The history of Czech puppetry begins in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, when itinerant puppeteers travelled from town to town and performed in Czech, contributing to the development of the then oppressed Czech language among the people. Gradually, a tradition of puppet-making families began to form and puppetry was handed down from generation to generation as a family craftsmanship. Puppeteers carved their own puppets/marionettes, often based on folk and fairy tale characters. The puppeteer controlled all the puppets/marionettes and voiced all the characters. This created a unique style in which the stiff movement of the marionettes on the wires was balanced by stylized vocal expression. The long tradition of Czech puppetry is confirmed by its inscription in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The art of puppetry is not only still alive in Czechia, but it is also very well developed. It is considered one of the key elements of national culture. There are nine professional puppet theatres, one hundred independent troupes and three hundred amateur troupes in the Czech Republic.

As a complementary part of the main photographic exhibition, the project also presented several examples of traditional puppets and marionettes from different parts of the world, such as folk carving of gourds and horns from the mountains of northern Cameroon.

(Lubojacký)

Media coverage:

https://www.trend.az/life/culture/4041551.html, https://news.day.az/culture/1751321.html

https://novayaepoxa.com/v-baku-sostoyalos-otkrytie-fotovystavki-aydyna-sadykhova/529164,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfqGIvm2rFY&t=34s&ab_channel=M%C9%99d%C9%99niyy%C9%99tTV

https://www.azernews.az/culture/241362.html, https://www.azernews.az/culture/241387.html