window to iberian puppetry

Throughout history, puppet theatres have fascinated audiences and served as sources of inspiration (as referred in the Introduction to ‘Window to Iberian Puppetry) for both Eastern and Western creators who use the doll-size stages as mediums of expression. The pantomimes of these marionettes form the part of our ancestral human culture resources. From Ancient Egypt to classic Greece, to the Roman Empire, to the thousand year-old culture of China, puppet theatres have played essential roles in the art of theatre, interpreting every genre, including satire. Thus, the theatrical microcosms created by the puppet world bring our history together and keep alive our advances.With this in mind, the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX) together with the centre for Initiatives of Tolosa and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is organising an exhibition called ‘Window to Iberian Puppetry’. The exhibit features Spanish and Portuguese puppet shows, styles and marionettes from the 18th Century through today, demonstrating the peculiarities of this form of cultural expression that all the world shares, from Latin America to the Asian Pacific.The representations of the puppets and their construction reflect the cultural and social diversity of this art form –these exhibits can and should become a vehicle for the exploration and knowledge of different cultures and cities. Thanks to the invaluable effort of the private and public collectors, and of course the organisers, who toiled so hard to put up a show like this.
Recently, Bahroop visited this exhibition to learn this unique mode of expression and were quite informed by a Spanish Puppeteer himself, who took us around the exhibition explaining every bit to the infinitesimal details. The Exhibition will be on till 26th Februray’08 in ‘Mati Ghar’ at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi. It is a must see for theatre lovers and practitioners .