Titled Second Creation, an exhibition by puppet designer Richárd Oláh has opened at the Vojtina Puppet Theatre.
“Puppet, set, and costume designs are now often artistic creations equal to direction. In our genre, visuality plays a special role, as puppet art is also a form of visual art, where the characters themselves are works of art,” said Terka Láposi, artistic director, in her introduction to the exhibition of Oláh Richárd, the puppet designer at the Vojtina Puppet Theatre.
The designer always maintains a close working relationship with the actors, as he designs and creates the puppets specifically for their hands. The puppet can be seen as an extension of the actor, meaning the designer provides the gaze, the proper movement techniques, and the character itself. It is no accident that these specific puppet theatre features were highlighted by the puppet artist Péter Hajdú during the exhibition opening, recalling the typical conversations in puppet workshops where actors expect even more abilities and knowledge from the puppet, which, in the end, the designer and puppet maker must solve in the spirit of the common goal (a good performance) and shared thinking. With infinite creativity.
Richárd Oláh, the creator and designer of Vojtina’s puppets and head of the puppet workshop, graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, specializing in visual design, where his mentors were Judit Csanádi, Klaudia Orosz, Pál Lellei, and Gyula Majoros. He has participated in creating puppets for every performance over the past years. He believes that the creation of a puppet is realized in the puppet maker’s secret workshop through the transformation of materials. The puppet beings or homunculi are the results of transmutations and transformations. Through the craft of changing materials and imagination, he shapes the life that is ultimately brought to life by the actor on stage.
“The world of fairy tales, cartoons, and puppet films has fascinated me since my childhood. Even as an adult, I am enchanted by them, especially in sci-fi, fantasy genres, and fairy tales. This childlike wonder inspired the title of my exhibition, which I borrowed from Tolkien’s concept of ‘Second Creation’ in his cosmogony,” says the designer, revealing the concept behind the exhibition. During the second creation, something new and extra is made from existing materials in the environment. This process is about constant shaping and change. In Tolkien’s world, the appearance of life is also the result of this process.
Richárd Oláh’s Second Creation exhibition is open until March 31 at the Vojtina Puppet Theatre in Kálvin Square. The exhibition is free to visit.
