The thesis discusses how researching ‘weird materials’ to design puppetry performances may support textile designers in their creative journey and research process.

On the one hand, textile designers are interested in emulating liveliness between the functional and the aesthetic qualities of their artefacts. Material-driven researchers investigate methods to translate the enactment of their materials’ fluid and ambiguous nature for a human audience. On the other, puppetry explores materials through their potential for ‘liveliness’ and their ability to translate the human and non-human nature of the puppet. During a performance, the puppet oscillates between being an object, a symbol, and a character. The audience resolves the uncertainty of the puppet’s ontological status by producing a narrative.

The research examined the relationship between puppetry and textile design and their shared interest in the liveliness of materials. Through a series of action-research activities, the practice produced fertile ground for the development of puppet characters and engaged in a dialogue with textile designers and researchers about character design and storytelling in puppetry. The design of puppetry systems with thermochromic and bio-based materials through textile processes generated a series of stop-motion animations, short video recordings, still images, and textile artifacts that reflect the evolution of the practice. Ultimately, the research will provide textile designers with new tools for translating the ‘weird’ life of their materials into their creative practice and research.