Intersubjective Traps over Tricks on the Kazakhstani Puppet Stage: Animation as Dicentization

Abstract

This article introduces puppet animation as a process of dicentization, in which the puppet's resemblance to a living creature is treated as if it resulted from the object being alive. This act requires recognition that the puppet is only an object, accompanied by a momentary forgetting. At a state‐funded theater in Kazakhstan, animation is achieved through a complex participant framework. Any component can jeopardize successful animation, yet this configuration enables a range of possibilities for how animation can unfold. A director's shifting of animation techniques transformed social relations and enabled artists to play with new possibilities of puppetry. Coordinating animation requires—and thus assigns—values to those who participate. Understanding animation as dicentization highlights the endeavor as one that generates signs across the proscenium.

His Master’s Voice, Her Jokes: Voice and Gender Politics in the Performance of Rakugo

“…To shed light on this interaction, I find it useful to discuss the accounts of Ball (2014) and Barker (2019) in addition to Chumley (2013). Shinky o's persistent claim concerning women's inaptitude in rakugo due to the unsuitableness of female voice for this genre leads us to interrogate the gendered perception of the relationship between voice and voicing.…”

“…In the following dialogue, the contestation of masculinity between the protagonists and their repetitive failures tend to reinforce the authorial discourse, meaning the androcentric ideology of the genre. The crucial elements and the underlying structures in the process of dicentization is best revealed in the moments of failure, at the level of both protagonist and actor (Barker 2019). This vignette is from the story Sanada Koz o (Sanada Kid).…”

“…In this vignette, the masculine voice-neutral is created through the dual processes of dicentization of voice and animation of the protagonist in the performer's body (Barker 2019), further accompanied by the assessment of the "zones of authority" for each participant. When referring to Kinb o as a "trouble kid," Shinky o used the expression komacchakureru, meaning someone who causes trouble for the other party.…”

“…This resembles the mechanical process of a puppeteer’s animation of different characters. In Barker’s (2019, 377) terms, a rakugo performer “animates another’s utterance and acts as a characterological figure.” Here again, the imperious presence of the narrator irrupts into the imaginary realm of the protagonists with greater force when speaking through the vocal apparatus of a male. In addition, he must pay utmost attention to demonstrating mastery of the elaborate technique so that his utterance remains intact while making a reliable portrayal of the character that lingers within the designated frame of the character.…”

“…The power dynamics regarding the social positioning of the animator have a direct influence on the evaluation of the characters being animated. To shed light on this interaction, I find it useful to discuss the accounts of Ball (2014) and Barker (2019) in addition to Chumley (2013).…”