Stephen Mottram's work dispels any notions that puppetry is merely enchantment or entertainment. His art haunts and leaves the viewer with an uneasy questioning. It's like gazing at a Francis Bacon painting: one is simultaneously drawn, repelled and puzzled. Distortion provokes insight. Mottram presents the human condition in terms of process. Man is a mere creature subject to the power which ensures continuity of existence, but guarantees little joy beyond a rare aspirational leap and scant certainty beyond the inevitable resumption of the life cycle.

It is close to performance art. Mottram is not only the manipulator of the figures but he is part of the dominant forces at work in the play. There are no words, just a haunting musical score by Glynn Perrin, which stretches the significance of the piece across language barriers.

The scale of the puppets ensures that Mottram looms over the action, a Gulliver in his own Lilliput. He challenges his own dexterity with an ambitious range of activities. He uses ingenious motorised figures to extend the narrative possibilities; at times the transitions from scene to scene are laboured, but the central outcome is a series of unforgettable scenes which explore the concept of man as paltry specimen in a ruthless universe.

The Seed Carriers is a serious, significant work which pushes the limits of the medium into the realm of philosophy. It has the power to disturb and should not be missed.

Final performance tonight. To book phone 01-2800974. The International Puppet Festival runs until Sunday