The aim of the project was to develop, test and evaluate a modular, transdisciplinary teaching concept for puppetry at art colleges. Specifically, the plan was to develop a core module and two specialised modules and to pilot these at the art colleges in Vienna and Budapest. In addition, the project aimed to establish a network of art colleges, puppet theatres and artists that would provide a lasting boost to European puppetry. Particular emphasis was placed on international collaboration between students from different countries and artistic disciplines.
The LILARUM Puppet Theatre in Vienna has been committed to the development of contemporary puppetry for many years. A key obstacle to this has been the lack of puppetry training programmes at Austrian art universities, as well as in many other European countries. Art students interested in puppetry as a form of expression have had little opportunity to explore it as part of their studies. At the same time, there is a significant artistic overlap between the visual arts and puppet theatre, which is still largely untapped in higher education. The Interdisciplinary Puppetry Modules for Art Universities (iPmau) project arose from the desire of the two Austrian partners to bridge this gap and meet the existing demand from students, whilst developing interdisciplinary teaching modules that can be integrated into the existing curricula of art universities.