5/28/2023 0 Comments Mechanical puppetry![]() The moving belts of theatrum mundi could be below the stage or at the back or possibly both. Scenery and figures, often in procession, were mounted on belts that moved across the stage and were operated by a more or less complicated mechanism of cogs and gears. The content was predominantly scenic, but moving figures were often introduced to add interest. Many showmen added this as a separate section to their programme, presenting views of ruins, beauty spots and famous cities, sometimes combining these with magic lantern slides. The genre found its way into the repertoires of many marionette companies in Europe, often under the description “optical theatre”. At the end of the 18th century de Loutherbourg set up a large model theatre in London called the Eidophusikon to demonstrate modern ideas of scenery and lighting. The most famous practitioner of theatrum mundi was the stage designer Jacques Philippe de Loutherbourg (1740-1812). It specialized in elaborate special effects such as shipwrecks, thunderstorms and colourful rolling panoramas – scrolling illustrations depicting scenes semi-mechanically, semi-manually operated. His brother, Sajeev Pulavar, a mechanical engineering diploma holder, is also a ‘tholpavakoothu’ practitioner.The theatrum mundi, literally translated as “theatre of the world”, is a particular kind of spectacular mechanical show, practised all over Europe in the 19th century, but having its origins as far back as the 17th century in the Baroque era. The awareness videos, done in connection with election commission’s Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme and the COVID pandemic for the district administration, were also a huge hit.īesides carrying out stage shows, online classes, demonstrations and workshops, the young practitioner also travels across the country to learn various indigenous forms of puppetry and puppet making as part of a mission to revive the dying art form.Ī recipient of several awards and fellowships including the ‘yuva prathiba’ award (folklore) of the state government in 2020, Sajeesh has staged hundreds of programes in the country and abroad during his 22-year-long association with the art form. It is impossible to automate the complete performance.”īut, Sajesh said they were getting queries to exhibit similar robotic puppets in other museums also.Ī query was received from the authorities of Nedumbassery airport also for the same, he added.Īs part of diversification initiatives, his team recently did the adaptation of “Poothapattu”, the iconic poetry by Edasseri Govindan Nair, in the format of shadow puppetry. It is a 21-day performance lasting a total of 210 hours involving over 180 puppets. “We can never ever bring the entire tholpavakoothu in the format of robotics. However, the artist is very much conscious that technology has its own limitations and robotics cannot be taken to the temple grounds during the time of live performances. ![]() Even those who have no knowledge about tholpavakoothu, are talking about it now. But, it is for the first time that a robotic puppet of ours is exhibited in a museum. The application of robotics was an idea developed solely to catch the attention of the audience and revive their interest in the art form, he said.Ī post shared by SAJEESH PULAVAR of our leather puppets are put on display in museums across the country. There we will apply all techniques and tricks to make the audience glued to our performance,” the artist explained. But, while performing in stages, we have freedom to experiment. “As people are doing it as offerings in temples, we can not deviate even an inch from the conventional format at the shrines. It was the glorious period of the traditional artform but eventually people’s interest in it dwindled in the flood of new modes of entertainment and changes in cultural values, he said.īringing innovations in the format of tholpavakoothu is a challenge as it is a ritual art based on the rendering of Ramayana- the “Kamba Ramayana, the Tamil version of the epic, he said. ![]() A still from Tholpavakooth in Palakkad district of Kerala. My younger brother and I grew up seeing our father and grandfather going to one temple after the other to perform puppetry during the season,” he told PTI. “I belong to the thirteenth generation of the pulavar community in our family.
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