Hazel Dickens crankies
In 2020 I was commissioned by Willow Garden Films to make two crankies for a documantary about Baltimore musician, folk legend, and activist Hazel Dickens. Many citizens moved to Baltimore to work in factories, to escape the poverty and coal mines of West Virgina. Hazel and her siblings were some of these hard working poor. Hazel went on to become a bastion of the folk music community in Baltimore and then in DC. She also wrote songs of protest bringing awareness to the dangers of the coal mining industry and sexism. I can't share video yet, since the film has not yet been released.
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Lost Patterns crankie
This crankie is based on Hazel Dicken's song Lost patterns. The song speaks of the struggles of working class life, through descriptions of the house where an unhappy person lives alone. The fading of the patterned linoleum floor seems to be a metaphor particularly inspired by mid-century Baltimore. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. This crankie combines papercuts and shadow puppetry. -
Lost patterns crankie
This crankie is based on Hazel Dicken's song Lost patterns. The song speaks of the struggles of working class life, through descriptions of the house where an unhappy person lives alone. In this scene mice run rampant, showing the neglect of this mid-century household. I used handmade papers for this scene to achieve grittier textures. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. -
Hazel crankie 2
This crankie is is about the life of Hazel Dickens. This scene speaks about her long time musical partnership with Alice Gerard. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. This crankie combines papercuts and shadow puppetry. -
Hazel Crankie 2
This crankie is is about the life of Hazel Dickens. This scene speaks about her powerful song Black Lung which spoke out against the mistreatment of coal miners, like her brother, who never left West Virginia. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. This crankie combines papercuts and shadow puppetry. -
Hazel crankie 2
This crankie is is about the life of Hazel Dickens. This scene speaks about a song she wrote about the mistreatment of women. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. This crankie combines papercuts and shadow puppetry. -
Hazel crankie 2
This crankie is is about the life of Hazel Dickens. This scene speaks about her aspirations and her heroes, like George Jones. * A crankie or moving panorama is an old fashioned form of visual performance, device. It is a hand cranked scroll in a box. The artwork is rolled around two posts, which is then pulled across the front, much like film in an old camera. This crankie combines papercuts and shadow puppetry.
