[Orsini] Puppets and Shadows

In the opening day of the theater activities at the Centro Cultural Contraviento, the artist Rubén Orsini presented his puppet show in the main gallery. For almost an hour, the artist held a one-person show with a full performance that encompassed music, lights and, of course, the delicate handling of the puppets that performed the characters. A series of dolls with threads, shadows and sounds were enough to surprise the big audience that attended the event.

The performance had eight focal points, each of them starring a particular puppet or a doll with direct manipulation, and even objects. Each number showcased a primary sensation (loneliness, love, violence, etc.) developed through symbolism, and, in the end, their accumulation summarized a common feeling open to interpretation.

“I try to make sure that the puppets and other elements are present, alive, in the moment, visible, so that the audience can focus on their essence and feel that they are alive, even if it is all fantasy,” Orsini explains.

And he did just that: the audience forgot about the threads and the cardboard stage design, not even remembering that Orsini was there. They were witnesses to each one of those wooden dolls with prominent features coming into life. Children from 8 years old on and adults alike shared a perplexed silence while the puppets moved along with the story.

The shadows cast naturally in the great auditorium’s white walls only added to the atmosphere. “The white walls projecting the black shapes made the show even more powerful. There was a very warm atmosphere at Contraviento,” Orsini said. The big ovation at the end just confirmed this.