Experience 'Manufacturing Mischief,' a puppet theater play by deFINE ART artist Pedro Reyes

Noam Chomsky, Steve Jobs, Ayn Rand, Karl Marx, Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are among the figures represented in artist Pedro Reyes’ satirical puppet play, "Manufacturing Mischief." The play is presented as part of "Think Twice," a SCAD deFINE ART 2019 exhibition by Reyes and designer Carla Fernández and co-curated with Design Miami. Tackling ideas around the ethics of artificial intelligence, the use of technology to solve humanity’s problems, Randian philosophy and the current political climate in the U.S., Reyes blends dark humor with sharp, cutting commentary on morality, freedom, inequality and techno-enthusiasm.

Reyes is a widely celebrated multi-platform artist, activist and educator based in Mexico City, Mexico. He uses all aspects of visual art and education to address political and social issues. One of his main commitments is using the arts to reduce gun violence. In 2008, Reyes launched Palas por Pistolas, or Shovels for Guns. The program collected 1,527 guns donated from Mexican citizens, melted them down into 1,527 shovels, and then gave them to various schools and art institutions, which in turn used them to plant 1,527 trees. The program's success garnered attention from the Mexican government, which donated 6,700 weapons to Reyes, who converted them into musical instruments. As part of this pacifist effort, he created "Amendment to the Amendment," a traveling workshop where U.S. citizens take part in a rewrite of the Second Amendment. Last year, he was one of 13 artists included in the Ford Foundation’s "The Art of Change" fellowship program. His work "Doomocracy" was presented by Creative Time at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in 2016.

"Manufacturing Mischief" is directed by Meghan Finn and written by Paul Hufker; score by Mike Cassedy, video by David Pym, production managed by Anthony Dean. Produced by The Tank, NYC, Meghan Finn and Rosalind Grush, co-artistic directors. Performed by Victor Ayala, Mery Cheung, Julia Darden, Elizabeth Amber Dapo and Christina Stone.