Puppet project takes shape as artist moves in

WA puppetry artist-designer, Sandy McKendrick has arrived in Margaret River on a 5-week residency with The Tipping Point project, based at The Farm studios on Burnside Road.

Sandy’s first two weeks will be spent creating exquisite hand-drawn stop-motion images, to be edited with her original video, photographs and subtle effects as a stunning visual collage for our beautiful poem song, The Memory of Rain – a story of hope arising from deep climate anxiety, originally created by 40 local women led by Margot Edwards, on International Women’s Day in 2023 at Fair Harvest.

To be filmed at The Heart small studio theatre on May 16, with the support of Arts Margaret River, it tells of a dying creature from the wild arriving in a community that has run out of water, and the journey of a young person to heal the Wounded Wild by following call of the ancient spirit of country and finding the source of living water.

Sandy is collaborating with Busselton-based digital media artist-puppeteer, Chloe Flockart, and Tipping Point project producer-director and lead poet, Margot Edwards.

The story has since been crafted by five south west poets, including Margot Edwards, Miranda Aitken, Ana Brawls, and four song-women, including the powerful voices of Moana Mayatrix and Anu Grace, mixed with the gentler vocals of Nina Suriya, and deeply connected harmonies and playful melodies of Della Rae Morrison, resulting in a soaring half hour poem-song.

Respected award-winning theatre artist, Dr Lynette Narkle has been alongside throughout as Noongar cultural custodian, with soundscape recorded and mixed by brilliant Perth-based Indian sound designer Tao Issaro.

The creative collaboration was made possible through donations to an Australian Cultural Fund community fundraiser, following multiple workshops with up to 70 local creatives.

It was recorded with the backing of Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre in February, and includes experienced poets and performers from Balingup and Bunbury region in the vocal soundscape.

The Tipping Point project is aimed at helping unpack climate anxiety, and each of the collaborating artists holds a wealth of experience in engaging regional WA communities in uplifting, collective storytelling.

Initiated entirely in Margaret River community, The Tipping Point project is the inspiration behind the upcoming Carnival Parade on May 31.

For the second part of this major community engagement project, Sandy will use her lifelong experience as puppeteer-in-community to create the large Street Puppet, responding to designs by local students, assisted by local artists and performers.