Inside Puppet Place: Bristol’s hub for puppetry and animation

The inside of Puppet Place is like no other in the city.

The space on Hannover Place on Spike Island is covered in an array of weird and wonderful creatures – hanging from the ceiling and posed on shelves.

Every nook and cranny holds something of interest, from animals, people, and fantastical creatures that couldn’t quite be labelled.

A wall of wonders – photo: Cicely Marks

Some of the puppets are humanoid in shape, with elongated limbs and distorted faces. Some appeared to be melting, their mouths drooping and stretching, while others seemed to be frozen in mid-motion, their bodies contorted and twisted into impossible shapes.

Others were animal-like. A vibrant blue wolf head with piercing red eyes seemed to follow us as we moved.

This is a building that provides a workshop and a rehearsal space for puppet makers, animators and robotics engineers, as well as offering a wide variety of workshops and events to the public.

Current resident artists are working on a wide range of exciting new projects and commissions, from an animated film commissioned by the British Film Institute to Bath Carnival.

The puppetry here blends traditional methods with more recent tools such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

One resident artist, Rosie, a specialist in robotics, has created ‘emotional robots’ that users can engage and interact with.

Walking through the building with finance and operations manager, Sally Reay and resident artist, Chris Pirie, it is clear that dedication and hard work emanate throughout.

Puppet Place: where imagination comes to life one puppet at a time – photo: Cicely Marks

Chris said: “I think experimentation with puppetry and AI is possible because it’s cheap, the service charges that residents pay are not astronomical, it makes it really accessible and allows people to take risks in their work.”

Chris explains how Puppet Place is “not like other co-working spaces”. He added: “Here, it works on trust. If someone needs help with something – the skill sharing runs throughout, and it seems to happen in a really natural way.”

Suspended in mid-air, each puppet is a unique work of art with a story to tell – photo: Cicely Marks

With so many artists and puppeteers in one place, a synergy has been created, stretching the possibilities of puppetry.

Commenting on the diverse range of creatives in the building, another resident artist, Dik Downey, said: “Every time someone new joins, there’s a burst of creative sparks and energy… it keeps it moving.”

The community-feel emanates beyond the building, and residents have built a collaborative relationship with Bristol Old Vic and Aardman Animation Studios.

As Chris sums up: “Everyone wants a bit of puppetry now”. His face gleams as he opens a drawer filled with prosthetic eyes and teeth.

With so many artists and puppeteers in one place, a synergy has been created, stretching the possibilities of puppetry – photo: Cicely Marks

Residents here are working hard to bring puppetry as an art form further into the public eye.

Events, classes and workshops support a range of ages and abilities, including monthly networking events, such as the Bristol 48 Hour Puppet Film Challenge and a recent shadow puppet workshop.

Puppet Place’s recent Creative Café event saw the founder of Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, Anurupa Roy, use puppetry to speak out against contemporary issues such as gender and climate change.

Looking to the future, the team wants to make Puppet Place even more accessible by putting on workshops for those with no experience in puppetry. There are also plans to create step-free access to the upper floors.

Walking into Puppet Place was like walking into a world of fantasy and animated opportunities. Few would realise what treasures are concealed inside a seemingly ordinary building from the outside.

“We’ve survived Covid and we’re here,” says Sally. “We’re re-opening our doors, re-animating the space.”

Puppet Place Creative Cafe with Cat Rock from the Bristol 48h Puppet Film Challenge takes place from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday. For more information, visit ticketstripe.com/CreativeCafeCatRock

Main photo: Cicely Marks

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