Manananggal
Commission for drag performer KILLABITE (website)
I ended up filling more than one role for this act
I was fortunate enough to both prepare an animation for KILLABITE, and join him on-stage to puppeteer a pair of disembodied legs
As a performer, KILLABITE’s persona centers around reclaiming and highlighting his heritage and folklore in ways that are usually only reserved for European cultures. This act featured a character from Filipino folklore called a Manananggal.
Human-seeming by day, Manananggal grows wings as the sun sets and splits from its lower half, leaving its legs behind to fly off into the night and suck the blood from its victims with its long, straw-like tongue.
Photo by Jonathan Beckley
The animated components for this project needed some delicate thought to work through; because of the importance of KILLABITE’s drag as art that challenges the supremacy of Western art styles, even just a simple cycle of Sun and Moon rising and setting had to contain the right visual references in order to keep up with the act. They couldn’t end up looking like emoji or Sunday cartoons. I worked very closely with KILLABITE during preproduction to make absolutely sure I was supporting his art in the right ways.
We found the visual influences we needed in two different places. The designs of the Sun and Moon themselves are inspired by Batok and Kalinga tattoo designs from the Philippines, and animated in simple and geometric ways. The shading style, with the striped bands of different types of hatching, takes inspiration from the artistic style of Kajo Baldisimo, best known for his work illustrating the comic series Trese. Together, these allowed me to find an adequate visual language to place KILLABITE within a stylized, yet culturally appropriate, scene for his act.
Photo by Jonathan Beckley
The “bed” we built from a sturdy table with reinforced legs, and simply disguised with lots of fluffy padding, comforters and pillows. We left a part between the bedsheets in the center, from which I could puppeteer the legs from my hiding place underneath the bed.
The legs themselves were made from old recycled clothes, with metal rods used for the bones and swivel joints at the knees so they would bend realistically. I stole a pair of KILLABITE’s old slippers for the feet, and kept the ankles rigid to give me a bit more expressive control when performing with them; with a bit of practice, I could make them turn, point, and kick in the direction I wanted. This led to some very fun uncanny-valley moments with the two of us each in control of half of a series of burlesque movements— such as spreading them open at the knees, and crossing one leg over the other coyly.
Photo by Jonathan Beckley