Enacting Ecosystems - puppetry residency

Enacting Ecosystems is an experimental puppetry residency for curious people of all backgrounds. The residency is designed and led by artists Alexander Brouwer, Lisa Zakharova and Marieke Stein, and is co-funded by Buitenplaats Brienenoord and the participants themselves. Participation costs € 70.

The starting point is the question of how non-human beings perceive and shape their world - and how puppets can serve as a means to encounter those other creatures without disturbing them. A mole, for instance, has little use for facial recognition: its world is built on touch and smell, and its underground infrastructure follows that logic precisely. From this idea, participants explore the island's ecosystem and create puppets that mimic the movement and intelligence of non-human species.

The programme takes place over three Sundays, each from 11:00 to 17:00:

Day 1 - 13 September focuses on observation and study. Together with an ecologist from the island, participants explore specific species: how they came to be here, what role they play in the ecosystem, and what meaning we as humans assign to them? Based on this, participants create their first maquettes.

Day 2 - 20 September is about bringing a puppet to life. The day begins with a lesson in puppetry techniques, after which the rest of the time is spent building the final puppet - with consultations on zoo-anthropology.

Day 3 - 27 September focuses on animation and performance. How does a non-human puppet move, and what stories does it want to tell? Participants bring their puppets to the places where they first encountered the species, build scenography together with the environment, and perform an immersive theatre piece for an audience at the end.