Speaking Out: Alexis La Rivierre and John Meiji at Wayfarers BK

Inaugurating La Rivierre's opening reception: John Meija's The Puerto Rican War, a  wondrous puppet show of US history.
Link to Wayfarers here: Gallery Link 

On unima-usa.org, Manuel A. Morán Martínez, Ph.D writes, "Puppet Theatre in Puerto Rico has evolved in a slow, yet continuous way. There are a few peculiarities in the development of the puppet theatre in the island. Most notable among them is the notion that puppet theatre is, perhaps mistakenly, only for educational purposes. Just recently there has emerged a movement employing puppets for adult audiences. There is the stigma, even among artists, that both puppet theatre and children’s theater are less important genres. This is reflected by the lack of both government and private support and funding. In terms of the puppets, the “muppet” style made out of foam rubber prevails, followed by the glove puppet.  There has been almost no string puppetry. Neither has there been playwriting nor specialized criticism."

This show was nothing less that captivating and the home-made puppets, sets, and costumes make it a compelling form of research of historical events. Follow along, below.

After the show, Alexis La Rivierre spoke eloquently about her work, on view until Sunday, February 23, described  as "five hand-sewn/embellished masks, six self-portraits, and fifty accompanying quick response (QR) codes that feature public performances, written text, and supplemental imagery. When viewed in tandem, they create fractured narratives making reference to historically stereotypical representations of Black women in media and film, dominance politics and the sociopolitical consequences of existing as a marginalized individual in public space." 

The shift between QR code, image, and costume reflects the multi-layered nature of identity, how it feels internally and is observed by others. 

An exciting debut for La Rivierre, who traveled with her family to New York for the  opening.