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(Redirected from Shadow puppet)
'Shadow play' (Chinese: 皮影戏, pi ying xi) is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes. The art form is sometimes called 'shadow puppetry' or 'shadow theatre' when shown under a grand presentation.
A number of terms are used to describe the different forms.
★ (皮影戏, pi ying xi) is a shadow theatre using leather puppets. The figures are usually moved behind a thin screen and is not entirely a show of shadows as it is more of a silhouette shadow. This gives the figures some color, and is not 100% black and white.
★ (纸影戏, zhi ying xi) is paper shadow theatre.
★ (中國影戏) is Chinese shadow theatre.
Shadow play originated during the Han Dynasty when one of Emperor Wu of Han's concubines died. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life[1][2]. Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show troupes in the city of Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like Persia, Arabia, and Turkey. Later, it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries[3]. The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of Buddhist sources1.
Today, puppets made of leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In Gansu province, it is accompanied by Daoqing music, while in Jilin, accompanying Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera.3
Chinese shadow theater is shown in the 1994 Zhang Yimou film ''To Live''.
The origins ofTaiwan's shadow puppetry can be traced to the Chaochow school of shadow puppet theater. Commonly known as leather monkey shows or leather shows, the shadow plays were popular in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung as early as the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Older puppeteers estimate that there were at least a hundred shadow puppet troupes in southern Taiwan in the closing years of the Qing. Traditionally, the eight to 12-inch puppet figures, and the stage scenery and props such as furniture, natural scenery, pagodas, halls, and plants are all cut from leather. As shadow puppetry is based on light penetrating through a translucent sheet of cloth, the "shadows" are actually silhouettes seen by the audience in profile or face on. Taiwan's shadow plays are accompanied by Chaochow melodies which are often called "priest's melodies" owing to their similarity with the music used by Taoist priests at funerals. A large repertoire of some 300 scripts of the southern school of drama used in shadow puppetry and dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has been preserved in Taiwan and is considered to be a priceless cultural asset.
The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries in China took it back to France in 1767 and put on performances in Paris and Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the ''Ombres Chinoises'' (French for "Chinese shadows") with local modification and embellishment, became the ''Ombres Francaises'' and struck root in the country3.
The art was a popular entertainment in Paris during the 19th century, especially in the famous nightclub district of Montmartre. The tradition in France dates back to at least the mid-18th century when it was brought back by travellers to the Orient. The puppeteer Dominique Séraphin first presented the spectacle in Paris in 1776, and in Versailles in 1781.
The cabaret Le Chat Noir ("The Black Cat") produced a number of popular ''Ombres Chinoises'' shows in the 1880s, using up to 20 assistants and a large, oxy-hydrogen back-lit performance area. The ''Ombres'' evolved into numerous theatrical productions and had a major influence on phantasmagoria.[4]
In Indonesia (notably Java and Bali), shadow puppet plays are known as ''wayang kulit''. In Javanese, ''Bayang'' means shadow or imagination, while ''Kulit'' means skin and refers to the leather that puppets are made from. Stories presented are usually mythical & morality tales. There is an educational moral to the plays which usually portray a battle between good and evil, with good always winning and evil running away (but eventually to return). The Indonesian shadow plays are sometimes considered one of the earliest examples of animation.
The puppets are made primarily of leather and manipulated with sticks or buffalo horn handles. Shadows are cast using an oil lamp or, in modern times, a halogen light, onto a cotton cloth background. They are often associated with gamelan drum music (or Pinpeat orchestral in Cambodia). Shadow plays are very popular even today. They are performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions, and for the public in the villages. A performance can last all night long, sometimes up to six hours or until dawn.
UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7 2003.
Shadow theatre in Thailand is called ''Nang Yai''; in the south there is a tradition called ''Nang Ta Lung''. Nang Yai puppets are normally made of cowhide and rattan. Performances are normally accompanied by a combination of songs and chants. Performances in Thailand were temporarily suspended in 1960 due to a fire at the national theatre. Nang drama has influenced modern Thai cinema, including filmmakers like Cherd Songsri and Payut Ngaokrachang. [5]
The Turkish tradition of shadow play called Karagöz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire and featured characters representing all of the major ethnic and social groups in that culture.[6][7] It was performed by a single puppet master, who voiced all of the characters, and accompanied by a classical Ottoman music ensemble. Its origins are obscure, deriving perhaps from an older Egyptian tradition, or possibly from an Asian source.
