PYYKKI
Lost in Laundryland
Creation 2025
PREMIERE
22.10.2025
Stoa Cultural Center – Helsinki, Finland
‘PYYKKI – Lost in Laundryland’ is a new performance for children and families by the company Portmanteau.
In a collaboration with the award-winning visual artist Helga Stentzel, the performance ventures into the inventive and magical world of “Household surrealism”.
Inspired by Stentzel’s “Clothing Line Animals” photographic series, PYYKKI looks for magic in the mundane, making use of optical illusions to transform everyday objects and clothes into playful characters and animals, combining circus, dance, puppeteering and new magic.
On a stage filled with clothing strings crossing the air, what starts as a very banal everyday chore gets little by little transformed into a magical universe of little visual delights when a piece of clothing goes missing…
Determined to solve the mystery of where missing socks go, two friends venture into a washing machine to look for their beloved missing one, landing in a surrealist and colourful universe inhabited by fantastic characters.
A non verbal indoor stage performance, primarily for children, yet to be enjoyed by all audiences.
With a focus on poetic and visual metaphors, delicate and minimalistic aesthetics, the performance leaves space for the children’s own imagination and interpretations, never underestimating their creative minds.
Not underlining but rather suggesting, we aim to stimulate the children’s curiosity and observation, hopefully arousing in them an appreciation for the hidden magic that can be found in the most
unexpected places.
CREDITS
DIRECTION
Luis Sartori do Vale
CREATION & PERFORMANCE
Luis Sartori do Vale
Mira Ravald
CHARACTERS DESIGN & SCENOGRAPHY
Helga Stentzel
LIGHT DESIGN
Jere Mönkkönen
SOUND DESIGN
Petteri Rajanti
MAGIC CONSULTANT
Kalle Nio
PRODUCTION
WHS / Portmanteau
SUPPORT
Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Finnish Cultural Foundation
WHS Teatteri Union
Cirko
Stoa
ITU lastenteatterin ideahautomo
“Artistically ambitious, stylish and well-polished piece of work that successfully combines different forms of art. Highly talented artists have created a piece that is appealing, warmhearted, innovative, charming and honest, and in which the stage work is skillful and even hypnotic at best. All the different elements, including music and light design, come together in a balanced performance that requires input from every member of the working group.”
Sirkuksen Lumo 2018 Prize – 11.3.2019
“An experience worth seeing and experiencing.
Portmanteau is a skilled and beautiful poetic abstract presentation.”
Annikki Alku / Demokraatti – 19.09.2018
“On se retrouve au croisement du cirque et des arts visuels et c’est juste magnifique pour les yeux. (…)
Ce joli ballet parfaitement orchestré ne serait pas pareil sans la contrebasse de Antonio Alemanno
qui ajoute cette tension et ce suspense auprès des spectateurs fascinés par la beauté de cette performance
durant laquelle on sent une grande complicité entre Luis et Mira.”
Branchés Culture – ManuGo
“The audience gets to share the authors imagination, childish strive for experiment
and playfulness which rely on strong skills of circus art.(…)
Wow-effects are offered by the couple’s charming dance duet,
Mira Ravald’s latin technique on the wire and Luis Sartori do Vale’s ball juggling.”
Eeva Kauppinen / Kaleva – 4.2.2018
“Overhead projectors have never been used for such a beautiful cause.”
Anssi Tapio / Kittilälehti – 14.6.2017
“In Portmanteau pure handicraft combines with clear ideas and thought-through technique.
An optical effect where the performers lose their contours and transform as into liquid in the sidelight gets one to gasp.
A magnificent science fantasy and optical illusion.”
Eeva Kauppinen / Kaleva – 4.2.2018
