Andrew Fay
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Plans for a Puppet Play 

Andrew Fay goes both big and small. We met him beside his colossal Great Western Altarpiece, now get out your magnifying glasses to marvel at the detail in the puppet theatre. Sit down, turn your phones to silent, and I hope you have your drinks order in for the intermission. Andrew Fay presents: The Queen’s Special Medal!  

During covid, Andrew made an ironic comment to a group of pandemic workers, implying that they’d receive a royal medal for their efforts. Ha! This sparked a funny series of responses and banter that also planted the seeds for a story. 

The result was a fictional play called, The Queen’s Special Medal, with a vivid watercolour illustration as its centrepiece. 

Inspired by the beloved Pelham Puppets from Andrew’s childhood, he’s created a quirky and charming suite of puppet theatre sets, and the characters who populate that world.

Complementing the whimsical illustration are meticulously crafted miniature sets: a government office, a municipal pool, and a gritty back alley. Constructed from common household items during lockdown, these dioramas evoke familiar spaces with both humour and critique. The deliberately makeshift quality of the sets underscores the constraints of pandemic isolation while celebrating the ingenuity and artistic spirit that emerged during this time. 

Fay’s work becomes both a love letter to improvisation and a humorous reflection on bureaucracy, childhood memory, and collective endurance during crisis.

The Queen’s Special Medal

The office

Local pool

Back alley