Where do the ideas for puppets and plush designs come from? How do designers and puppeteers transform paper, wood, rubber, fabric and other assorted materials into the characters we connect with and love? Stuff takes the gallery visitor on a fascinating journey through the complex and often unexpected art of the puppeteer, plush designer and animator. From the random thoughts which sow the seeds of an idea, to the challenges of ‘soft engineering’ and character design, this exhibition will engage visitors with the fascinating process behind this multilayered art.
Gallery visitors, young and old, will delight in the exceptional work of celebrated puppeteers, designers and animators, Jamie Shannon and Jonathan Royce.
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Jamie Shannon is a Canadian actor, director, writer, producer, puppeteer and voice artist, best known for his work in the Gemini Award-winning Canadian childrens’ television series, Nanalan’. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Jamie’s production credits include advertisements for Consumer Protection Ontario, BC’s Return-It campaign and OSAP, along with such television shows as, Mr. Meaty, Big and Small and The Grogs. Jamie’s work in television, film and advertising has been broadcast in over 60 countries. He has created work for CBC, Disney, PBS, Nickelodeon, YTV, Spike Jones and the BBC amongst others. In addition to all of this, Jamie is proud to call Dundas his hometown!
Jonathan Royce is a veteran of the animation industry, and has plied his craft in France, the U.S., and Canada since 1985. He is also a freelance illustrator and designer based in Hamilton, Ontario. His more recent foray into making plush figures and soft sculpture began as a hobby around 2010, during a hiatus from animation; ironically, it led him back into the business in 2016, when Sesame Workshop green-lit a web series, “Lily and Torto’s Opposite Show”, which Royce created jointly with Pat Giles of Danger Pigeon Studios in New York. The series’ titular characters are felt figures, which are animated digitally in a sort of faux-stop-motion style.
Callum Donovan Grujicich has recently emerged as a remarkable, young Canadian talent. At the age of thirteen he has gained an international following with his unique and striking sculptures. Using a combination of found objects and mixed media, Callum fashions small-scale sculptures which are both whimsical and imaginative. His award-winning work has previously been exhibited by Scarborough Arts, The Oshawa Art Association, the Whitby Station Gallery and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Ontario. In 2017, his sculptures were featured in the winter and spring editions of Art Doll Quarterly.
