Where Puppets, Whales & Wild Imagination Collides | Dream Space | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | SSAK Creative Group | The Crate @ Assembly George Square

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At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Dream Space by 창작집단 SSAK (SSAK Creative Group) unfolded like a poetic vision of the unconscious brought to life on stage. Known in South Korea for their fiercely imaginative works that merge puppetry, physical theatre, music, and visual art, SSAK presented a show that feels both enigmatic and astonishingly intimate—a space where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and dreams breathe in real time.

Across its three dreamlike stories, the piece captures the eternal paradox of being lost, yet desperately wanting to be found. In The Legend, a trainee wizard faces the impossible task of protecting his village from extreme weather. Here, the puppetry is ingenious: human hands, enhanced with accessories, lighting effects and a little dash of magic are instilled with personality and purpose. What could be a simple gesture transforms into something magical—familiar yet strangely new.

In Castaway, the mood shifts to playful absurdity. Two men, stranded on a desert island with only their football Wilson for company, navigate survival with wit and despair. The rod puppets carry the humour and pathos of the piece, but it is the mischievous pelican—crafted from a humble hair clip—that steals the show in this story, a perfect example of how SSAK transforms the simplest objects into living, breathing characters.

The final tale, The Whale and the Girl, is breathtaking in scope and emotion. Stunningly realised puppets tell the story of a young girl who befriends a baby whale and journeys to reunite it with its mother. The fluidity of movement, the scale of the puppets, and the emotional weight of the story create a sequence that feels both wondrous and deeply moving—an ode to connection and care that resonates with audiences of all ages long after the lights fade.

What makes Dream Space extraordinary is its bold refusal to confine itself to linear storytelling. Like dreams, it drifts between tenderness, humour, and awe, inviting the audience to surrender to mood and sensation rather than seek easy answers. There’s almost no spoken language, just movement, music, and puppets, but somehow the stories are crystal clear. Each tale unfolds physically: performers contort, sway, and leap, explaining beautiful moments with a glance, a hand gesture or a perfectly timed pause.

Even sound becomes its own character. From whispered voices to the foley of live percussion, each carefully curated noise pulls you deeper into this dreamlike universe. And the puppets! Whether delicate hand puppet creations, cheeky rod creations or whales which are somehow both stunningly life-like and magically dream-like. They act as translators of the heart, bringing clarity, humour and wonder to every story.

A sensory triumph of vision, intimacy and imagination. This is a show where the impossible becomes possible—and where the boundaries of art and language dissolve into wonder. Who needs words when your heart can follow the magic? Dream Space reminds you exactly that.

The Arts Business Top Tips

1. Innovative Storytelling as Your Brand

• Use unique, memorable approaches to differentiate yourself from competitors. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to brand strategy.

• Create campaigns that tell a story visually, audibly, or interactively, instead of relying on conventional sales pitches… think John Lewis Christmas Adverts.

• Develop signature experiences—like SSAK’s non-linear, dreamlike narratives—that make your brand instantly recognisable.

• Turn behind-the-scenes processes into content that reinforces your brand’s creativity and ethos. This works particularly well on social media as your following want to see unique content that they wouldn’t see otherwise.

2. Immersive Audience Engagement

• SSAK creates moments of interactivity like asking the audience to step through the waves of the sea into their first story, or setting the scene for the child in the audience with a bubble machine! Why not invite your audience to participate actively rather than passively consume.

• Think about hosting interactive workshops, demos or virtual experiences where customers physically or digitally engage with your products or services.

• Encourage social media participation with challenges, polls, or gamified content.

• Personalize customer journeys so they feel part of the story you’re telling, all the way from the first impression on social media to keeping in touch with previous customers on mailing list.

3. Resourcefulness and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

• SSAK leverages both the differentiating skill sets of their cast and a whole host of different materials creatively to maximise the impact of their storytelling.

• Repurpose simple, inexpensive items for high-impact presentations, events or content (like SSAK’s use of everyday objects to make puppets or array of different instruments to create soundscapes).

• Consider partnering with other businesses or creators to combine different skills and expertise for richer campaigns.

• Encourage your team to test integrating different disciplines, inspiring unexpected innovations. Contemplate introducing different skill training to encourage experimentation further.

4. Communicating Emotion and Value Without Words

• Focus on universal human experiences that resonate regardless of culture or language, like stories of friendship, struggles and reward or (as SSAK have done) finding something that was lost.

• Use visuals, movement or music in branding to convey your message in an intuitive, emotional way, rather than relying upon language.

• Develop strong storytelling through infographics, animations or experiential marketing. There are no wrong moves here if you are having a go and creating something fun and engaging.

• Tap into emotional triggers, the joys, wonder or curiosity your show, event or art will bring, rather than just selling features.

5. Crafting Memorable, Shareable Experiences

• Create moments that stick with your audience and encourage organic promotion. The amount of reposting from different companies from the Fringe presenting their interaction with the beautiful puppets taken out by SSAK when flyering has helped spread the word of their show amongst both festival goers and performers alike.

• Design immersive pop-ups, events or digital experiences that leave a lasting impression.

• Use multisensory experiences (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to make your product or service unforgettable.

• Ensure consistency in visual identity and messaging so that every interaction reinforces your brand and its story.