There\u2019s always something interesting to see in Times Square, but on a particular Tuesday morning, something is happening that\u2019s a little more out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n
Two buffalo were on the run in a pedestrian plaza \u2014 not real buffalo, to be sure, rather life-size buffalo puppets.<\/p>\n
The stunt was a teaser for Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi \u2014 the Lakota phrase roughly means Trail of the Buffalo.<\/p>\n
For the events on Sept. 18th and 19th in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, there will be 40 of the puppets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is clearly the craziest thing we have ever done. This is the largest public art spectacle in America, and everyone is invited to participate,\u201d said Karen Brooks Hopkins, producer from KBH Arts and president emeritus at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.<\/p>\n
KBH teamed up with The Walk Productions and St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse for the project. The production was created by Amir Nizar Zuabi with elders from the Lenape and Lakota communities.<\/p>\n
Marches with the Buffalo will take place Friday in Lower Manhattan and Saturday in Brooklyn, with hundreds of performers and puppeteers involved. The puppets were designed in South Africa and built at St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole idea that we can gather this many people to make something so beautiful, those puppets were made in St. Ann\u2019s \u2014 they were put together, they have been there, in seven months. We did this whole thing, we started in like February, but it\u2019s this whole idea that we can actually come together as a large number of people and create something so positive and collaborative and wonderful,\u201d said Susan Feldman, founder and artistic director at St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Each Buffalo features three puppeteers to bring it to life, with participants coming from all walks of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have 40 buffalo, then you’ve got 150 people in the room at least. So training 150 people at the same time is a challenge, but we\u2019re working with local participants and you know they have been absolutely incredible \u2014 their passion and dedication and commitment to the work,\u201d said Craig Leo, puppetry director, Return of the Buffalo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t look easy. Just ask some of the puppeteers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that I find like really, really challenging, but also like beautiful when you find the right, right movement and right breath movement that you do,\u201d Sot Laura Celli, a puppeteer, said.<\/p>\n
Fellow puppeteer Silva Rawnsley said she is excited to be part of the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways. Yeah, it\u2019s a lot of fun,\u00a0it\u2019s a lot of fun, it\u2019s amazingly ambitious, it\u2019s making something that\u2019s nearly impossible and making it possible, so that\u2019s always going to be exciting,\u201d Rawnsley said.<\/p>\n