After the success of event No. 1 “Those Hands That Sew The Leaves”, Six Space is going to present event No. 2 ‘The Other Vietnamese Puppetry’. 

This event is in the sequence of events produced along with the project ‘Reimagine the artist/artisan’ which is implemented and carried out by Six Space throughout this year. 

In this event, attendants will have the opportunity to enjoy a couple of extraordinary puppet performances and engage in an insightful conversation with artisans from Bao Ha wood-carving craft village (Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong City) to explore and learn about the origins, the historical characteristics of the puppetry storytelling art and how it has been a part of the artisans’ spiritual lives.

Program

– Excerpt from Tứ Linh (a.k.a Si Xiang or Four Phases/Four Warriors)
– Excerpt from ‘A Pair of Lapis Lazuli’ (40 minutes)
– Conversation between artisans and artist Le Giang

Following the art performances and talk, an exhibition on the materials, tools and production process involved in producing wood-carved puppets will be hosted at Six Space during the event.

Bao Ha wood-carving craft village

Bao Ha Village, originally known as Linh Dong Village, is located in Dong Minh commune, Vinh Bao district of Hai Phong City.

The village itself is best known for its wood carving craft which was inherited from one of the very first craftsmen named Nguyen Cong Hue in 16th century. 

Along with mastering the skills of wood-carving, artisans from Bao Ha Village invented and have maintained of the non-water puppetry performing art for the last 7 generations.

In this special visual performing art, heads of puppets are glued to the upper body and connected to cylindrical rods (aka built-in rods), which has created the significance of Bao Ha puppetry art among others.

Project Reimagine the artist/artisan

The project is created and run by a group of multidisciplinary artists and art researchers who are inspired, nostalgic and passionate about the history, knowledge, aesthetics and possibilities of art craftsmanship and craft villages in Vietnam.

Launched in 2016, this participatory art-based research project aims to foster learning, dialogue and collaboration among artists, artisans and the wider public to openly converse on:

• The cultural, aesthetic and social functions of the artist/artisan in the creative process and production

• The present and future relationship as well as shared influence between artists and artisans
• Internal and external factors that influence the aesthetics, creative process and production of craft villages and artisans
• Transformation in ways of seeing and practicing craftsmanship
• Revitalizing and reimagining craftsmanship in handicraft and art production
• Preservation and possibilities, cross-fertilization and innovation in art and crafts

The project includes participatory art-based research; mapping of handicraft villages in North Vietnam; a peer-learning residency program linking artists and artisans in handicraft villages; and a series of public workshops and exhibitions featuring distinguished artisans and innovative artwork inspired by traditional Vietnamese handicrafts.

The project is managed by Six Space with financial sponsorship from Prince Claus Fund “The future is handmade – Redesigning Crafts”.

Language: Vietnamese

Free entrance

Please feel free to contact our number at 0126.620.3694 (Ms. Linh) for any questions.

Time: August 6

Venue: Six Space, 6th floor, 94B Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi