Puppetry

In the course of the Garland journey, our overview of art forms has expanded to include many related to performance, such as puppetry. The revival of this theatre of objects is strong across the Indo-Pacific. Here are some of the stories.

Şevket the puppeteer finds freedom in a prison cell - On a spring day in Ankara, Songül ARAL discovers a mysterious man who materialises tales of Anatolia to unlock children's imaginations. 

Jumaadi’s garden of shadows - Kevin Murray explores the studio of an Indonesian artist filled with shadows of history, culture, craft and dreams.

The Shadow Theatre of Anaphoria Island - Gary Warner introduces Kraig Grady's phantasmagoric shadow world of Anaphoria Island, a place no one comes from but anyone can enter.

Beijing Shadow Show Troupe combats “electric shadows” - You might expect that puppetry has been superceded by the electronic screen, which is more spectacular and efficient in delivery of stories. But the human involvement of puppets can be enduring appeal.

淡路・阿波人形浄瑠璃の衣裳が生きていた景色 - 日本には、人形浄瑠璃という芸能があります。『浄瑠璃』というのは、物語を義太夫節で語り、三味線の伴奏が入る話芸です。これに合わせて人形を巧みに操って演技させることから、この名前がつけられています。およそ、500年もの歴史があります。2008年、ユネスコの無形文化遺産に、同じ流れをくむ文楽とともに、能楽・歌舞伎と並んで指定され、世界に名だたる日本の伝統芸能となりました

The glittering costumes of Ningyo-Joruri: A puppetry revival project 🇯🇵 - Miki Hanafusa explores the costumes that would catch the eye of villagers in Japan's traditional outdoor puppet theatres.

Working with things: An exploration of materiality in the puppet theatre 🎓 - Lynne Kent interviews puppeteers about how they animate material objects

Full circle: Tjanpi, Polyglot and FORM’s Manguri Wiltja project - Andrew Nicholls writes about FORM's project with Tjanpi and Polyglot Theatre that discovered the wiltja as a symbol of home.