Workshop Making Foam Puppets - Pascale Blaison

⇨ Registrations are closed. All the selected for the workshop were contacted and due to the high number of registrations, a waiting list was created.

A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the making of foam puppets with Pascale Blaison, who has developed a distinctive work as a puppet builder, puppeteer and actress with renowned theatre, dance and puppet companies such as Philippe Genty or 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 de Charleville-Mézières.

Pascale Blaison will share her experience of making foam puppets, a material with a wide range of possibilities. The foam has very varied mechanical and resistance qualities. Although this raw material may not be very attractive, it has a plastic potential that interests puppeteers and puppet builders. Easy to work with, it allows you to obtain 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!

For: Puppeteers, actors, scenographers, visual artists, performing arts professionals and students (no previous experience with sculpting required)
Number of participants: 12

Working schedule: Friday to Sunday from 10am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 6pm / 4 to 6 April
Working language: English

Fee: 50€
Deadline for applications: 1 April 2025

Selection in order of registration after payment. Once the application has been analysed, its acceptance will be communicated and the method of payment for the workshop will be indicated.

INFO AND REGISTRATIONS

The registration in the workshop is made by the duly filled application form in Google Forms or in doc file - in this case it must be send to: projectofunicular@gmail.com or atarumba@gmail.com

^{⇨ APPLICATION FORM: AT GOOGLE FORMS OR DOWNLOAD HERE}

"Once the puppet is built, 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 moving sculptures.” 
-Pascale Blaison

First stage: Draw the character
We draw the figure from the front and profile, then we cut it out. Like a dressmaker's pattern, 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, with 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 parts of the foam that are outside the outline. Little by little, and in successive layers, the material is removed to reveal the character (‘we dive into foam’). To guide ourselves, we constantly place the mould over the volume, which is increasingly sculpted. We use markers, cutting blades and scissors for precision and smoothing. We learn the gestures associated with each tool.

Third stage: The finishes
The finishing touches should optimise the expressive qualities of the sculpture, not just decorate it. We can add sparkling eyes to give the gaze more life. A few shades in the painting, or indications of colours for the costumes or hair.

BIO
Passionate about both by 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 encounter 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 over four seasons.
Since then, she has worked regularly as a builder, puppeteer and actress in various theatre, dance and puppet companies, such as Plexus Polaire, 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 shares her experience as a puppeteer-maker at the École Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette de Charleville-Mézières - ESNAM, Tas de Sable in Amiens, La Nef, TMN, among other schools in Paris.

The participants should bring:
-Permanent markers, box cutter, pencil, ruler, square, scissor.
-Comfortable clothing.