Playing Puppet Master Artist Statement: Many of us believe in God, fate, luck, chance, or simply that everything happens for a reason. All of these beliefs share a core principle in common which is often overlooked, a power beyond human understanding and a universal influence that is largely out of our control. In other words, believing in any one of these principles is recognizing that something unseen can change our lives and may have control over us constantly. This sculpture represents a microcosm of human society. It is a mixture of various forms of life: plants, animals and people, both children and adults, mingling together in a public park. Both good and bad are represented, criminals and violence as well as love, joy, and family. These characters represent society in a large sense and present the many different actions that humans, as well as other living creatures, are capable of making, thus impacting their world. As the viewer, you become an unseen, uncontrollable force that can, in this case, literally move and manipulate the lives of these puppets without their knowledge or awareness. You temporarily become an omnipotent being with complete power over their world. As puppet master, you have the power to change their lives in any way that you wish. How does the invincible puppet master control you? #steelsculpture #metalsculpture #metalart #sculpture #contemporarysculpture #contemporaryart #hartwick_art #steelart #oneonta #cooperstown #workinprogress #seniorthesis #seniorproject #playingpuppetmaster #almostdone (at Hartwick College Anderson Center For The Arts)