“The use of life-sized puppets is at the center of my work, but the play of the actor, the presence of the music, the use of light and video, are all equal elements in communicating the story. I´m interested in the expanded language that is formed in the meeting point of these different expressions, and how it creates a multisensorial narration. A story can be told by words, but it can also be understood through a visual and physical perception. The choice of materials and colors can communicate a mood, sound can make you feel an underlying atmosphere and the quality of a gesture can express an emotion. Puppetry is a form that constantly is re-inventing itself. It goes beyond “genre”, and fearlessly crosses the borders of other artistic expressions. Puppetry is not only a form, it is a way of seeing the world, a language, a state of mind. When making a performance I work on how to translate the text into a visual language; to transform the story into a physical experience, where everything recounts. To create an expanded reality, where the story is told on several parallel levels. Somehow create a vertical dramaturgy composed by superposed layers, rather than a horizontal line. Enter into a situation, or a specific state, and use it as a prism; it is a single story, and it is all stories. It is told that only seven basic plots exist, and that all stories are variations of these seven. What alters, and makes the story personal and current, is whotells the story, in which social context, and most importantly; howthe story is told. It is important to have access to alternative stories. To be exposed to different points of view and other ways of telling a story. The mix of different artistic expressions is central in my work. With its live drawings, my first show Signalswas inspired by visual art. The use of video-projections the show Ashescreates strong cinematographic references, and my latest show Chambre noireis something in between a theatre performance and a concert. The blurry space between fact and fiction fascinates me. It allows the story to be anchored in reality, but still leave space for the public to be co-creator, to see and understand their own version of the story. The relation with the public is precious, also in the process of finalizing the show. I continue to make changes and develop the show long after the premier, as the reactions and encounters with the public is necessary for the show to find its final form. It is this space between the stage and the public that carries the fragile force of the performing arts. Also, in the themes, it is these spaces “in between” that interests me; the imperceptible transitions, the irreversible borders, the blurred areas. The fact that there is no fixed answer, no ultimate truth, but only the complexity of life; of being human. It is in the impossible blend of strength and weakness a story is recognizable, and true. The play between the actor and the puppet, and this dual presence of the actor-puppeteer, allows a communication on several levels simultaneously. By the means of the puppet being a stylized human representation, we can make an attempt of looking at ourselves with a bit of distance. And by using the confusion that appears when the roles are reversed, the center is replaced, and we no longer know who controls who, we can visualize complex themes. A work that tries to make you feel rather than explain. That opens up for larger questions instead of giving fixed answers. Searching for an expression for those things that we cannot necessarily see, or explain, but that we still can feel, and understand.”

Yngvild Aspeli