Exhibition | Puppets 4.0 Museum without walls

Adults, 13 years +

 

March 4 to 8, 2025

 

Presented for the first time in America, this virtual exhibition created by the German Forum for Figure Theatre and Puppetry Arts (DFFP) introduces us to the history of puppet theatre in a fun and engaging way.

In 1948, Fritz Wortelmann, a citizen of the German town of Bochum, set about assembling a vast collection of objects from the world of puppet theatre. Today, more than 70 years later, the collection that bears his name can be admired in a most extraordinary way.

Fitted with a virtual reality headset, visitors move around independently, accompanied by an animated and enthusiastic 3D version of Fritz Wortelmann, who explains the characters, traditions and different puppetry techniques developed around the world. From folk fairs to propaganda theatre, from an Indonesian bazaar to a Sicilian opera house, Puppets 4.0 Museum without walls is an impressive tribute to the history of the 11th art.

The virtual exhibition is available in French, English and the original German.

Assembled here are the magnificent puppets themselves, an extensive amount of research work by the theatre management and an extraordinary technical achievement that is still rare in theatre. This museum without walls will entice you. You will be lured into a playful and atmospheric journey through the world of puppet theatre.

– Double, Magazin für Puppen-, Figuren- und Objekttheater

Little Mr. Wortelmann (German Puppetry Institute founder) can tell gripping stories and, as is usually the case in museums, you learn a lot in the process. (…) The VR experience opened up a new world of puppet theater and puppetry to me.

– Jörn Schumacher, Mixed, online magazine

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March 4 to 8, 2025

 

Goethe-Institut
1626 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, suite 100
Montréal (Québec) H2X 2T1
Phone: 514-499-0159

 

Tuesday, March 4, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday, March 7, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

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Photos

Photos: Anthea Cebulla

Company

Le Deutsches Forum für Figurentheater und Puppenspielkunst (DFFP, Forum allemand des arts de la marionnette) est la principale structure allemande chargée de promouvoir à l’échelle nationale tous les aspects du théâtre de marionnettes, de figures et d’objets. Il a été fondé en 1992 par la ville de Bochum et de nombreuses associations et établissements de formation de toute l’Allemagne dédiés aux arts de la marionnette. Le DFFP organise le Festival FIDENA – Figurentheater der Nationen (Festival FIDENA – Théâtre de marionnettes des nations), ainsi que des symposiums et la remise du Prix Fritz Wortelmann de la ville de Bochum pour le théâtre de marionnettes amateur. Elle publie des ouvrages et administre une bibliothèque publique, une médiathèque et des archives.

 

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Credits

Project management: Annette Dabs, Mareike Gaubitz

Development and programming: DIGIFACTURA, Team Alexander Philippi

Sound design: Maximilian Rodegra, Loop Post-production

Voice: Steffen Reuber, Roy Kift, Philippe Rodriguez Jorda

 

Puppets 4.0 Museum without walls was funded by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, and the City of Bochum.

 

The French version was made possible with the support of the Goethe-Institut.

 

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