Watch: The intriguing story behind the puppets at this Glasgow hidden gem

Sharmanka is one of the most interesting attractions in Glasgow, a hidden gem that wants to be a bigger part of the local cultural landscape. It has been entertaining and enthralling audiences for over three decades since its original opening in 1989.

Sharmanka was founded by sculptor-mechanic Eduard Bersudsky and theatre director Tatyana Jakovskaya in St.Petersburg in then-Soviet Russia and moved to Scotland in mid-90s. When we visited to find out more about this intriguing Glasgow story, we discovered the original link to Glasgow was sculptor Tim Steed, a Glasgow School of Art graduate, he designed the furniture for Cafe Gandolfi. He saw Eduard’s work and championed it when he returned home.

With an extensive record of national and international tours and exhibitions, audiences in many countries have been fascinated by Sharmanka’s magic. Its dynamic shows are layered with cross-cultural stories, full of multi-sensory experience that have entertained across generations of Glaswegians.

Eduard Bersudsky was the leading artist and co-creator of the Millennium Clock Tower at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and a recipient of the Creative Scotland award in 2005. The kinetic theatre at Trongate with its idiosyncratic puppets is now led by Eduard and Tatyana’s son, Sergey Jakovsky, who has worked there since he was 13 years old and is committed to bringing more local visitors into the experience.

Watch our report above or click here.

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