Publish at November 28 2023Updated November 28 2023
The true face of puppets
Art that wasn't meant for children
The term "puppet" seems to be associated with childhood. So many shows aimed at the very young use these dolls manipulated by hidden humans. Yet there's nothing childlike about puppetry in the first place. In fact, the art was only performed for adults, just as fairy tales weren't originally written with children in mind.
In the 16th century, performances featured the great classics of tragedy, and in the 17th century, the figure of the guignol appeared and served to mock elites and authority.
Since then, although puppet shows have been created for young audiences, they can also be used to tackle darker themes. New Zealand director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) used Sesame Street-style doll characters in his film "Meet the Feebles", dealing with notions of suicide, violence, drugs and so on. This important contrast is used by puppeteers to touch on serious themes in a roundabout way. The puppet approach removes some of the sense of rejection a viewer might feel if this were performed by an actor.
The sharing economy has led to small changes in various economic sectors such as transportation, housing, etc. This approach has changed the relationship of citizens for different services, now cheaper and offered by their fellow citizens. However, who actually benefits from this new economy? The people or the companies in question? A U.S. newsgame shows how the life of Uber drivers isn't as lucrative as one might think.
How do you talk to children about genetics and heredity? A British museum has come up with the method: design a game in which you create a line of adorable creatures with precise objectives. The game is fun, colorful and easy to learn. Even adults will succumb to the charms of the bugs and their large families.
There's nothing simple about being a farmer. You have to plan your activities throughout the year, make sure you have the right machinery, maintain it and so on. All with a view to ecology. A serious French game seeks to teach agroecology.
Many serious games address the topic of sustainable development. Yet before such solutions were proposed, innovative people had to go against the social grain and fight to improve their environment. A humorous adventure game, hosted by the National Film Board, teaches children the attitudes they need to adopt to make a difference.
A veritable showcase for public health, Koam was developed by Nutrikeo, a consulting firm specializing in nutritional strategies. Supported by BPI France, the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and Europe, Koam is the result of two years' work by a team of leading specialists in nutrition, childhood, pedagogy, sociology, digital and behavioral theory.