Artist brings 'Bird, Bird' to life at Papermoon

Closing night of the puppet festival Pesta Boneka with Papermoon and the artists in residence (Photo: Pesta Boneka)

At the end of 2023, my calendar for 2024 was pretty empty. So, I thought now would be a good time to finally have my OE. That’s when I stumbled across Papermoon’s Residency Programme in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

I first heard about Papermoon Puppet Theatre at Capital E’s Creative National Residency in 2022 where we were shown a performance of ‘A Bucket of Beetles’.

Their residency programme ticked all the boxes for me: Self-driven. Tick. Located in South-East Asia (where I whakapapa to). Tick. Language immersion. Tick. Opportunity to expand my toolkit and learn puppetry. TICK! 

So I whipped up a new play idea and picked two random months in 2024, and sent off my application to Papermoon.

A month later, Ria, Papermoon’s artistic director and co-founder, emailed back with a big YES. With little time to spare, I applied to Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Arts Practitioners Fund for a grant to cover my residency fee, accommodation and flights. And you could say, the rest is history!

Going in, my plan was to use the two-months to explore the potential of different types of puppetry for a play I wanted to write called ‘The Girl Whose Twin was a Bird’ (‘Bird Bird’ for short).

Talia at work at Papermoon Puppet Theatre

As a complete newbie to puppeteering and puppet-making the first two weeks of my residency is like being thrown into the deep end. I had no idea where to begin. Thankfully, I was not alone.

As a resident artist, I got to share the studio and workshop space with Papermoon themself.

While the studio itself inspires creativity with its gorgeous architecture, being able to work alongside Papermoon was so enriching for my practice. I was able to observe their rehearsal and puppet-making process, as well as ask questions or feedback whenever I needed.

I also had three other resident artists staying with me from the US, Canada and Australia to bounce ideas off. Lunchtime was the perfect time to have a yarn over a home-cooked meal delivered and cooked by Ria’s own cousin.

It was these conversations I had with Papermoon and my fellow resident artists that helped me find my next step.

What's more, during the first month of my stay Papermoon hosted their biennial international puppet festival: Pesta Boneka #9: Seeds of Hope.

Twin dough puppets Talia created for her end of residency presentation of 'The Girl Whose Twin was a Bird' (Photo: Achmad Mirza Siregar)

As a resident artist, I had the privilege of accessing all that Pesta Boneka had to offer.

This year’s festival was their biggest one yet, featuring 120 artists from 25 countries.

The festival was truly an all you can eat buffet of the vast styles and approaches to puppetry, object manipulation and masks. But for me, what made Pesta Bonka so special, was how Papermoon crafted the artist experience so you can’t help but make new friendships.

Again, it was the yarns with fellow artists during post-show Q&As or over a meal in the communal dining area, that I got the most artistic nourishment.

Everyone I met was so open and willing to share their experiences and exchange ideas. By the end of the festival, my brain was filled to the brim.

The second month of my residency was probably the most challenging, both personally and artistically.

After the conclusion of Pesta Boneka, all the international friends I had made, returned home. I had to grapple with what it meant to be alone in a foreign country that doesn’t speak English.

Talia: "As a complete newbie to puppeteering and puppet-making the first two weeks of my residency is like being thrown into the deep end." (Photo: Achmad Mirza Siregar)

Introverted by nature, I forced myself to reach out to the local artists I had met during Pesta Boneka, and other studio visits.

One-off catch ups soon snowballed into really strong friendships, which kept me sane as I wrestled with ‘Bird Bird’.

Artistically, the biggest challenge I faced post-festival was sorting through all my ideas and finding which ones served the story I wanted to tell.

A fruitful discussion with Ria led to a complete U-turn in the design of the puppets.

Working towards my public presentation, almost felt like doing my end of year project at university. I had to constantly remind myself of the questions for what I wanted to learn, and in the end, this was only a work-in-progress showing.

My residency was such a rich cultural and artistic experience—it opened my eyes to the world of puppetry and how much we in Aotearoa can learn from companies like Papermoon Puppet Theatre.

I think it is so beneficial for artists to have the opportunity to connect with artists from other cultures and share ideas. It was such a privilege to be able to meet and nongkrong (Indonesian slang for hanging out) with so many artists from Indonesia, and overseas during Pesta Boneka.

The discussions I had opened my eyes to what is possible, and the global puppetry ecosystem at large.

Not only that, being away from home - my ‘normal’, my ‘tribe’ - and immersing myself in another culture forced me to reflect on my practice. Why do I do things the way I do?

It really opened me up to new ways of working and thinking. And the best thing—I’ve walked away with so many good friendships from my time there. 

It would be a dream to return to Yogyakarta and develop the relationships I have built. Who knows, maybe I can bring ‘Bird Bird’ to Pesta Boneka #10 in 2026?

 The Foundation's Arts Programme brings Asia into the mainstream of New Zealand arts by inspiring New Zealand arts professionals to grow their connections and knowledge of Asia. It also supports the presentation of Asian arts in partnership with New Zealand arts organisations and events.

Our Arts Practitioners Fund provides support for experiential opportunities for individual New Zealand-based arts practitioners to deepen artistic and professional connections with Asia, including residencies, work placements, research tours and exchanges.