18.11.20 - ADDITIONAL RESEARCH - Performance Art

 Snuff Puppets Website  


This giant puppet performance piece addresses the taboos of the human body, in a grotesque, crude and comedic way. It incorporates all aspects of human anatomy and bodily processes that many find too embarrassing to talk about, such as puberty and reproduction. The audience are a large part of this video as the performance is very interactive, encouraging people to be comfortable with their bodies, break the taboo barrier and normalise the topic of the life and death cycle.
Not all performance art is informative but this piece is clearly designed to be educational, as well as entertaining, for both adults and children. I think it is important to learn about these topics as a child to help come to terms with the realities of life, while being open to discussion will reduce feelings of shame and anxieties related to the body. 
Anyone can relate to the puppet as it combines different skin tones and both male and female organs, emphasising that absolutely everyone goes through the same things with their bodies; I think it questions and subverts the way we censor certain natural things like birth and breastfeeding, so if I were to describe what this performance is about with one word, it would be NORMALISATION.

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