{"id":5857,"date":"2026-05-11T10:30:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/?p=5857"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:32:11","slug":"puppetry-in-the-midst-of-technological-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/puppetry-in-the-midst-of-technological-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppetry in the Midst of Technological Change
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Digital technology is reshaping how cultural experiences are created and experienced, including in artistic fields where craftsmanship and hands-on skills remain central. Puppetry is a perfect example. A gathering organized last April as part of the PEPR ICCARE program explored the professional transformations underway and the new possibilities opened up by digital tools. Here\u2019s a quick recap. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

On April 10, nearly fifty professionals gathered at La Chartreuse de Villeneuve lez Avignon<\/a>. Researchers and cultural practitioners alike came together around a shared passion: puppetry. The event, titled Writing and Construction in the Digital Age, was organized within the framework of PEPR ICCARE and promised \u201cacceleration.\u201d Whether that term is appropriate remains open to debate, especially at a time when everything seems to be speeding up and artists increasingly need time to think, experiment, and create, argues Christian Giriat, dramaturgy advisor at La Chartreuse. \u201cDigital space requires slowing down,\u201d he says. How? \u201cYou have to glitch,\u201d he replies. <\/p>\n\n

A Database of Puppetry Dramaturgies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

During the event, Didier Plassard<\/a> and Carole Guidicelli<\/a> presented Puppetplays, a database containing thousands of analytical entries on plays produced in Western Europe from 1600 to the present day. The project complements the Puppet Arts Portal (PAM)<\/a>: while Puppetplays<\/a> focuses on texts and dramaturgical techniques, PAM centers more on puppets as objects.The scope of the work is impressive and built on a clear premise, the researchers explain: greater visibility leads to deeper knowledge of puppetry as an art form. Although the project has no longer received funding since 2025, its creators continue collaborating to expand and sustain the database.The impact of digital technology was also a central topic during the roundtable discussion \u201cUses and Misuses of Electronics and Digital Technology.\u201d Moderated by Julie Sermon<\/a>, professor of contemporary theater history and aesthetics, the conversation brought together four artists and one researcher. <\/p>\n\n

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table ronde \u00ab Usages et d\u00e9tournements de l\u2019\u00e9lectronique et du num\u00e9rique \u00bb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

DIY Tech<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of those people who\u2019s instinctively drawn to a screen whenever it lights up,\u201d says director and head of pedagogy at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre aux Mains Nues<\/a>, Mathieu Enderlin<\/a>. To examine our relationship with machines, he contrasts the passive role we adopt in front of screens with the active engagement required to make sense of his non-figurative puppets. \u201cI create a confrontation between an image that jumps right at us and the place where the spectator has to make an imaginative effort in order for the character to exist,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n

In his first production, Cubix<\/a>, he used video mapping on wooden pixels\u2014\u201cvoxels<\/a>,\u201d as he specifies\u2014to create a playful, constantly shifting space for manipulation. In Bad Block<\/a>, connected blocks blink and buzz, immersing audiences in a sensory adventure. In Code Source<\/a>, he flips the immersive headset around: by facing the screen toward the audience, he projects a gaze outward while he himself can no longer see anything.A self-described techno-curious beginner, Enderlin enjoys getting his hands dirty in order to blow apart the black box. \u201cBy trying to make things work, I push the whole thing forward.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

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