Four awards for project Transport at the 13. Biennial of Puppetry Artists of Slovenia
The 13th Biennial of Puppetry Artists of Slovenia: award for direction (Tin Grabnar), award for sound design and music (Mateja Starič), award for puppet technology (Aleksander Andželović, Matej Lazar, and Gregor Kuhar), award for visual design (Sara Slivnik).
The award for direction for the performances Transport: Cargo produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Maribor and Transport: Departure produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana. Tin Grabnar, with his inventive approach, skilfully combined precision and artistic creativity to create stage events that are both technically sophisticated and refined, while simultaneously offering a tender and emotionally rich experience. Miniature scenes, full of significant details, around which fragments of individuals' everyday lives unfold, prove to be a suggestive expressive tool. The static figures, aided by realistic sound, are transformed into a powerful identification experience. Every movement, sound, and visual cue is orchestrated with meticulous attention to detail, and the director, with an ambitious concept, demonstrates a commitment to experimentation and envisions where puppet theatre can go.
The award for sound design and music for the performances Transport: Cargo produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Maribor and Transport: Departure produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana. The sound and music by Mateja Starič in Transport: Cargo and Transport: Departure stand out with their multichannel richness, creating an immersive environment that surrounds and guides the audience. In both performances, the soundscape has a unique character, shaping the atmosphere, setting the rhythm, taking on a narrative role, and deepening the emotional impact of the story. Realistic yet innovative sound design reflects a dedication to experimentation, pushing this theatrical element far beyond just background effects.
The award for puppet technology for the performances Transport: Cargo produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Maribor and Transport: Departure produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana. The Transport project presents a groundbreaking technological innovation in contemporary puppet theatre, integrating complex, innovative, and top-tier systems that seamlessly merge with the visual design and story to create a hyper-realistic performance world. With an approach that combines precise engineering with artistic creativity, the two performances stand as milestones of technical innovation in this field, presenting an incredibly exciting development in contemporary puppetry.
The award for visual design for the performances Transport: Cargo produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Maribor and Transport: Departure produced by the Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana. Sara Slivnik's visual design for Transport: Departure and Transport: Cargo is based on carefully crafted 3D models and figures, which aesthetically reflect the theme of the performance and visual realism. The basic raw construction is enhanced with detailed stage pieces that come together, disassemble, and transform into realistic, yet miniature scenes. These specific actions, such as loading a truck or building and demolishing a house, directly connect with the events in the play. The precise treatment of surfaces and painting, along with the thoughtful use of colour for individual elements and spaces, creates highlights and guides the viewer's eye. This doesn’t just serve as illusion but, together with stage effects such as rain, smoke, and sound, forms a convincing atmosphere that pulls the audience into the heart of the action. The visual concept thus becomes an independent interpretative framework for the performance, intertwining with the story to sharpen the focus on the themes presented.