NUKU Museum of Puppet Arts breaks the borders of the museum traditions. The museum brings the child with parents
to the interactive theatrical puppetry world: multi touch screens full of virtual information, moving theatre puppets,
labyrinth exhibitions. (*Nuku means puppet`s in Estonian language.) NUKU Museum of Puppet Arts is situated in the
historical building in the Old Town of Estonian capital Tallinn and was opened on March 7, 2010. The museum is mixture
of unique historical interior mingled with modern and innovative exposing solutions. The museum gives the visitor an
exclusive possibility to peep in to the theatre and puppetry world behind the curtains: look how the puppet makers create
the puppets, learn the different types of puppets by making them move through the touch screens, find out about the
history of puppetry and theatre by entering the virtual world of the multi touch screens.Besides the museum exhibitions,
the visitor can participate in the puppet making workshops, play different types of puppet theatre and take part in the
theatre
history
lectures.
The NUKU Museum is one of the firsts to use unique RQ code tickets, which identify and guide visitors according to their
target group and using one of four languages. As one of the latest innovations, NUKU Museum gives its information via
screens based on the multi touch system familiar to users of the iPhone. The multi-touch screens display different topics
related to the theatre topics. On the screen the visitor can choose: the language and the level of difficulty: easy (fairytalelike stories about the history of puppet theatre to the primary school pupils in capital letters), medium (a summarised
overview of the history of puppetry arts), difficult (a detailed overview of the history of puppetry art with many links,
articles
and
visual
materials).
As soon as the visitor has filled in his/her profile, there is no need to select the language and level of difficulty on the
screens. You simply have to show your code to the screen camera, and the text in the right language and level of
difficulty
will
automatically
be
displayed.
The goal of the NUKU Museum is to introduce all the aspects of puppet theatre and exhibit theatre puppets of both local
and foreign origin. Modern expositions and exciting technical solutions on tens of touch screens give everyone a chance
to
take
a
look
behind
the
scenes
and
learn
about
the
history
of
puppet
theatre.
The museum is a part of the NUKU Centre for Puppetry Art, which also includes the Estonian State Puppet and Youth
Theatre and Research Centre for Puppetry Art. The majority of the exposition comprises the theatre puppets depicting
the history of puppet theatre art in Estonia and the world to visitors through puppets, words and pictures.
EXPOSITION
Street
The Museum starts already on the street where the performances of the mechanical STEAM THEATRE can be watched
on the façade. The shows start every half and full hour. In addition, everybody can start the show by calling a Steam
Theatre
number
(free
of
charge).
Steam theatre is a mechanical world of puppets in which everything lives and moves with the power of steam. The
exposition conveys the sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy called steampunk.
Basement
The building of the Museum is connected to the building of the Estonian State Puppet and Youth Theatre with the
underground
tunnel.
The exposition begins in the tunnel with UNDERSTAGE – the exhibition of old puppet play posters to give an overview
of poster design over the years. In addition to posters, the visitors can admire the very varied costumes in the costume
collection
of
the
Puppet
Theatre.
The tunnel lies in the historical place with the ruins of the medieval city wall of Tallinn. The visitors can find themselves
admiring the three medieval wells, a water drainage channel and stove from under the glass floor, look for the treasures
hidden in the corners of the walls and throw a coin into one of the medieval wells – the WISHING WELL to make a wish!
The medieval arched basement level of the museum boasts a wondrous picture machine ARCH OF STARS with a video
screen and 160 coloured buttons – the digital archive of the 60-year-old Estonian State Puppet and Youth Theatre.
Pressing a button, the machine will play the voices of people who have worked in the theatre over the years in extracts
of
their
roles,
the
songs
they
have
sung
and
their
thoughts.
The underground exposition ends with TUNNEL OF PROPS. In the cupboards one can see the things used as
substitutes for the real-life objects and dishes.
Ground floor
The ground floor tour starts with FERDINAND’S CHAMBER, dedicated to Ferdinand Veike, the founder of the Estonian
State Puppet Theatre. The Chamber showcases the most important puppets from the grand master’s work and other
material
about
his
life.
