Sophie Wilkes

About Artists Events Installation Views

A Dark and Mysterious Stranger & Polycephaly Automaton

A Dark and Mysterious Stranger and Polycephaly Automaton were developed while Wilkes studied abroad in Prague during the summer of 2022, under Mirek Trejtnar. These works symbolizes Wilkes’ official departure from the confines of puppetry to honing their skills in making traditional, wood-carved marionettes. Her fondness for marionettes stems from the appreciation for the complexities of their movements and innate liveliness.


Sophie Wilkes (she/her) is a senior at Gallatin with a concentration in Puppetry: Fabrication, Performance, and Craft. Wilkes specializes in puppet fabrication developed through her studies of marionette-making in Prague and work experience at Bob Baker Marionette Theater and Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre. Her practice investigates what it means to “give life” to inanimate objects and evoke playfulness through utilizing the natural resources.