Janaki Ranpura
The Egg Alley Cat
The Egg Alley Cat will erupt in a rush of romantic energy onto the streets of Minneapolis. The Egg — an enclosed cargo trike — will drift through the city. It will be the goal of an alley cat: a cycle race with checkpoints. Racers will find sensor-based checkpoints and give a biometric input: a puff of breath, an eyelash. Then they will phone the Egg to get the next instructions. The bikers have neon sperm sculptures mounted on their bikes. When they find the Egg, they will enter it. Outside the Egg will be projections and music. Inside, one at a time, cyclists will help conceive an idea that is sent out, new and fresh, by live chat to different cities in the world.
Artist statement (extract)
Puppets have long held fascination for their ability to mimic life. The parlor tricks and sculpted simulacra of traditional puppetry no longer apply to the kind of social forms developing around us and all over the world. As a puppeteer, I am working to usher in a new role for puppets: as intercessors between the way it was and the way it will be, agents between humans and technology. Puppet shows are not just games for children; they can be futurist scenarios. Puppets can help people re-envision themselves so they feel empowered when faced with a changing, increasingly technological world.
Janaki Ranpura
Janaki Ranpura creates interactive theatrical events. She’s a Lecoq-trained performer and puppeteer interested in exploring the interface between people and technology through puppets. She works to use puppets to add charm and humor to our engagement with the digital world. She builds lighting system, designs soundscapes, and makes gigantic and microscopic puppets from all sorts of materials. She directs and facilitates large community art events. Her work is influenced by her Indian doctor parents, all the places she’s lived (San Francisco, Taiwan, Seattle, London, Paris), and by her academic roots at Yale University.
Most recent work (submitted)
Devoured, 2009
papier-mache head illuminated with button lights, welded frame, fake fur, and EL wire heart
This was an outdoor night puppet pageant. Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming, led a Fire Court into a field in the woods. Anubis was 13’ tall and had a cool neon, beating heart.
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