Welcome to Beveldom. Mat Bevel’s lost land of found objects.
For more than 30 years, thousands of people from around the globe have enjoyed the magic of Beveldom, a “lost land of found objects” that’s both a real Museum Of Kinetic Art and the setting for the Surrealistic Pop Science Theater. The museum includes over one hundred fifty moving fine art sculptures made from thousands of recycled items. In the theater, these found-object sculptures come to life as the puppets, costumes, props and sets for a one-man theater with a huge cast of characters.
Using storytelling, video and photographs, Mat Bevel Company Vice President Paula Schaper will bring you the magical world of Beveldom created by her brother Ned Schaper, a poet, philosopher, kinetic sculptor and performer.
You’ll see some of the sculptures from the theater’s world of Beveldom—mechanical puppets, helmets, headdresses, vehicles, musical instruments, and large sets such as the “Thought Launcher” and the “Energy Plant.” You’ll meet some of Beveldom’s characters played by Ned and his sculptures—Dr. Paradox, Jester Physics, Major Crisis, even a 7-foot mosquito named “Hemo.” You’ll hear excerpts from some of the hundreds of performances that touch on every subject imaginable, in a playful yet thoughtful way.
During this program, you’ll also learn about new Mat Bevel Company initiatives that use Ned’s work to expand the ways people can step into Beveldom. Bevelvision Productions is capturing and sharing the magic with global audiences using video and Internet technologies. A new 360 Theater, configured as a circular production set with virtual reality cameras, will offer a new type of live and virtual theater experience. New educational programming will infuse theater, storytelling and kinesthetic activities into electronic learning to increase cognitive development.
Architect/builder Paul Schwam says, “A visit to the Museum Of Kinetic Art is worth college credit, at any age. It attracts your intelligence and imagination, in an experience so pure and honest, it’s impossible not to giggle and smile. This fine art mechanical world is the backdrop her brother’s one-man theater that features a large cast of characters all played by Ned and his sculptures.
Background:
The magical world of Beveldom is the creation of Ned Schaper, kinetic sculptor, poet and performer. His popular 30-year body of work includes the Museum Of Kinetic Art with over 100 fine art sculptures and the Surrealistic Pop Science Theater with over 400 scripts organized into a narrative called The Three Days of Beveldom.
During a 2-month solo retrospective at the Tucson Museum of Art in 2014, Ned’s kid-friendly museum exhibition broke all attendance records for the August-September time period. For the first time, the Tucson Museum of Art featured live performances as part of a visual arts exhibition. Schaper moved 15 sculptures from his museum exhibition to the lobby for two one-hour theater productions.
In 2014, Ned and his sister Paula Schaper established the nonprofit Mat Bevel Company. Their vision is to share the magical world of Beveldom with more people using new media arts. A new educational program called The Universe Within, uses world-building activities to teach students Ned’s life-long creative training techniques. Students solve problems in multi-dimensions through a series of a game-like modules.
To learn more or book your program, contact Paula Schaper: 520-604-6273 or pschaper@matbevelcompany.org.