ABSTRACT
In his 1937 poem, “Limbé” Léon Gontran Damas called for the return of “my black dolls” as an antidote to the “big bottomed puppets” that stereotypically represented Blacks in mass culture. Yet, the seductive photo-realism of Hollywood films continues to “pull our strings” and influence not only how people of color are perceived, but also, how they see themselves. This chapter explores short pieces that have been in screened in festivals, gallery shows, or theatrical release.
The selection of works by Paulette Richards, Pierre Bennu, and Raymond Carr are all auteur pieces, written, produced, directed, and performed by the artist. Thus, despite the variety of mimetic modes they present, the common element is that working with puppets gives the artists total control over their artistic vision and in this way, they fulfill Damas’ longing to “become myself once more/myself again/out of what I used to be . . .”