During the 19th century these characters were adapted to the Greek language and culture, ''Karagöz'' and ''Hacivat'' becoming Karagiozis and Hadjiavatis with each of the characters assuming stereotypically Greek personalities. This tradition thrived throughout Greece after independence as popular entertainment for a largely adult audience, particularly before competition arose from television. The stories did, however, retain the period setting in the late years of the Ottoman Empire. Karagiozis theatre has undergone some revival in recent years, with the intended audience tends largely juvenile. [8]
Shadow theater is still popular in many parts of Asia. Prahlad Acharya is one famous Indian magician who incorporates shadow theater into his work.
Shadow theatre has influenced some modern Japanese Manga. For example, the Shadow Girls ("A-ko" and "B-ko") in Revolutionary Girl Utena are portrayed entirely in silhouette, as though they were created by shadow puppets.
It also occurs occasionally in popular culture, for example in:
★ The children's television show ''Bear in the Big Blue House''
★ The staging of the Rock Island tour from Jethro Tull
★ The short film Humdrum, released in 1998
★ The 2002 horror film
★ Entertainer Bablu Mallick used shadow play as his act during various TV appearances in the 1980s, including on Paul Daniels Magic Show[9].
1. Ewart, Franzeska G. [1998] (1998). Let the Shadows speak: developing children's language through shadow puppetry. ISBN 1858560993
2. Laufer, Berthold. [1923] (1923). Oriental Theatricals. Field Museum of Natural history Chicago. No ISBN digitized text
3. Chinavista. "Chinavista." ''The Shadow show.'' Retrieved on 2007-05-26.
4. ''The Spirit of Montmartre: Cabarets, Humor and the Avant-Garde, 1875-1905''. edited by Phillip Dennis Cate and Mary Shaw (1996) , excerpted on line as Henri Riviere : Le Chat Noir and 'Shadow theatre'.
Nowadays, several theater companies in France are developping the practice of shadow puppets. We can quote the companies : Le Petit Miroir, Le Théâtre des Ombres, La Loupiote.
5. Nang Ta Lung, excerpted from ''Siam Smile Airport Magazine'', July 1997, p.62-66; Rmayana theatre in India and South-East Asia, on carnatica.net; The Nang: Thai Shadow Puppets, University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology; Nang Yai from Mahidol University.
6. Allaboutturkey
7. Emin Şenyer: Karagoz Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre
8. Athensguide
9. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/643983
★ Wayang Kulit Video
★ The History of the Discovery of Cinematography An Illustrated Chronology
Chinese Shadow Theatre figures
'Shadow play' (Chinese: 皮影戏, pi ying xi) is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes. The art form is sometimes called 'shadow puppetry' or 'shadow theatre' when shown under a grand presentation.
| Contents |
| Terminology |
| China |
| Taiwan |
| France |
| Indonesia |
| Thailand |
| The Ottoman Shadow Play and its Turkish and Greek descendents |
| Shadow puppetry today |
| Gallery |
| References |
| External links |
Terminology
A number of terms are used to describe the different forms.
★ (皮影戏, pi ying xi) is a shadow theatre using leather puppets. The figures are usually moved behind a thin screen and is not entirely a show of shadows as it is more of a silhouette shadow. This gives the figures some color, and is not 100% black and white.
★ (纸影戏, zhi ying xi) is paper shadow theatre.
★ (中國影戏) is Chinese shadow theatre.
China
Shadow play originated during the Han Dynasty when one of Emperor Wu of Han's concubines died. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life[1][2]. Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show troupes in the city of Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like Persia, Arabia, and Turkey. Later, it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries[3]. The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of Buddhist sources1.
Today, puppets made of leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In Gansu province, it is accompanied by Daoqing music, while in Jilin, accompanying Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera.3
Chinese shadow theater is shown in the 1994 Zhang Yimou film ''To Live''.
Taiwan
The origins ofTaiwan's shadow puppetry can be traced to the Chaochow school of shadow puppet theater. Commonly known as leather monkey shows or leather shows, the shadow plays were popular in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung as early as the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Older puppeteers estimate that there were at least a hundred shadow puppet troupes in southern Taiwan in the closing years of the Qing. Traditionally, the eight to 12-inch puppet figures, and the stage scenery and props such as furniture, natural scenery, pagodas, halls, and plants are all cut from leather. As shadow puppetry is based on light penetrating through a translucent sheet of cloth, the "shadows" are actually silhouettes seen by the audience in profile or face on. Taiwan's shadow plays are accompanied by Chaochow melodies which are often called "priest's melodies" owing to their similarity with the music used by Taoist priests at funerals. A large repertoire of some 300 scripts of the southern school of drama used in shadow puppetry and dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has been preserved in Taiwan and is considered to be a priceless cultural asset.
