MCLA Beacon Online

By Adrian Trabakino

A&E writer

Puppets will bring Michael Disfarmer’s iconic photography to life at MASS MoCA this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Dan Hurlin, who is well-known for his elegant translations of stories, both famous and forgotten, into puppetry, will present the show, which is produced by MAPP International Productions.

Hurlin uses stunning images and the evidence from Disfarmer’s photographs to create a mind-blowing performance that brings to life the strangely imaginative inner life of this bizarre photographer and the ancient world he occupied.

“The tender devotion of master puppeteers to their puppets is a deeply human endeavor. At its most sublime, this relationship acquires a spiritual dimension, and such was the case here,” said Claudia La Rocco of the New York Times.

The show attempts to recreate the emotions of Disfarmer’s inner and outer worlds, intensifying the paradoxes in the life of this notorious recluse and vignette artist, through rod puppets and photos from Disfarmer’s collection, as well as original music by Dan Moses Schreier and text by Sally Oswald.Disfarmer operated a photography studio for years in Herber Springs, Ark., where he earned a meager living off the country farmers and ordinary people who came to have their picture taken, using stark realism to characterize his subjects.

The result of these portraits is a collection of images of ordinary rural people that captures the essence of a time, a place, and the people who occupied it. Though, these charming, refined pictures weren’t discovered until after his death in 1973.

The Washington Post ranked “Disfarmer” first in its list for “Best of 2009: Dance,” saying, “In Hurlin’s hands, this nearly forgotten photographer, became an unforgettable American Hero.”Hurlin’s previous work, “Hiroshima Maiden,” was awarded a Citation of Excellence from the Union Internationale de la Marionette while his other pieces have earned him recognition from the American Theatre Wing, Bessie Awards Committee, Village Voice OBIE Award Committee, and a United States Arts Fellowship. Hurlin’s mastery of dance, design, puppetry, music and narrative all come together in this piece.

Tickets for Disfarmer are $19 in advance, $24 the day of the show, and $10 for students. Tickets are general admission but priority seating is also available for $29. MASS MoCA members receive a 10 percent discount. Tickets are available through the MoCA box office from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 413-662-2111 during box office hours.