Reinventing the animated book in a theatrical form, Pop up – Un fossile di cartone animato weaves together the micro-stories of a paper child and a small, enigmatic sphere. The rhythmic, chromatic, and sonic evolutions of their relationship, their encounters, reflections, and transformations come to life on stage.
The adventures of the child and their little ball give rise to a symbolic play of geometries and metamorphoses, touching on central aspects of imagination: fantasy, invitation, threat, and dream. Two actresses, both animators, breathe life and voice into the two paper protagonists, playing with the emergence of figures and shapes over time, their interweaving with their bodies, movement, and the illusion of motion, as well as the synchronicity between voices and images.
Suitable for children aged 3 and up
A project by Giulia Gallo, Giovanni Guerrieri | I Sacchi di Sabbia
In collaboration with Giulia Solano
With Marta Capaccioli, Lucrezia Palandri, and Paolo Romanini
Books by Giulia Gallo
Lighting concept by Emiliano Curà
Set construction by Paolo Romanini
Production by Teatro delle Briciole – Solares Fondazione delle Arti
The chromatic exploration of various cartoons comprising the performance serves as a powerful means to delve into basic emotions and create sets of associations between feelings, shapes, and colors. The variations on the theme, harmonizing with the musical exploration of ambient sounds, become a flexible tool for an experimental exploration of the child’s imagination.
The concept of scenically reinventing the pop-up book, the challenge of creating a handcrafted cartoon—a sort of cardboard fossil in the age of 3D—is a precious opportunity for reflection on animation, its contemporary techniques’ saturation and invasiveness. It opens the door to a more evocative and less aggressive direction, allowing more room for imagination in the era of digital dominance. Additionally, it provides a chance to experimentally blend manipulation, object theater, and sounds—lines of exploration cherished by I Sacchi di Sabbia, now, for the first time, directed towards and compared with a young audience.
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