art can have a big part in politics. Aside from the artistic sense that many of the protesters have with creating signs and memorable images, the protesters are also seeking support for art related matters such as in education. Overall, though, it is significant that the protesters were and are using art to get their ideas across. Peter Schumann is doing the same thing in his Bread and Puppet productions. His productions express “political outrage and satire”; in other words, he sends a blunt message to his viewers through his art.
Mr. Schumann uses papier-mâché heads, masks and costumes in his productions, and a narration for them is provided through a megaphone. The music of the production is also much more dominant than the dialogue. While the plot isn’t always completely straight forward, the images created by the papier-mâché art is undoubtedly memorable.
Bread and Puppet Theater is presenting "Attica," a 1971 piece, at the Theater for the New City.
“Man of Flesh & Cardboard,” is one of his recent productions which is meant to protest the foul treatment of an Army private, Bradley Manning, who is now in prison for leaking government files such as a video of an American helicopter attack in Baghdad. The usage of the papier-mâché heads are quite entertaining in fact: an old, compliant woman is used to portray complicit news organizations, figures in black pirouettes are the prisoners, and skeletons participate in a dance of death. All in all, his point is to expose the irony of Private Manning’s imprisonment “for having committed the crime of exposing war crimes.” Private Manning will soon be having his first public hearing.
It is quite amazing that art can have such an amazing impact. Read more about it here.
