Puppet Dictator

The Puppet Dictator is a photo collage transferred onto fabric. It is a montage compiled of many original photos except that of Queen Victoria. The window image was photographed in Katmandu, Nepal; the monkey in Indonesia. The original photo-montage was 11" x 14", then blown up 400%. The patterned textile onto which the image is photomechanically transferred was found in Northern Thailand. The velvet curtain was then added onto the transfer.

Angus's husband is a native of Northern Thailand. There, he was a member of a tribal minority group where wealth is indicated by the number of elephants owned. Angus was intrigued by the power symbol in such a culture. Superimposed with the image of Queen Victoria, this creates a visual and cultural confrontation. The velvet curtain suggesting a puppet theatre may be seen as playful and irreverent attitude to symbols of authority. Bianca D'Angelo, 1994