Shadow Puppets

As the fall winds on and the sun sets earlier and earlier, we take a cue to delve into shadow puppet play. In this session of our “Stories in Motion” group we constructed shadow puppets from cardboard, pipe cleaners, tape, fabric scraps and popsicle sticks. 

We took some inspiration from a shadow puppet manual made in the 1800s by Japanese printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige (famous for his views of Mt. Fuji and the wave):

Some of us weren’t sure what we were making until we tested out our constructions with a flashlight—in the shadows we discovered submarines and sand boats, creatures with noses full of boogers, and a man with dancing arms. Everyone let materials guide them and kept changing their objects after testing them in shadow space, it was very exciting!