About me

About me

I am Lenke Duyvendak, animator and puppeteer. I create live animated performances and films, using a variety of techniques, mostly analog. I enjoy showing you, the audience, how I bring the small worlds I create to life. I am also part of the theater collective Diatheater, where I collaborate with performer Elena Migo and musician Femke Bun to produce live animated shows.

My work is often wordless, has a touch of magic, and addresses personal and socio-cultural themes. And almost always, puppets are involved.

Both figurative and abstract, richly textured and emerging from darkness, my work makes you experience the world in a way you have never done before and bring comfort and stillness to everyone who needs it.

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In 2022 I graduated with honors from the University of the Arts Utrecht with a puppetry film, Alma, about a girl that tries to catch a light. The film uses live-action puppetry, inspired by the Japanese bunraku technique. It has been shown at LiGHT-UP, Lowlands, Reel Puppetry Festival, Braziers Film Festival, SWIFT, Blikvangers Festival and at the Stranded FM x Hoogt on Tour Live Cinema Concert with live music. It was nominated as Best Experimental Film by ShortCutz Amsterdam.

I did my internship at the puppetry company Studio Figur and followed puppetry courses with Neville Tranter, Michel Villée and Claire Heggen. In February 2024, I went to Figurteatret i Nordland to follow a two week workshop in Dark Puppetry and Live Micro Cinema by Scottish puppeteer Gavin Glover. In 2024, I also followed the Advanced program at the School of Puppets in The Hague. Next Spring I will follow the Curious School of Puppetry in London.

With Femke Bun and Elena Migo I form the live animation theater collective Diatheater. With our show Dreamcatching, we won the Young Maker Award at Puppet International 2022 and performed at Golden Sparkle Festival in Serbia (2023). We are performing our second show Aardster / Terrastar now, among other places at Delft Fringe Festival (2024).

I made work for the exhibition Heilige Huisjes in 2024 in the Baptist Church of Utrecht, organised by Utrecht Down Under, FAAM and Kunstliefde.

I am following the Studio Camera Lab 2024 in Utrecht, a talent program for young lens-based makers. Here I experiment with forms of live animation in film, working with the story I could see the smallest things by Raymond Carver.

I have worked for companies such as Filiaal Theatermakers, Studio Figur, Tg Winterberg and Studio Brei.

I live in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

You can approach me for both film, theater and fine arts projects, in one of the following disciplines:

  • Puppet making
  • Puppetry
  • Animation
  • Illustration
  • Production/theater design
  • Directing
  • Camera
  • Editing

Artist statement

With my work I want to connect my inner world to yours. I want to get you out of your head and awaken your sense of wonder, for the vulnerable and for the quiet. I am fascinated by animation in the literal sense. From a strong, unique intuition I bring tactile materials to life to make puppetry films, animations, installations and plays. I love collaborating with other disciplines to immerse you in a sensory experience.