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Union Internationale de la Marionnette

Non-Governmental Organization affiliated to UNESCO

Research Commission

Research practice based on "Pupa" by Emma Fisher. Ceramic puppet made in collaboration with Sheila Stone. Photo Emma Mac.
Last updated: 06-07-2023

Aims

  • promote, encourage, develop and support research into puppetry, material, visual and object performance and fields related to these;
  • support and encourage publication of research into the above areas through collaborations with publishers and other research institutions;
  • work closely with Universities and other academic institutions to support and disseminate information about theses and research projects in the field of puppetry and related fields;
  • assist in the promotion, visibility and accessibility of historical and theoretical puppetry research through partnerships with other bodies, making visible bibliographical material and research resources and through the formulation of puppetry research fields;
  • explore ways to support practice-based and practice-led research;
  • increase the participation of puppetry researchers in international conferences and symposia and support the visibility of puppetry research within these conferences (where they are not specifically puppetry (and related forms) – focused);
  • work towards increased dissemination of puppetry (and related forms) research through international networks;
  • work closely with other UNIMA Commissions to explore joint initiatives;
  • encourage new puppetry (and related forms) research and the participation of young and new researchers in projects of the Research Commission.

Upcoming events

Last news of the Commission

Join UNIMA during the World Puppet Festival of Charleville-Mézières

UNIMA space – An International meeting point 19 > 22 September Find us on the map: Espace UNIMA > n°28 /// 75 Forest avenue > n°10   UNIMA organises Happy Apéros and meetings to join together and celebrate friendship among puppeteers as well as to exchange ideas and discuss the challenges facing our international organisation. […]

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Women and Masks: A Transdisciplinary Arts-Research Conference at Boston University

Research - 23/08/2021

Submissions are open for this international, web-based arts-research conference. The mask, interpreted in its broadest sense, is one of the most ubiquitous objects across cultures. Women, a complex and diverse category of people, have specific histories and realities with masks and masquerade. The mask’s powerful and intimate association with the face and the body—as well […]

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Call for proposals for the next issue of Puppet Notebook

Research - 3/02/2021

The Research Commission is currently accepting proposals for articles for the next issue of Puppet Notebook. The Spring/Summer 2021 issue will be on Isolation/Hope. Puppetry, like all the theatre arts, has suffered during the pandemic: engagement with a live audience is a vital part of the practice, and a major or sole income stream for […]

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Call for English study on Chinese puppetry

China, Research - 12/07/2017

On behalf of Guangxi Normal University Publishing Group, the plan to translate a monograph from English to Chinese, on Chinese puppetry, is the first translating and publishing co-project with the China Puppeteer Training Basement International project (Beijing). This translated book will be published next year, as one of a series in Sinology Abroad. After being approved by […]

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News from the Research commission

Research - 4/07/2017

There will be a pilot meeting of a new puppetry and object theatre research working group affiliated to the UNIMA Research Commission. This will be held within the IFTR conference tuesday 11th july at the University of Sao Paulo – 2 to 4pm. For more information please email research@unima.org. The Broken Puppet:a symposium on puppetry, disability and […]

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Directory of research stakeholders

Research - 29/06/2017

Since 2012, the Research and Documentation Centre of the Institut International de la Marionnette has implemented some tools designed to encourage research on puppetry and object theatre whatever the discipline may be: performing arts, anthropology, archeology, history, literature, visual arts, new technologies, philosophy, psychoanalysis and therapies, economics, physics, chemistry, etc. One of these tools aims […]

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Participate in the International Vocabulary of Puppetry

Research - 9/04/2014

The Research Center at the Institut international de la marionnette (IIM) in Charleville-Mézières has launched within the framework of the Web Portal for Puppetry Arts (PAM) an International Project of Linguistic Research in order to ease translation tasks and prepare the interoperability of databases concerning the puppet in the context of semantic Web.   This work […]

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Call for Research Project of Puppetry Art

Research - 2/02/2014

Take part to the research project, the book about Puppet and Puppet Theater, of Poupak Azimpour, Iranian puppet theater researcher, answering to the questions: What is a Puppet? Who is a Puppet? What is the Puppet theatre? Why is the Puppet Theater chosen when there are other forms of media and performing art? Read more

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