It is year of the chicken, meaning rooster, which sounds better somehow, and in the process of preparing and having not one but two solo shows (Tokyo AND Budapest) there was no time really at all to do that + live + blog, although the former two things I did mots intensively.

So I am catching up now, first of all by wishing everyone who may read my BLOG a Happy New and hopefully thoughtful Chicken/Rooster Year 2017 and please keep in mind: sometimes there is absolutely no shame in being a chicken, even if at all other given times you are a proud and fearless rooster!

Here a photo from the puppets above the New Year’s party I was so happy to attend at puppet master Iimuro Koiichi’s house Atelier Minomushi, http://at.mino3064.com/ :

Josiane Keller “Atelier Minomushi marionettes” (2016/17)

that is what hangs under the ceiling and here you see what’s below, which are basically many, many local puppeteers (who most of them brought also a puppet along), bottom row right side the maestro’s assistant 阪東 亜矢子 Ayako Bando from Studio Jijo:

Josiane Keller “Atelier Minomushi New Year’s party 2017” (2016/17)

and this is Mr. Yoshitake Araki, giving a special 紙芝居 kamishibai (picture-story) performance in the subway, but otherwise you can see him perform at the International Kyoto Manga Museum:

Josiane Keller “Yoshitake Araki – kamishibai in the subway” (2016/17)

(* It is a wild adaption of the traditional fairy tale of かぐや姫の物語 Kaguyahime or the “bamboo cutter and the moon princess”, somehow involving a neon lamp bulb born from bamboo…)