Last week I saw something incredible! This is an adjective I use only in very special circumstances and Thursday night was one such occasion. I went to see a performance at the Rep Theatre in Dundee, an animation theatre show called the Seed Carriers by Stephen Mottram. It was part of the first annual Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival, a celebration of puppet theatre and visual performance running in conjunction with the Projector Animation Festival just across the road at Dundee Contemporary Arts.
On his self-contained circular stage, Mottram acts out a inspired story using slight-of-hand and a host of simple but beautifully carved marionettes. A story of mankind's greed towards precious seeds that the little humanoid creatures carry in their bellies. From the outset it was astounding to witness how much life he was able to conjure from the puppets, and how much empathy we as an audience felt for them. Its no wonder he's won so many awards in Eastern Europe, a place that has embraced puppet theatre for many decades. It took him two years to construct all the puppets for the show. A labour of love that can be clearly seen when he brings his creations to life. Well and truly inspired!

link