This project explores Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s puppet show "König Hirsch", which is considered the incunabulum of modern abstract puppet theatre and an important testimony of Dadaistic production. Adopting an interdisciplinary artistic approach, the project discusses and interrelates aspects of free and applied art, literature, dance, theatre, and psychoanalysis.
Sophie Taeuber’s puppet show is considered the incunabulum of modern abstract puppet theatre and exemplifies the central avant-gardist concern to connect art and life. The project is the first-ever in-depth study of this important testimony of early-twentieth century Dadaistic events and productions in Zurich. It approaches “König Hirsch” through a careful study of the extant historical sources and employs an interdisciplinary perspective able to account for the play’s particular character as a total work of art. The project facilitates interdisciplinary exchange through discussing and interrelating aspects of free and applied art, literature, dance, theatre, and psychoanalysis.