Drowned, Drained, Swamped & Bogged Down:
Initiating A Creative Exploration Of Mythterious Scottish Marshes & Wetlands
CREATIVE: SCOTTISH MASK & PUPPET CENTRE
Based in the West End of Glasgow, the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre is the only dedicated, “hands-on”, creative Mask and Puppet Centre of its kind in the UK. It comprises a small theatre, museum and education unit. The Centre houses an extensive mask & puppet library & archive, permanent exhibition areas, cafe, film & FX unit, mask studio, marionette carving workshop, various production and design workshops, stores and an office complex.
I spent a fascinating day with the founder of the Centre, Dr Malcolm Knight, and learned that mask and puppet theatre is a meeting point for all art forms. We covered both the history of mask and puppet making, and the history of the Centre which is a fascinating story in itself.
Malcolm showed me different approaches to masks and puppet-making, both traditional and modern, including tools and materials used.
Malcolm has been collecting masks and puppets from around the world since 1977. He has amassed a unique range of objects, books, works on paper plus tools and equipment.
It was inspiring to hear about Malcolm’s career and how he had acquired knowledge and expertise, which helped me to reflect on potential avenues for my own work.
Early training in amateur drama and operetta led to an undergraduate degree in Drama and English Literature at the University of Hull in 1973. Between 1973 and 1975 he did postgraduate M.Litt research into the mask in modern drama at the University of Glasgow while simultaneously directing The Fellow Travellers Theatre Group. During this time he began his exploration of Commedia dell’Arte and throughout the seventies travelled backwards and forwards to Italy.
He has lectured in drama and was awarded the first UK bursary to train as a professional puppeteer with Playboard Puppet Theatre by the Arts Council of England and also commissioned by John McGrath of 7:84 Theatre Company to make the masks for Trembling Giant at the Royal Court Theatre.
In Italy, he met with Dario Fo and Donato Sartori and later going on to train with actor Carlo Boso and mask maker Stefano Perroco. In the eighties, he studied Balinese Topeng with I Nyomen Wenten and in the nineties, he became a student of Japanese Noh Theatre mask-making under Hisao “Nohzin” Suzuki from Kobe.
He founded The Garret Mask & Puppet Centre Trust in Glasgow in 1981 which became a registered charity in 1985 and started to trade as Scottish Mask & Puppet Centre in 1989 after moving into new premises at Balcarres Avenue. Since that time he has travelled around the world giving lectures, workshops, demonstrations and directing shows in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Russia. In 2005 he completed his PhD in Mask Praxis: Theories and Practices of The Mask in Modern Drama at the University of Glasgow.
Over the course of this inspiring day I saw hundreds of examples and numerous different approaches. The collection includes Topeng masks, Noh masks, Commedia masks, African masks, Nepalese masks, Mexican masks with attendant archive files on each tradition. The puppet collections include the David Jarmin Marionettes, the Vincent Shackleton Punch & Judy Show, the Harry Vernon Punch & Judy Figures, the Thomas Milne Javanese Collection and the Dr. Ian Morrison Collection.
A further workshop demonstrated the extension into visual effects, film and costume.
Malcolm had identified numerous brilliant further reading books and avenues for research, and had kindly prepared a pack of resources to take away.
I heard about plans for the Centre and its international collaborations. The Centre is involved in promotion, shows, workshops, exhibitions, consultancy, information, publications, education and training. It receives artists and interest from around the world.
It is an absolute treasure trove and a completely unique place. I felt feeling incredibly lucky to have had one-on-one time with somebody as knowledgeable as Malcolm. I left on a high of inspiration - mind absolutely buzzing.
