On the waves of fantasy ocean

On the waves of fantasy ocean

This year, the exhibition space of the so-called “Black Hole” will offer puppets, scenes, and other props connected to the genius of the Říše loutek (“Land of Puppets”) theatre. Říše loutek is not just remarkable as one of the oldest puppet groups here (it originated in 1920) which, on top of this, resides in the building of Municipal Library of Prague (since 1928), but also as a contemporary stage built by its principal Vojta Sucharda.

Aside from the crash visits by film professionals who used this stage for the film Její princ, recordings for Aktualita, or in the 60s Peter Schulhoff’s film, it is also connected to the phenomenon of the narrow film. It was here where the filmmaking duo Šmejkal–Zahradníček obtained not only the space for improvisation and essential equipment, but also the so much needed technical support, co-workers, and actors for their short films. One of the parts of this exhibition is a 10-minute shadowplay from an older repertoire of the Říše loutek theatre titled Osudná bedna (“The Fatal Box”). The architectonic treatment of the exposition by Oldřich Morys is not just a probe into the history of this theatre, but also a probe into the depths of fantasy.

Opening as a part of the opening of the festival: 12. 10. 2016, 19.30
Programme director: Miloš Henkrich, Jan Novák
Exposition curator: Zuzana Janečková
Exposition architect: Oldřich Morys
Graphic design: Palo Snoha