Concept
The Post-ubermarionette:

Reaching alienation through technology and de-fragmentation of the body.

these clips showing snippets of new work I’ve recently regained in collaboration with Stuart Mackenzie.

I’ve started developing this technique in the early 1990, while studying in the visual theatre school in Jerusalem (1992-1994) and then as the artist of residency at the Habama theatre Jerusalem (1994-1999).

with my works “The End”(1994-5), “mouth”(1995), Cut Cut (1996), “The Talk Show” and the” Talent Show” collaboration with Tamy Ben- Tor (1996-7), “End for ever”- collaboration with Avi Pitchon,1999 ...

Über das Marionettentheater by Heinrich von Kleist 1810, Published in the early 1900.
And later,
The Actor and the Übermarionette" of 1908, Edward Gordon Craig.

Describes the convincing performance of the puppet (with no ego) and the freedom of the puppeteer to express and “loose them selves” through the action of the puppet.
Therefore reaching total honesty of expression.
(Craig then tries to translate this into a theatrical technique using a mask)

Both kleist and craig take the idea of the puppet/puppeteer relationship to the notion of the actor being able (or not able) to create that same magical effect as the puppet, with their bodies.

Later on, Brecht and Stanislavsky, (using different methods), in their teaching talked about the alienation of the actor from his/her own self (brecht) or expression through action that is coming from a separate place as a theatrical technique,

Brecht alienation technique, and stanislavsky’s – focus on physical actions inspiring truthful emotion reaching the subconscious through the conscious…

Post-ubermarionette,

through combining the three notions of the ubermarionette, alienation and physical actions as a way to reach the expression of true emotions,
I’ve developed a technique which allows the performer and the viewer to step back from the real person, and through technological manipulation create the “character”, by the performer/s physically  “seeing themselves from the outside” (as in alienation) and being able to direct the character formed.

By visual manipulation done with live cameras, There is a visual gap created between the person standing in front of the camera and the character formed, which allows the performer to experience alienation.

Anat Ben-David 2008