Niki Ulehla’s Inferno at the San Francisco Dump: Using recycled materials Niki Ulehla (Recology Artist in Residence) created a cast of puppet characters for a production of Dante’s Inferno performed on site at Recology
Using recycled materials, Niki Ulehla created a cast of puppet characters for a production based on Dante’s Inferno performed at Recology San Francisco as part of The Artist in Residence Program at Recology . The cast of marionettes performing in this version of Dante’s Inferno were made from reclaimed wood, metal, and leather, that was then carved and painted. Ulehla, who is also a goldsmith, received her AB in painting and drawing from Stanford University. She studied puppetry in the Czech Republic, and frequently leads puppetry workshops for Bay Area students. Instead of echoing the advice of the famous phrase that appears on the gates of hell in Dante’s story, “abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” Ulehla’s puppets and performance inspires hope, and illustrates the potential of repurposed materials.