Scotland’s visual theatre, puppetry and animated film festival, Manipulate, that’s been brightening Edinburgh’s dark early months since 2008, announce it’s 2021 return in a new form.
In a brief YouTube video, Puppet Animation’s CEO, Dawn Taylor launched the programme that will run from 21st January till 21st February 2021 with the three aims of provocation, renewal and escapism.
Without the access to physical theatre space, this coming festival will present their usual mix of performances, screenings and workshops in digital form, along with a bespoke multi-city kinetic sculpture artwalk. The latter will open at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre from 21st till 24th January, before visiting various locations across the Capital’s city centre from 27th January till 1st February after which time it will move to Aberdeen from 4th till 10th February then to Glasgow from 13th till 21st February.
The installation, that will be produced in partnership with the Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Aberdeen Performing Arts, combines moving sculpture works for windows with audio/BSL soundscapes from eight artists who were commissioned to create stories for the work.
Manipulate 2021 festival whose themes of connection, isolation and renewal reflect the pandemic, will feature online international visual theatre and puppetry from Germany, South Africa and the USA alongside 9 new performance works from Scotland; an animation programme of 22 films as well as a Workshop Programme offering skills development in object theatre, puppetry and animation from leading UK and international artists.
Artists who were originally lined up to perform their works live at this year’s Manipulate have adapted their work to film or are experimenting in a digital space, alongside artists whose work was specifically created for an online context in the Covid era.
Full details on the Manipulate website.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 