Facilitated a "Kreate Your Own Kooker" mask-making workshops with 75 local students (four workshops) during my residency at the Watermill Center. Prior to the workshops, students were asked to collect and bring in a small bag of "recycled materials." Some students collected shells from the beach, others brought in old jewelry or clothes. Given the time-restraint (45 minutes), students were provided with a prefabricated mask as the base of their Kooker. With free reign to play with their bag of materials, as well as materials provided, students dove deep into mask-making! As they created, they were encouraged to think about the character that their mask represented. What is their name? What do they sound like? What kinds of foods do they like to eat?
The workshops cumulated in a collective "parade" around the woods that surround the Watermill Center. Students did some warm-up exercises, before parading around the woods emulating the Kooker's stance, noises, and personality. My own Kookers were brought out to help activate play and monster-esque interactions. The workshop was an exploration of play, identity, materials, and performance.
Thank you to Andrea Cote for co-organizing, Lewis Shore for workshop help, and the wonderful teachers and students from Sag Harbor!
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