THE BLOCK THEATRE METHOD
In the Method Manual, the book’s editor, puppet artist Roosa Halme, puts together her ideas and experiences on block theatre with different people over ten years. Artist Kai Ruohonen talks about the idea behind the Human-Shaped Reconstruction Kit, and art therapy professor Matthew Berner, along with puppet artist Marja Susi, talk about the possibilities of block theatre in therapeutic and interactive contexts.
The core of block theatre is emptiness. The blocks are empty per se, and as such have full potential of being anything imaginable. The spectator is free to see anything they can think of. The living sculptures are born, they disappear, and transform. Reconstruction and destruction, evanescence and the endless flow of possibilities are always present in the world of blocks.
The wooden blocks and block theatre, in addition to the puppetry stage, have opened new doors towards inclusive art, culture as well-being, and art’s therapeutic qualities. The blocks have searched for their form and meaning in several projects, in collaboration with professionals from the fields of art therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, mental health, education, early childhood education, child welfare, gerontology, and more.
The book was written with support from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The book uses eco-sertified, 100 % uncoated recycled paper. For every book, performance, and block set ordered, KO-KOO-MO protects old growth forests through the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation. The constructions in this publication’s illustrations are reconstructions from the pieces built in the block theatre workshops throughout the years. The photos are by Jesper Dolgov, and the book’s layout is by Eveliina Sillanpää.
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