Material-led Puppetry: Selected Works and Research

This page presents selected documentation from my material-led puppetry research, developed during my practice-led PhD and subsequent Research and Development phases.
The works trace a progression from environmental textile behaviour and performer interaction to early fibre-generated sonic experiments. Together they outline the trajectory toward the proposed R&D project “Sonic Landscaping of Saori Woven Fabrics,” which investigates how woven structures can generate movement, sound, and character through material interaction and environmental conditions. These works show early indications,  not conclusions, of how textile structure, environmental conditions and fibre friction might contribute to sonic character.

The precise relationship between woven structure, environmental conditions, and acoustic behaviour and performative character remains an open inquiry that this R&D seeks to investigate.

Environment-led material behaviour

Dangling textile samples in a garden. Exploring how textile behaviour shapes movement through environmental interaction.

Performer interactions

Improvised puppetry research exploring how character and narrative emerge through physical interaction with fibre materials. The sounds produced by friction and resistance between fibres suggested the potential for sonic character to arise directly from material behaviour from material behaviour, forming the starting point for the proposed R&D.

Practice-led textile behaviour (DYCP)

Stop-motion documentation observing thermochromic colour change over time in woven textile forms.