User:Krhettn/sandbox/Igor Fokin Memorial

The Igor Fokin Memorial, or "Doo Doo," is a memorial to puppeteer Igor Fokin in Brattle Plaza of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Fokin regularly performed.[1] It is a life-sized replica of one of Fokin's hand-made wooden puppets,[2][3] Doo Doo, recreated in bronze and gold leaf by sculptor Konstantin Simun.[4] Doo Doo is about 10 inches tall and sits on a 3-foot tall granite bollard in a row of bollards along Brattle Street.

Doo Doo was Fokin's favorite puppet, which he mentions in a video interview that also shows the puppet in performance.[5]

Three bronze bricks inset in the brick sidewalk next to the sculpture read "IN MEMORY OF BELOVED PUPPETEER, IGOR FOKIN, 1960-1996", "AND IN CELEBRATION OF ALL STREET PERFORMERS", and "Igor Fokin's puppet Doo Doo was recreated and designed by sculptor Konstantin Simun. This memorial was funded in part by grants from the Fund for the Arts, Mass Cultural Council and Harvard Square Businesses. Dedicated September 22, 2001."

Igor Fokin passed away on September 21st, 1996, a memorial fund was established two days later,[6] and the memorial was dedicated five years later on September 22nd, 2001.[7] The dedication included performances from ten local street artists on Brattle Street and a showing of two documentary films,[8] works in progress at the time, about Igor Fokin at the Brattle Theater on the same block. The sculpture was restored and regilded in 2014.[9][10]

A short film about Fokin, The Puppeteer, includes the sculptor discussing the memorial and depicts its installation and unveiling.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Performance Spaces in Cambridge". historycambridge.org. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  2. ^ "Igor Fokin". Harvard Square. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  3. ^ "A Legacy of a Thousand Dancing Strings". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  4. ^ "Remembering Igor Fokin 1960 - 1996". www.cambridgema.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  5. ^ Igor Fokin puppeteer ("Wooden Horse" puppet theater) - Symphony of Strings, YouTube, retrieved 2023-12-29
  6. ^ "Popular Russian Puppeteer Dies | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  7. ^ "Igor Fokin Memorial". Clio. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  8. ^ "Igor Fokin Film and Video". www.igorfokin.com. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  9. ^ "News and Current Projects - Cambridge Arts - City of Cambridge, Massachusetts". www.cambridgema.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  10. ^ "Fokin Memorial, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA". Paul Riedl Studio. 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  11. ^ The Puppeteer Film with Igor Fokin (YouTube), retrieved 2023-12-29
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