The disarmingly absurd weapons shown in the photo were created by attaching various kitchen implements to bamboo poles. The pineapple was carved from foam, and rigged to be "chopped" in half while mid-air.

I started with a half-round plastic ornament, then cut it and super-heated the plastic with a torch...

...to create several dozen "fish bowl brassieres." The heated plastic curled nicely to create the rim, and then I was able to drill small holes and stitch each bowl to the bodices of the costumes.

I created the bases of these fans by sandwiching two layers of 1/4" MDF with the plumes between, then wrapped them in fabric and added trim details.

The end result were luxuriously full fans that were both light and sufficiently sturdy to be held in one hand during the choreography of the show.

A quick recipe comprised of dry pasta, wood shavings, clay, glue, and paint!  

Relying on my knowledge of climbing and rigging knots, I used synthetic rope to create a ship's ladder strong enough to hold to adult performers.

A process shot detailing the knot work involved...

The final product in action!

For this project I was tasked with building two identical Jay puppets, each able to "fly" and be operated by a single-handed mechanism. The third puppet needed to be operated from above, to mimic a bird walking along the ground. I soaked and bent strips of balsa wood for the bodies, then laminated and carved insulation foam to flesh them out.

I based the design of the flying mechanism on a grabbing arm extender, and created the components from aluminium. Pop rivets secured the assembly the the wooden shaft, and the handle doubled as the pulley and a ballast. 

The third, walking bird was controlled via a thin metal rod attached to the back. The flexibility of the rod combined with small springs hidden in the legs allowed the puppeteer to create a realist bounce as the bird perched, hopped, and walked around on the ground. 

The puppet in mid-flight during production.