A whimsical puppet romp through the colorful history of the Lower East Side, focusing on the multi-ethnic and immigrant communities that have thrived in, and shaped the neighborhood. We highlight the struggles with development, police brutality, and gentrification, and the fight for housing rights and community public spaces. We introduce an array of iconic luminaries, artists, activists, poets and gardeners, who all left their mark on the Lower east Side.
Junktown Duende curates and hosts an evening of short form adult puppetry and mask performance, clowning and performance art. Featuring the best puppeteers, clown, and avant garde performers this side of the Rio Grande, including performances by the great Alexandra Tatarsky, Bryan Fernandez--that noodle! The musical stylings of Papo Cucaracha, and featuring Jawbone Puppet Theater as seen on TV! Also including an exclusive screening of "Jugo de Guanabana" a short, underground clown film about addiction, by up and coming Puerto Rican film maker, Andrea Narvaez.
BIO JUNKTOWN
Junktown Duende specializes in two things— upcycling and community—we source local “trash” materials, and work closely with communities, in a collaborative process, to transform the neighborhood’s garbage into beautiful art, puppets, costumes, shows, and murals which gift the community’s own stories back to them. The collective was founded in 2016 by artists Adam Ende (Seattle, WA), Pablo Varona (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Daniela Fabrizi (Mexico City), and the late great Daniel Polnau (Minneapolis, MN). While we are based in different countries, we come together for these unique collaborative community projects around the world. For 4 straight years, we worked with the Loisaida community (NYC) to create the Loisaida Parade and Pageant, demonstrating our artistic and cultural skills, making a deep connection and developing intrinsic ties with the community of Loisaida. When not working together, Adam, Pablo and Daniela continuously work independently on art, community and cultural projects.
Artists Bio
Daniela Fabrizi is a costume designer and textile artist. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, and half Argentinian, her work is inspired by Latin American textiles traditions. Daniela holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Film Aesthetics and French from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. From 2016 to 2019 she served as the Textile and Costume Director for Loisaida Festival’s Parade and Pageant (NYC). She is the creator of “Feria Calle” & “Tejedorxs de Magias” and co-founder of Garbagia Project, all community art projects based on sustainability and the repurposing of diverse materials. Based in Mexico, she collaborates internationally with different artists and disciplines, such as film, publicity, theater, performance and the music industry; all while working on her independent nomad handmade brand, Le Chat Costumier.
IG: @lechatcostumier
Adam Ende, the founder, and janitor of Jawbone Puppet Theater, makes iconoclastic puppet shows out of his puppet studio on Vashon Island, WA. He teaches mask & puppet making, and likes to make things happen that create more unexpected magic and wonder in people’s lives. Adam has directed parades, pageants, puppet shows and community based theater in Taiwan, Thailand, Puerto Rico, and all over the US. In his years as a lead artist at the Loisaida parade and pageant, he created the beloved collection of Loisaida Cabezudos, honoring the immigrant heroes, artists, poets, activists and gardeners who shaped the neighborhood.
IG: @jawbonepuppettheater
Pablo Varona Borges is a street artist and a juggler that gives life to functional inventions, like Puppets. He enjoys sharing his immeasurable value that the reuse, recycling and/or “forgotten” objects do when it comes to the transformation of urban contexts, or even people's lives. His interests revolve around making these issues relevant and accessible to the general audience. Lead artist of Loisaida Festival Parade, NY 2016-19 and co-creator of Circo de la Plaza Parade, PR 2017-19.
IG: @pablillojose
