Magical Papermoon!

♪ ♫ ♪  Papermoon - Ella Fitzgerald ♪ ♫ ♪ 

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Papermoon is a very mean puppet theater. They keep making me cry. Even when they try to be a bit cheerful (like here), they would at least made my tonsil hurts. :'( Last month, I went to their exhibition in Esplanade's tunnel. Even the fact that I've seen the process of making the videos (which is funny and entertaining), being in Singapore with all that stories come alive in front of my eyes; is quite a sad little thing.

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Their exhibition titled "Circus of Life" consist of puppet instalation, drawing, and videos. Visually, it's perfect and detail; just like they always do. Things are so cute, whimsical, magical, and sometime ironic, but never boring.  

When you dig deeper down inside, you'll find a sad story about Singapore senior citizen who are still working so hard in their suposedly 'golden years'; working as can-collector, exhausted-looking janitor, 70 years-old taxi driver, dishwasher lady, and so on. It becomes much more alive when you experience it there, and see how most of the worker cleaning up your restaurant table, driving you to the airport, and the one packing your grocery are elderly that might remind you a little about your beloved gramps back home who's living a comfortable golden years. 

Just like in their very mean performance, Mwathirika (in which I simply can't stop crying my heart out) and also their latest performance Sirdus Karkus; all seem to leave a trace of 'unfair' feeling. Just like this Circus of Life exhibition. At the end of the tunnel, there goes this uneasy giddiness inside your tummy.. some kind of disturbing unfairness. Yes, maybe watching the elder people work hard in Indonesia (especially in local markets and in the rural area) is quite common.. but seeing them here in such a 'made-perfect-country' seem to make the condition, somehow, worse. 

But, hey.. cheer up! 

In Circus of Life, all these elderly leads a happy magical life. They can juggle with their plates, fight vicious flower monster, do some tricks with the cans, and such amazing circus performance (shown in the videos installed between the puppets). Afterall, Papermoon is not that mean.. they are magical and that's why I love them! 

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 Feel the magic while it last! 

The exhibition will still be on display until September 26, 2011 in Esplanade Tunnel. 

Make sure you won't miss it! 

(Read Jakarta Globe's review here)

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(Remember this lady? I once featured her in Picnic Pal. She's mbak Ria, a good friend of mine who's responsible for all the tears and magic from Papermoon Puppet Theater.)

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Follow their blog for latest info. 

They are about to go for road-trip show around US next year. Don't miss it!

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Photographed by Dito Yuwono

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P.S.: mbak Anna of Much Love, Anna just featured me in her lovely blog. Check it out here.(I'll be posting about that picnic story anytime soon)