Dain Q. Gore’s “Ecstatic Truth” examines the hero’s journey through the whimsical art of puppet theater. The exhibition, featured by Hot Box Gallery on Roosevelt Row, uses the thematic concepts of traditional oral stories in tangent with intricate pieces of modern puppetry.
The show consists of a number of still puppet displays on the walls and features a single performance piece, the six-minute story of a puppet character known as Eggbert.
The puppet displays use the concepts of human culture, such as the magic of film, the mysteries of the divine and, of course, the human experience. “The Doctor” carries some of the most recognizable faces from 20th century film — The Three Stooges — and also acts as an interactive aspect of the puppetry.
Each puppet is a finely woven tapestry of infinite detail, whether implied or explicit. The delicate-yet-raw nature of the puppets’ makeup is somewhat reminiscent of pointillism. “The Flood,” a nod to apocalyptic fables in many cultures, focuses on the terrifying beauty and strength of the natural world. Each stroke is a striking piece, creating dimension, losing no significance to the drama of the overall work.
Religious themes saturate the exhibition and consider the nature of God, good and evil. “A.C.” portrays the hedonistic, peaceable gods of the days “ante-christum.” This contrasts with the portrayal of the deified “J.C.,” a militant omnipotent, crusading into the world on his mystical steed. Religion is excavated from a stale tomb and presented as elegant, pure and accessible as any human truth. Gore endeavors to present the audience with a sketch of ideology, allowing one to find their own truth within the story.
“Comedy Gold” examines the human story, from prehistory to Pink Floyd, combining the traditional with the modern. It follows man’s journey through time as what we have left behind: our artifacts and our language. The sun, earth and moon are shown orbiting the human word of “God.” This is a defining human perspective, capable of orienting generations of human culture.
The six-minute performance, “The Ecstatic Truth, Going Outside is Dangerous,” conveys the artist’s discovery of the human journey based on the spiritual evolution of the human spirit.
We follow Eggbert’s journey out of his shell, as it were. He first meets a foe whose wrongs cost him some of his shell but force him out into the world. There, he meets a wise man who gives him tools to perform magic. This magic is graced by a deity, who gives Eggbert true magic and enlightenment. His encounters with the outside world allow him to evolve and experience new things as he becomes himself. This is the essence of the human experience and can be shared and interpreted in many ways.
Gore’s puppets allow the audience to explore the meaning of religion, morality, comedy and tragedy for themselves. Gore explained his art as “a discovery in process.” He described this experience as new and challenging due to the planning of dimensions and logistics. His awareness of the new medium combined with meticulous execution provides inspiration to soul-search for one’s own Ecstatic Truth.
The solo exhibition will be presented on First Friday, Dec. 5, at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. in Roosevelt Row’s Hot Box Gallery containers on Roosevelt Street between Fourth and Fifth streets.
Contact the author at Samemccrory@gmail.com. Contact the columnist at mbilker@asu.edu.
