Third Figure (LV) 2025-2026

Third Figure is a a newly-formed collective, initiated by Edgars Niklasons and Jordi Serena Ripley, currently in the early stages of developing their first contemporary puppet theatre performance for adult audiences, When the Earth Gave Way. The performance explores the concept of the Shadow Self and trickster tendencies, rooted in Jungian theory, and their role in shaping our internal and external experiences. Using human-sized string puppets, actors, and puppeteers, they aim to investigate the battles within ourselves when facing societal norms and personal struggles.

Parcitipating artists

Taken residency at

Who is Third Figure?

We are a newly formed collaboration that work with contemporary puppetry. Right now, we are in a process where we want to create another name. When we started this collaboration, we thought about how in puppetry, there’s a manipulator, an actor and a puppet. Third Figure is something that comes out of this interaction. It’s kind of like a soul of a puppet. We’re also drawn to the imagery and the visuality of the piece we are making. A Third Figure might be behind you, and it is kind of like there is the other. And we’re really interested in that.

We are interested in what it is and what’s possible in terms of movement with an object that resembles a human being. A puppet is simply an object that we project everything we think onto, a kind of vessel for ideas to move through.

What led you to join Moving Identities?

We were looking for opportunities to start working internationally. International collaboration is really important to us, and I think Moving Identities is sort of at the forefront with this kind of thinking. The opportunity to go two different places and develop our work, open our eyes, and change the way we respond and make our piece, I think, is what we’re really drawn to about Moving Identities.

What is the project you are working on?

When we started working together, we kind of followed Jung’s shadow self-theory. It felt great to explore our own shadow selves and everything that’s connected to this theme. But the story we are working on will be about shame in different aspects in life. We have started creating a dramaturgy, and it’s interesting to see where it will take us. Basically, it’s about shame and facing our fears, our different parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, and we don’t like that much or appreciate as much as we probably should.

What motivates or excites you the most about being part of the Moving Identities programme?

We really like the program because of its range of networks. We are excited about going to both Norway and Belgium to be away from the other things that come into daily life, and also to have a space that is unknown, similarly to the process itself and to discover things both about the themes that we’re proposing.

And also, it’s very important for us to be calm in the obstacles of creating, so that we are not pressured to have a ready performance at the end of it. We might have, but we’re not pressured to do that. So we really can explore and dive into all the questions we want to solve and not to stress about timeline. deadlines or anything like that. It’s a huge privilege to work in these conditions.

What changes would you like to see in the European performing arts world?

It’s a very big question. We don’t know everything there is to know about the European art world. But I think that there is something about art, and especially what is considered to be fine arts, to be accessible to a variety of communities. And I think that is something that we could definitely work on more. To open ideas up to people, to bring in more people into this contemporary culture space. Because often, when we’ve been to performances in bigger European cities, you can tell that the people seeing these performances, which are great and amazing and cool, the people are well off, the people dress nice. I’m making assumptions, but it seems like it’s a very upper-middle class endeavor. And I think contemporary art could be brought out more or made more accessible to working-class people and people who don’t have the financial means to go, or don’t even consider that it’s something for them.

I think the arts and cultural sphere encompasses a lot of themes and ideas that are drawn from the contemporary struggles of everyday people. And I think that could also go back into a broader population.

From an artist’s perspective, to be in the same place, to create art over and over again in just one place, it’s just not healthy. It is very important to go out in the world to see different performances in big cities, to engage with different artists. I really like universal stories. I see it as a way how we connect in a much wider perspective. Unity is very necessary nowadays, and it’s really not just about one country – also, but not only. We need to be united as Europeans, and I think working as an artist internationally can create such opportunities to let people know more about yourself from where you are.

Also, something that we would want to see more, is more opportunities for marginalized groups in Europe. You are brought up with this idea of as Europeans and I think there’s also something very loaded and very important in that idea of who we are, who are Europeans, who are the people who are being perceived as Europeans. I think it’s very important to have people who are of, let’s say, of Nigerian descent, of Syrian descent, from China, or people who came here as refugees from Palestine. For those voices to also have stages, and for people who make art about themselves to be elevated into the spotlight. Rather than just getting some little street performance festival, but also on the big stages in Europe where it would really bring unity among people and foster understanding about their cultures and struggles. I think that’s one of the things that art does – we relate to others on an emotional level, and if we can relate, then itbrings us closer to perceive other people as not that different even though they come from somewhere else.

From their residency at INITIUM