Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre

About

Sharmanka is a kinetic sculpture and theatre collective founded in St Petersburg by sculptor and mechanic Eduard Bersudsky in 1989. Now based in Glasgow, Sharmanka tour their performances and collections of moving sculptures throughout the world. Audiences young and old alike have had the unforgettable and magical experience of witnessing performances of moving sculptures crafted and inspired by Bersudsky's vision. For 20-21 Visual Arts Centre they present Gothic Kinetic, a new series of sculptures completed in 2009. At special performances throughout the exhibition Sharmanka will bring the sculptures to life. Victorian household machinery and carved wooden figures will play an 18-minute show reflecting on the human condition in the modern world. Hundreds of carved figures and pieces of old scrap perform an incredible choreography to haunting music and synchronised light, telling the funny and tragic stories of the human spirit as it struggles against the relentless circles of life and death. Shows are free to enter, last 18 minutes and will commence at 10.15am, 11.15am, 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm and 3.15pm. In between shows the sets can also be viewed as still sculptures. Warning Some people may find the darkness, shadows, haunting music and some of the explicit features of a few of the sculptures a little disturbing! Viewing of the sets in between performances may be more suitable for younger children.