Melody Su
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Shadow Puppetry Experience Kit — First Version (2025)
Research Question
How can a visual, interactive system teach audiences to genuinely and respectfully observe vanishing traditional art forms?
Shadow Puppetry Experience Kit is a modular, hands-on learning system designed to guide audiences in observing, understanding, and engaging with Chinese shadow puppetry as a living cultural practice rather than a static artifact. Responding to the gradual disappearance of traditional performance knowledge, the project emphasizes how to look, how to listen, and how to connect.
The experience takes the form of an interactive shadow puppet box composed of four interconnected modules: Instruction Book, Stage, Background Holder, and Shadow Puppets. Learning unfolds through guided observation and physical interaction, encouraging slowed attention to the fundamental elements of shadow play: light, shadow, movement, sound, and narrative.
At the core of the system, five characters function as symbolic anchors, each representing a key element of shadow puppetry. Pangu embodies light, the origin of all visual perception. Nüwa represents shadow and form, where carved figures emerge through illumination. The Monkey King symbolizes the puppet and movement, acting as a conduit between intention and action. Pipa Lady stands for sound, infusing emotion and rhythm into the performance. Tang Sanzang represents narrative and drama, the element that binds all others into a coherent story. Each character is paired with a dedicated background panel, allowing users to explore how setting and atmosphere shape meaning within the performance.
Together, these characters form an observational framework—Light → Shadow/Form → Puppet/Movement → Sound → Narrative—guiding audiences to experience shadow puppetry as an interconnected system rather than a singular spectacle. Through instruction, staging, and interaction, the project proposes a contemporary approach to cultural learning that prioritizes attentiveness, respect, and continuity.