Tholpavakoothu Lecture-Demonstration

Tholpavakoothu is Kerala’s ancient ritual leather shadow puppetry.  Artist Vipin Viswanatha Pulavar and his team from Tholpavakoothu Sangam present a lecture-demonstration introducing the history, traditions, cultural significance, techniques, and contemporary relevance of Tholpavakoothu. 

The session includes traditional and contemporary adaptations of the performance, a display of authentic leather puppets, explaining their craftsmanship, materials, symbolism, and the process of making and preserving them. You would also get to experience the traditional style of recitation, including selected verses, narration, and vocal techniques used in Tholpavakoothu performances, alongside an introduction to the traditional musical accompaniment and the role of rhythm, storytelling, and ritual elements in the performance.

This programme is part of the celebration of the opening of A Moving Line: 1500 Years of Indian Visual Storytelling. 

This exhibition is curated by the artist Amruta Patil, in partnership with the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image (CIBDI), Angoulême. It is supported by the Embassy of France in India and the French Institute in India within the larger framework of the Desibel project — an Indo-French initiative that brings together creators, institutions and communities to shape the future of comics and visual storytelling within India’s animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality (AVGC-XR) sector. A version of the exhibition will travel to Angoulême in January 2027 for the opening of the Angoulême International Comics Festival, marking a milestone in the history of Indian comics in France.