Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa
In the Basque town of Hondarribia, two artists, Idoia Seijo and Jonan Basterretxea, continue a traditional and unique art of making marionettes. They have made dolls for many local people and businesses over the years, but they also cater to a popular tourism business that regularly visits this city’s historic Alde Zaharra (Old Town).
Everything is done by hand and you can frequently see the couple at work in their studio, Menina. They construct the heads and bodies of their dolls with a special paper that is made by very few producers today. Basterretxea will make accessories by hand, while Seijo paints the dolls and makes the costumes by hand. They spend quite a few hours on each puppet.
In an interview with Euskal Kazeta in their studio, Seijo pointed out that their puppets are actual marionettes that can walk and dance and sit. “You may not be interested in having them do that,” she noted about operating the puppets via a controller with strings. “But I want you to know that you bought a marionette.”
Seijo noted that she and her husband like to travel and whenever they go to different places in the world, they always look for other marionette-makers. “But we never find any,” she told Euskal Kazeta in Spanish.
The two started their artistic lives in 1983. Basterretxea is the nephew of well-known Basque sculptor Nestor Basterretxea. Nestor Basterretxea is the author of the Basque Sheepherder sculpture in Reno, Nevada. Their first project was to help his uncle complete some controversial murals for the Basilica of Arantzazu. They started working in Irun, but eventually acquired a studio in nearby Hondarribia, where they began focusing on the marionettes. Since that time, the married couple has been the focus of many articles and videos and they have participated in museum exhibits.
The artists are very traditional, preferring to do their sales in person at their shop or by phone. Most requests are made to order. Their old-school ways mean they don’t spend much time promoting themselves via social media or a website. (You can see some of the dolls on their Instagram account.) But if you find yourself in Hondarribia, be sure to stop by their shop.
Located in the historic old town of Hondarribia (Fuenterrabia) in Euskadi, Spain, their store-workshop Menina is located at Calle Mayor, 30. They can be reached by email [email protected] or phone in Spain (34) 605 77 34 87.
