The Open Road Carnival
The carnival that's making a difference...
New Carnival's Giant Green Man Puppet
Over the summer you may have seen a new character on the island’s streets during one of the many summer carnivals – The Green Man!
New Carnival’s brand new Giant Green Man Puppet had his first outing at Ventnor Main Carnival, and also took part in Ryde Children’s Carnival Parade and Ryde Main Carnival.
The structure, mechanism and head for the puppet were all created at a Masterclass in May where New Carnival invited Andrew and Kathy Kim from Thingumajig Theatre to share their knowledge and expertise in using new materials and techniques. New Carnival’s core creative team along with their amazing Creative Volunteers relished the opportunity to learn from Andrew and Kathy who were incredibly generous with their teaching.
The New Carnival team of artists and Creative Volunteers worked for the next few months to paint and decorate the head and hands, and to create his costume, and costumes for the puppeteers who would be articulating the giant’s hands. The Green Man was ready to be presented at New Carnival’s flagship event, the IW Mardi Gras on Saturday 6th July but unfortunately the strong winds meant it was not safe to take him out on the streets of Ryde. Instead he had his premier at Ventnor Main Carnival on the 14th August.
The inspiration for the puppet was to be an embodiment of the Isle of Wight Biosphere Reserve and our relationship with the natural environment, a character that can stand up for the trees, plants and creatures that live on the island, and remind us humans that we all need to live here together in harmony.
It was fantastic to see the reaction of the crowds to the Green Man, especially as he can turn his head to look at people and has a great deal of personality.
The Green Man will return – keep your eyes peeled!
If you would like to hire the Green Man for a walk about at your event, please get in touch.
Photo: Paul Bird Photography