I recently went and saw Nyet Nyet’s picnic by the Snuff Puppets. Directed by Ian Pidd, the show was the collaboration of talented indigenous and non-indigenous artists. The performance was held at Birrarung Marr and featured an ensemble of larger than life puppets, dance, theatre and music. The show imaginatively brought to life a series of Bunyip stories that had been collected from throughout Victoria.
The story of the Nyet Nyets was one the highlights of the evening. They were these fantastic green puppets with enormous sagging breasts that came from the spirit world. They captured people and suckled them, which turned them into spirits. Then there was the story of Yaroma, an enormous pink creature that tried unsuccessfully to eat a young man by sneaking up behind him. At one point Yaroma manged to swallow the man but spluttered him back out again.
Some of the stories were humorous and others I thought would have been scary for young children. There was also a modern bunyip story called No Camping about a bunyip in the guise as a park ranger who frightened unsuspecting campers who ignored the No Camping sign. Overall it was a fun and visually stunning show. An article in The Age ‘Pulling the strings on ‘hairy’ mythology provides an insight in to the research and development of the production.
I have woven a mythological narrative through a story about an Indigenous woman and her past for a short film project. I thought that puppetry may be a way to bring the mythical narrative to life and to distinguish it from the rest of the story. The other alternative I am considering is animation. The Nyet Nyet’s Picnic and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy have inspired me to consider the use of puppets in film.
