On Thursday, July 18th, 2013 at 7:00PM, my ultra-short puppet animation film, “The Gunman” was screened at Standard ToyKraft as part of “Summer Cinema Presents: Glen or Glenda”. The pre-show line up (curated by Jessica Scott) also included films by Daphne Gardner, Beau Brown and Trey Kirchoff. I animated “The Gunman” in 2007 using found objects, figurines, and toys, with drawings by Katie Shook, and assistance from Laura Heit and Dillon Markey.
From the event invite:
Has there ever been another movie as strange, insane, or sincere as Ed Wood’s 1953 celebration of domestic transvestism? Has a performance ever been so simultaneously astonishing and extraneous as Bela Lugosi’s appearance as an omnipotent puppet master? Has lengthy stock footage of a steel mill ever been used so inexplicably? Both hilarious and heartbreaking, Glen or Glenda is an utterly unforgettable cry for understanding from Hollywood’s preeminent master of endearing schlock. There is simply nothing else like it.
The evening included trivia, popcorn, beer, and other refreshments and proceeds benefitted Standard ToyKraft. Located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 722 Metropolitan Avnue, Standard ToyKraft is an artist run theater and workshop that offers low-cost performance and rehearsal space, residencies, and private studio spaces for the visual arts. The theater is called Standard ToyKraft after a nearby toy manufacturing company from the 1940’s.
With the fast rate of development in North Brooklyn, where artists are forced to live on the margins, the founders of StandardToyKraft felt that the community needed a supportive and nurturing, multi-functional arts space. They transformed a derelict factory floor sweatshop into a community organization. Standard Toykraft offers a safe atmosphere for the development of theatrical productions, puppet slams, variety shows, and other spectacles in an otherwise tough city.