CAOS is dedicated to creative expression through the arts of mask, puppetry, and object animation, inspiring people of all backgrounds to discover and articulate their stories.
By amplifying voices through acts of radical creativity, CAOS exists to connect people and communities to each other and our world.
CAOS evolves and advances the art of mask, puppetry, and animated objects by teaching and providing educational activities, presenting live performances, and creating multi-disciplinary art works and films. We present in schools, senior homes, at festivals, and events around Calgary and area.
History
Founded in 2003 by multi-disciplinary artist Xstine Cook, CAOS is dedicated to the arts of mask, puppetry and animated objects, as well as building community through radical acts of creativity.
CAOS's major projects include animated films, Lilly in the Lab Augmented Reality app, Disinformation Warriors, the annual International Festival of Animated Objects, and "Spirit of White Buffalo" - a large-scale animated puppet and arts residency.
Origins and Goals
CAOS provides artistic opportunities through its activities, and initiates youth and community activities. these include: Young Spirit Voices, an aboriginal youth drama project, the Ramsay "Halloween Scream" and "The Great Ramsay Kinetic Sculpture Race".[1]
CAOS and the festival propel a very active local mask and puppetry tradition into an international arena, all the while bringing international attention to the city of Calgary. Extensive coverage for the organization can be found in FFWD magazine-Calgary's weekly arts & culture publication: "Calgary is a hotbed of original, unorthodox puppet work" (quote from an article written to cover CAOS's festival).[3][4]
Spirit of White Buffalo
CAOS also produces original art works, such as Spirit of White Buffalo. Guided by Cook, this giant kinetic sculpture[5] was built by incarcerated men in Drumheller Institution, in collaboration with local artists, Jeff De Boer, and youth. "Spirit of White Buffalo" appeared at the 2007 Calgary Stampede Parade, and was awarded first place in "Best Western Theme".[6][7]
Media coverage and recognition
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The organization has received coverage from news outlets including but not limited to the CBC, Calgary Herald, CTV and The Guantlet, and numerous community-level publications.[8][9][10]
Calgary Animated Objects Society has received national coverage for its activities consistently since 2005. The Globe and Mail credited CAOS with "putting Calgary in the pop-culture vanguard" in recognition of the International Festival of Animated Objects' programming, and the same article also drew attention to how "Calgary...has become one of the most fertile spots in North America for ground-breaking puppetry".[11]
CAOS's Artistic Director was awarded the "Innovative Business Practices Award" from the Rozsa Foundation for Arts Management in 2007, The City of Calgary Arts Award in 2022, and Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a puppet production. The script for a puppet production is called a puppet play. Puppeteers use movements from hands and arms to control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer sometimes speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, while at other times they perform to a recorded soundtrack.
Julie Taymor is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for her direction and costume design. Her 2002 film Frida, about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Original Song nomination for Taymor's composition "Burn It Blue". She also directed the 2007 jukebox musical film Across the Universe, based on the music of the Beatles.
The Kainai Nation is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,965 members in 2024, up from 11,791 in December 2013.
Paul Finley Zaloom is an American actor and puppeteer, best known for his role as the character Beakman on the television show Beakman's World.
The History of Canadian animation involves a considerable element of the realities of a country neighbouring the United States and both competitiveness and co-operation across the border.
Peter Schumann is the co-founder and director of the Bread & Puppet Theater. Born in Silesia, he was a sculptor and dancer in Germany before moving to the United States in 1961. In 1963 he founded Bread & Puppet in New York City, and in 1970 moved to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, eventually settling in Glover, Vermont, where the company still performs. Schumann's best known work is the Domestic Resurrection Circus, performed annually by the Bread and Puppet Theater until 1998. He was married to theater co-founder Elka Schumann until her death in August 2021.
Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment which uses flat articulated cut-out figures which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim. The cut-out shapes of the puppets sometimes include translucent color or other types of detailing. Various effects can be achieved by moving both the puppets and the light source. A talented puppeteer can make the figures appear to walk, dance, fight, nod and laugh.
The Tsuutʼina Nation, also spelled Tsuu Tʼina or Tsu Tʼina, is a First Nation band government in Alberta, Canada. The Tsuu T'ina Nation 145 reserve is located directly west of Calgary, with its eastern edge directly adjacent to the southwest city limits. Their traditional territory spans a much larger area in southern Alberta. The land area of the current reserve is 283.14 km2, and it had a population of 1,982 in the 2001 Canadian census. The northeast portion of the reserve was used as part of CFB Calgary, a Canadian Army base, from 1910 to 1998. In 2006, the land was returned to the Nation by the Government of Canada.
