Blind

Nordland Visual Theatre’s website has the following description: Blind is based on events from Duda’s own childhood, when he contracted an illness that resulted in him losing his sight for a short period. He recalls that it was this unpleasant and traumatic event that led him to a career on the stage. It is an engaging, visual and poetic portrayal of a man thrown into chaos and darkness. The audience joins him on his journey into the light.

Duda himself writes in a programme: "I found pain in the light, and beauty in darkness."

Performer: Duda Paiva

Sources: Nordland Visual Theatre, www.figurteatret.no/produksjoner

Donated by Nordland Visual Theatre, 14.01.2023

Most of the figures in this production were made of foam rubber. Duda Paiva and his colleagues have transformed this substance into fantastic puppets. Foam rubber’s main advantage is its elasticity; it can be bent in all directions and is relatively light in weight. These qualities are generally important for puppets, but especially for Paiva’s productions. He has created his own, genuine aesthetic, thanks to his creativity in many areas – visually, in the area of movement, and not least his own physical expressivity as a dancer. He is also a choreographer and has seen what possibilities are afforded by dancers and puppets sharing the stage.

The German theorist Heinrich von Kleist (1777–1811) described this phenomenon in his essay Über das Marionettentheater (1810).

The above description is based on photographs.

Since this article does not describe a specific puppet, but Paiva’s puppets in general, the same applies to construction. It appears from the photographs that some of the puppets’ heads have been hollowed out to make room for the performer’s hand. The performer moves (with his hand) the puppet’s mouth, which is large and expressive. Technical constructions to allow for precise head movements can also be fixed inside the head.

Paiva works with puppets of different sizes. Many of the puppets are human in size. He describes the puppets as “hybrid” because his limbs often replace one or more of the puppet’s limbs. This requires very special construction techniques, and here Paiva demonstrates great creativity, both with regard to the aesthetic form of the puppets, and also physical expression. In several performing situations, "extra" hands or feet are often needed. In his productions, be they solo performances involving just Paiva and the puppet or where several performers are involved with one puppet, the acting and expression are surprising, humorous and very imaginative.

The above description is based on photographs and knowledge of several of Paiva’s productions.

In Blind, Duda energetically blends interaction with the audience, dance, puppetry and projections to create a portrait of an artist and his work. The storyline is partly autobiographical and partly universal. In the main role we meet Duda, or "the man on the street", exploring his aims, his hopes, his fears and mistakes; a man and an artist searching for a meaningful place in society.

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote:

"it's as delightful as it is heartbreaking and too beautiful to define".

For over 15 years, Duda Paiva has, from his base in the Netherlands, been one of Europe’s leading figure theatre performers. He is especially renowned for his solo performances, in which he combines dance and puppets. His productions are skillful and aesthetically beautiful, full of gentle irony, but also provoking in their subject matter.

In 2012 he created and toured with Man Beast in collaboration with Riksteatret, visiting the primary arenas in Norway, where they were very well received.

More information about Duda Paiva may be found at

https://dudapaiva.com