The exposition HISTORY OF PUPPET ARTS IN ESTONIA is dedicated to the history of puppet theatre in Estonia from
1630, when the data refer to the first travelling puppetry troupe visiting Estonia, to the founding of the Estonian State
Puppet Theatre. This is the room where one will see the oldest puppets in Estonia that have survived. Via the multitouch
screens the visitors can obtain thousands of pages and photos with the information about the puppetry history.
HISTORY OF ESTONIAN STATE PUPPET THEATRE gives the history of the Estonian State Puppet Theatre since its
establishment
in
1952
to
the
present
day.
In COIN CHAMBER the visitors can stamp a golden coin into a medallion and take it home as a souvenir from the NUKU
Museum.
In the exposition room of WORLD PUPPETS every screen displays a museum puppet that can be made to move itself
by pressing the button. One can learn about the history of puppet theatre around the world and see the different types of
puppets.
TREASURY OF THE GUESTS is the room where the temporary guest exhibitions from Estonia or abroad are displayed
every
3
months.
In the medieval cellar is situated the CELLAR OF HORRORS – the hideout of horror puppets: spiders, cannibals,
monsters, ghost soldiers and scary masks there. Visitors can wake the Snow White from the dead and watch the
skeletons dance.
1st floor
On the 1st floor the visitors can observe
the everyday work of the PUPPET
MASTERS AND SCULPTORS and see
how the carcasses, control mechanisms
and dummies are made. The peek into
the workshops is made by walking on
the GLASS BRIDGE. In E-POST
OFFICE, using the visitor’s code,
everybody can design a souvenir with
their own photo as one of the stage
characters of the Puppet Theatre, send
it to your own or your friend’s mail box
and order museum souvenirs from the
ticket office. PUPPET STORAGE shows
the puppets waiting to be completed
and fixed. Visitors get an overview of
the different stages of puppet-making
and they also see what is inside a
puppet.
2nd and 3rd floors
On the 2nd is situated the PUPPETRY RESEARCH CENTRE with the Estonian only puppetry library, collection of
puppetry video recordings, archives. Also the Estonian office of UNIMA, the Worldwide Puppetry Organisation has its
headquarters there. On the 3rd floor the exhibition of the models of the puppetry performance venues are exposed.
Additionally, the visitors can peep into the dressing rooms of the PUPPET ACTORS.
MUSEUM ACTIVITIES
In addition to a tour of the museum, visitors can participate in PUPPET MAKING WORKSHOPS, where children can use
different techniques and materials to make shadow, finger and rod puppets, and marionettes. Visitors can enjoy
performances by actors of the Estonian Puppet and Youth Theatre within the scope of THE MUSEUM COMES TO LIFE
programme, which takes place in the museum’s courtyard. The programme includes several short performances, where
actors use puppets from the museum and make them come to life. These performances are free for visitors of the
museum.
For the children groups the ADVENTUROUS MUSEUM GAMES are organised with different educative themes. The
Museum also organises themed events and museum days relating to significant days in the calendar and children can
also have their birthday parties in the museum. By 2012 the NUKU Museum is going to wider the activities and facilities
of the visitors` puppet making and puppet playing workshops, lecture rooms and educative training rooms by renovating
the basement of the Teatre building. In international level the NUKU Museum is going to develop the coordination of the
worldwide exchange of puppetry-based information and research.
TEAM
Author
of
the
conception
and
leader
of
Leader
of
the
renovations:
Leader
of
the
exposition:
Designer
of
the
exposition:
Designers
of
the
interior:
Ms
Liis
Ms
Margit
Argus
Leader of the IT-solutions: Mr Madis Raidaru
the
creation:
Mr
Meelis
Pai
Rain
Raabel
Ms
Anna-Liisa
Õispuu
Mr
Kalju
Kivi
Lindvere,
Ms
Raili
Paling,
(KOKO
Architects)
Mr
THE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE CREATION OF THE MUSEUM:
- Estonian Enterprise, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (90 %)
- Estonian Culture Ministry (10%)