People with Special Needs and the Art of Puppetry: Automating of Marionettes as a Way to Expanding Inclusion of Artists with Mobility Issues
Marionettes are widely considered the most sophisticated, nuanced, aesthetically powerful, but very difficult to learn type of performance puppetry. The marionette artist has to rehearse endlessly before developing a sufficient level of manipulation technique. Usually artists practice in front of a mirror, which does not provide a comfortable sightline and creates a mirrored, reversed effect, or in front of a camera, where they have to take into consideration possible distortions and the limitations of the zoom ratio. In both cases the view is 2D, not really 3D. Usually the puppeteer needs to be placed in close proximity to the puppet. When the puppeteer needs to be masked by scenery, the movement of the marionette in space becomes limited to the first plane of the stage and to almost the same vertical plane above the stage floor.
Operating a marionette is a laborious and physically challenging business. Actors have to stretch their arms and remain in the same position for a prolonged time, very often on the verge of straining their muscles. Thus, in many countries puppeteers are legally allowed to retire after 20 years of service. This art form not only requires physical strength, but is also not available to people with special needs and physical ailments.
In this project, I aim to explore how the art of marionettes could potentially benefit from contemporary techniques of precise motorization, digital control and automation. The puppeteer will operate the marionette remotely, either from the auditorium, sharing the same sightline with the audience, or even from another room, building, or country. I expect the new technologies to be instrumental in refining the art of marionette manipulation, in giving more opportunities for the marionette’s movement across the width and especially the depth of the stage, in expediting the development of the puppeteer’s technique, and in providing new opportunities for people with special needs.
