Pinata

     I recently made a pinata for a party.  The way this came about is I was observing someone else making a pinata, and I wished to have this experience.  Not like on a genie lamp or a wishing well, but a niggling desire.  When an annual event approached which regularly features a pinata, I requested permission to make it, and was granted the go-ahead.  The host requested a submarine for these reasons:

                                      https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/confirm-nor-deny

     It so happens there were journalists present who had a vested interest in the topic.

     For four days, I gathered material and set about its construction.  I delighted in the idea of making something knowing its demise was implicit within its creation.  There was the  engineering challenge of controlling when and where it should fail as opposed to where we did not want it to fail, which is the where it hangs from the string.   I watched a Youtube in which a teenage girl capably made an ice cream cone pinata, and applied her techniques.  As it turns out, a submarine is more involved than an ice cream cone and arguably, has deeper implications.  I have never worked in paper mache before, and became enamored of the possiblity.  It's cheap, flexible, non-toxic, and a lot tougher than I had expected.  I layered the newspaper in a criss-crossing fashion that toughened it further, and as this skin became more substantial, I removed little by little, the cardboard armature which was adding unwanted weight, and taking up room that could be used for stuffings. I made the outer layer with less glue and more dry newspaper in hopes of creating air bubbles which would soften the blows, and lengthen its lifespan.  I painted in with glow in the dark paint, to commemorate the interesting connection between its name, "Glomar" (Global Marine), and its connection to Russian weapons technology, which this 80's child connects with glowing radioactivity.  I fervently hoped the pricey glow in the dark paint would be effective.

 

 
      When the event came round, I was delighted to present Glomar to the guests.   A few hours after sundown, the host and her retinue lead the small throng of  guests to the ceremonial pinata tree with a boom box which loudly played Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, which was a clever and effective  touch.    A fellow stepped up and capably threw the string over a tree branch, and Glomar was raised up.   I loved the sound of the hollow thunk produced by the walloping attacks made with a mop handle, which broke early on.  Well before Glomar heaved forth its contents, it came crashing to the ground, but I was relieved to see that it fell because the string broke, and not because of it ripping out completely.  Someone fetched stronger rope, and Glomar hung again, and made it through another 10 or so beatings, before its contents spilled out.  Some of us hunted the ground for treasures, and then we burned up Glomar with tiki torches.

  

     Among the contents were condoms, shooters, trophies, masks, dog toys, and hilariously, a bathing suit.  I am looking forward to working in paper mache again soon, in a less destructive application.