Nathan Selikoff
In 2004, I created a graphics program that simulated a population of stickmen and stickwomen through various iconic stages of life: birth, play, love, work, rest, travel, and death. From its humble beginning as a school project, the Society of Stickpeople has gone through many incarnations. Recently, I have taken the virtual "everyman" characters from my previous work in this series into the real world. Occupying the space between whimsy and foreboding, these abstract human forms, made from raw recycled cardboard, do not embody a particular gender, age, or other demographic. Thus, the viewers are left to create their own story for the stickpeople as they view and interact with the work.
The mini marionette - a fully functional, interactive puppet - is one result of my recent work in the Society of Stickpeople series. The marionette's head is an icosahedron, and the rest of its body is made up of cylinders jointed in various ways. My love of mathematics and engineering, as well as my aesthetics and craftsmanship, were engaged as I determined the best ways to put everything together and bring the mini marionette to life.