The International Festival of Animated Objects is an annual festival which promotes the arts of puppetry, mask, and animated objects in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The FAO was produced by Xstine Cook as a project of the non-profit group Calgary Animated Objects Society from 2002-2016. It was formed as its own non-profit society, the International Festival of Animated Objects Society in 2015 by Xstine Cook, Bob Davis, and Peter Balkwill. It was originally produced biennially by Xstine Cook from 2002-2016, then by Gwen Murray in 2017 and 2019, and Amelia Newbert in 2021. Newbert transitioned the FAO to an annual event during the pandemic era in 2022. Cosmo Christoffersen took the helm in 2023, and is the current Managing Producer.
Shanghai Animation Film Studio, also known as SAFS, is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April 1957, led by pioneering animators and artists, including Te Wei, and the Wan Brothers. It has produced around 500 films with over 40,000 minutes of original animation data source, covering 80% of China's domestic animation production.
Karnataka has a variety of traditional arts, including folk dance and puppetry.
Alex Kahn is an American visual/performance artist and co-founder of the arts ensemble Processional Arts Workshop. He is most widely known for his creation of the large-scale puppet performance works that lead New York's Village Halloween Parade each year.
Janie Geiser is an American artist and experimental filmmaker. Her notable works include The Fourth Watch, Terrace 49, The Red Book, The Secret Story, Colors, Immer Zu, Lost Motion, and Clouded Sulphur.
Anurupa Roy is an Indian puppeteer, puppet designer and director of puppet theater. Roy views puppetry as not "manipulating dolls with strings" but an amalgam of plastic and performing arts where sculptures, masks, figures, materials, found objects and narratives come together with music, movement, physicality and theater to create the theater where humans and puppets are co actors. She started at her group Katkatha in 1998 which was registered as the Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust 2006. She has directed over 15 shows for children and adults ranging from the Ramayana and Mahabharata to Shakespearean comedy to the Humayun-nama. The puppets used by the group range from three inches to forty feet in size. The shows have toured across Europe, Japan and South Asia. A major aspect of her work is using puppets for psychosocial interventions in conflict areas like Kashmir, Sri Lanka and Manipur to Juvenile Remand homes. She has worked with youth and women across the country using puppets to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and gender issues. She is a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar ine Puppetry (2006). She has been a visiting faculty at the University of California Los Angeles an Artists in Residence at Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council.
Fish Heads Fugue and Other Tales for Twilight is a 2005 mixed-media animated short film directed by Lauren Indovina and Lindsey Mayer-Beug while they were attending Rhode Island School of Design. The story depicts a mechanical puppet theater, in which a series of dark and esoteric scenes are displayed. Traditional animation, cut-out animation, computer animation, and puppetry are all used. Critical reception has been favorable, and the film has received accolades from several noted commentators who have singled it out for its juxtaposition of music and evocative visual design.
Heather Beth Henson is an American contemporary puppet artist, the daughter of Jim Henson. She serves on The Jim Henson Company, The Jim Henson Legacy, and the Jim Henson Foundation Boards of Directors. She is also a Trustee of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut.
Adrian Stimson is an artist and a member of the Siksika Nation.
Animal Cracker Conspiracy Puppet Company, or Animal Cracker Conspiracy (ACC), is a contemporary hybrid puppet company co-founded by Iain Gunn and Bridget Rountree that is invested in pushing the boundaries of kinetic performance, creating performances that "decenter expectations, open new avenues of thought, and invoke the uncanny." Their ongoing practice is based on a shared interest and exploration of where fine art, puppetry, performance art, circus, dance, film, and mixed media intersect. They perform nationally and internationally out of a multiplicity of venues such as La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, where the company resides. ACC specializes in inclusive multimedia performances that encourage difficult discussions and foster community through local theater, Street Parades, and national tours.
Maggie Black Kettle was a Canadian community leader in the Siksika Nation. She taught traditional crafts, dance, and the Blackfoot language in Calgary. She was a storyteller, and appeared in film and television programs in her later years.
Tank Standing Buffalo is a Canadian artist from Calgary, Alberta. He is most noted for his 2023 animated short film MONSTR, which was included in HBO Max's animation anthology Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.
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