This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the construction of foam puppets with Pascale Blaison, who has developed a unique work as a puppet builder, manipulator and actress with renowned theatre, dance and puppet companies such as Philippe Genty and Plexus Polaire, who have performed at FIMFA with their human-sized puppets, or in training at institutions such as the École Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mézières.
Pascale Blaison shares her experience of building foam puppets, a material with a wide range of possibilities. Foam has very varied mechanical and resistance qualities. This raw material, although it may not be very attractive, has a plastic potential that interests the manipulator and puppet maker. Easy to work with, it makes for an expressive result that can be animated without the need for joints or control rods.
Sculpting directly is an experience similar to archaeology. It’s about extracting a form that was incorporated into a material. The sculptor’s advantage is that he knows what he’s looking for.
TARGET GROUP: Puppeteers, actors, set designers, visual artists, professionals and students of the performing arts (no previous experience in sculpture is necessary).
NO. OF PARTICIPANTS: 12
LANGUAGE: English
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 1 April 2025
INFO AND REGISTRATION: Registration is done by filling in the registration form on Google Forms or in formato doc – in this case it should be sent to: projectofunicular@gmail.com or atarumba@gmail.com
Selection in order of enrolment. Once the application has been analysed, acceptance will be notified and the method of payment for the workshop will be indicated by bank transfer by the specified date.
Materials participants should bring:
-Permanent markers, X-atos, pencil, ruler, square, scissors.
-Comfortable clothing.
“Once we’ve built the puppet, how can we move it in space? The puppet is fascinating because of its immediate transposition (…). It touches the unconscious and the fantastic. The puppeteer is a sculptor of sculptures in movement.”
-Pascale Blaison
First stage: Drawing the character
“Draw the figure from the front and profile, then cut it out. Like a dressmaker’s mould, this model will serve as a reference throughout the work.
Materials: paper, pencil, ruler, square.”
Second stage: Moving into 3D
“After cutting a foam cube to the dimensions required for each participant, we transfer the moulds (silhouettes drawn and cut out), outlining them on the faces of the cube. We can then imagine the character inside. Next, the sculpture begins by cutting out all the foam parts that are outside the outline. Little by little, and in successive layers, the material is removed to reveal the character (‘we dive into the foam’). To orientate ourselves, we constantly place the mould on top of the volume, which is increasingly sculpted. We use markers, cutting blades and scissors for precision and smoothing. We learnt the gestures associated with each tool.”
Third phase: The finishes
“The finishes should optimise the expressive qualities of the sculpture, it’s not just about decoration. We can add sparkling eyes to bring the gaze to life. Some shadows in the painting, or indications of colour for the costumes or hair.”
BIO
Passionate about both the visual arts and theatre, Pascale Blaison started out as an actress in Nimes, where she was born. In 1982 she moved to Paris and entered the École Jacques Lecoq.
She then had a decisive meeting with Philippe Genty, who trained her in the construction and manipulation of puppets inspired by Japanese Bunraku. She joined his company and took part in the creation of Dérives in 1989 at the Théâtre de la Ville, followed by an international tour of four seasons.
Since then, she has worked regularly as a builder, manipulator and actress in various theatre, dance and puppet companies, such as the Plexus Polaire company, which has performed regularly at FIMFA with its human-sized puppets, or Théâtre du Frêne, Nada Théâtre, Théâtre de la Véranda, Théâtre du Nord, L’Equipée, Toda Via, Le Fracas, Johanny Bert – Théâtre de Romette or La Nef – Manufacture d’Utopies.
She also passes on her experience as a manipulator-builder at the École Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette de Charleville-Mézières – ESNAM, Tas de Sable in Amiens, La Nef, TMN, among other Parisian schools.
