Explorations into Shadow Puppets
This page focuses on experiments during the Advanced Shadow Puppetry course with Matthew Isaac Cohen, at the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Complex USA, Spring 2022.
First exploration into Wayang Kulit shadow theatre
This is my first wayang kulit scene performed to an extract from the Wayang Esther by Barbara Benary - The Me Song. Sorry about poor sound quality, which is taken from video of a live performance.
Exploration in Overhead Projector Puppetry
Another rendition of a song from Wayang Esther this time using OHP shadow techniques across two OHPs with jointed figures, acetates and liquids.
Carving a Wayang Kulit Puppet
In zoom classes with Ki Joko Sisulo, a Wayang Kulit dalang (master puppeteer) we learned how to carve a Wayang Kulit shadow puppet from strong cardboard using traditional Javanese chisels and methods.
Wayang Esther
I was Assistant Dalang to Dalang Professor Matthew Cohen in this live production of Wayang Esther. The Dalang (Master Puppeteer) performs all the puppets and some percussion during the shadow play. The live show, performed across three screens, included live music from Gamelan Son of Lion and OHP shadows from UConn Puppet Arts Students. Wayang Esther is a Purimspiel on the Book of Esther and was performed during Purim (a Jewish celebration) at the Mandell JCC in Hartford, Connecticut
Rise and Fall - final shadow project
The Greenwich Guildhall Time Ball is an historic time-keeping device. It is a large golden sphere mounted onto a 196ft mast on the roof of the Guildhall in Hull, a major shipping port in the North of England. At a specific time each day, the ball drops down the mast to show the time to ships on the Humber Estuary and River Hull. Last used in 1922, the Greenwich Guildhall Time Ball Hull is being brought back into action after nearly 100 years and will be operational again in 2022.
This project uses a verbatim account of the Guildhall clock custodian, as a soundtrack for a contemporary OHP shadow play that explores the mechanism of the historic time ball and the social and technological changes that resulted in its creation.