France
The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries in China took it back to France in 1767 and put on performances in Paris and Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the ''Ombres Chinoises'' (French for "Chinese shadows") with local modification and embellishment, became the ''Ombres Francaises'' and struck root in the country3.
The art was a popular entertainment in Paris during the 19th century, especially in the famous nightclub district of Montmartre. The tradition in France dates back to at least the mid-18th century when it was brought back by travellers to the Orient. The puppeteer Dominique Séraphin first presented the spectacle in Paris in 1776, and in Versailles in 1781.
The cabaret Le Chat Noir ("The Black Cat") produced a number of popular ''Ombres Chinoises'' shows in the 1880s, using up to 20 assistants and a large, oxy-hydrogen back-lit performance area. The ''Ombres'' evolved into numerous theatrical productions and had a major influence on phantasmagoria.[4]
Indonesia
In Indonesia (notably Java and Bali), shadow puppet plays are known as ''wayang kulit''. In Javanese, ''Bayang'' means shadow or imagination, while ''Kulit'' means skin and refers to the leather that puppets are made from. Stories presented are usually mythical & morality tales. There is an educational moral to the plays which usually portray a battle between good and evil, with good always winning and evil running away (but eventually to return). The Indonesian shadow plays are sometimes considered one of the earliest examples of animation.
The puppets are made primarily of leather and manipulated with sticks or buffalo horn handles. Shadows are cast using an oil lamp or, in modern times, a halogen light, onto a cotton cloth background. They are often associated with gamelan drum music (or Pinpeat orchestral in Cambodia). Shadow plays are very popular even today. They are performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions, and for the public in the villages. A performance can last all night long, sometimes up to six hours or until dawn.
UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7 2003.
Thailand
Shadow theatre in Thailand is called ''Nang Yai''; in the south there is a tradition called ''Nang Ta Lung''. Nang Yai puppets are normally made of cowhide and rattan. Performances are normally accompanied by a combination of songs and chants. Performances in Thailand were temporarily suspended in 1960 due to a fire at the national theatre. Nang drama has influenced modern Thai cinema, including filmmakers like Cherd Songsri and Payut Ngaokrachang. [5]
The Ottoman Shadow Play and its Turkish and Greek descendents
The Turkish tradition of shadow play called Karagöz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire and featured characters representing all of the major ethnic and social groups in that culture.[6][7] It was performed by a single puppet master, who voiced all of the characters, and accompanied by a classical Ottoman music ensemble. Its origins are obscure, deriving perhaps from an older Egyptian tradition, or possibly from an Asian source.
During the 19th century these characters were adapted to the Greek language and culture, ''Karagöz'' and ''Hacivat'' becoming Karagiozis and Hadjiavatis with each of the characters assuming stereotypically Greek personalities. This tradition thrived throughout Greece after independence as popular entertainment for a largely adult audience, particularly before competition arose from television. The stories did, however, retain the period setting in the late years of the Ottoman Empire. Karagiozis theatre has undergone some revival in recent years, with the intended audience tends largely juvenile. [8]
Shadow puppetry today
Shadow theater is still popular in many parts of Asia. Prahlad Acharya is one famous Indian magician who incorporates shadow theater into his work.
Shadow theatre has influenced some modern Japanese Manga. For example, the Shadow Girls ("A-ko" and "B-ko") in Revolutionary Girl Utena are portrayed entirely in silhouette, as though they were created by shadow puppets.
It also occurs occasionally in popular culture, for example in:
★ The children's television show ''Bear in the Big Blue House''
★ The staging of the Rock Island tour from Jethro Tull
★ The short film Humdrum, released in 1998
★ The 2002 horror film
★ Entertainer Bablu Mallick used shadow play as his act during various TV appearances in the 1980s, including on Paul Daniels Magic Show[9].
Gallery
References
1. Ewart, Franzeska G. [1998] (1998). Let the Shadows speak: developing children's language through shadow puppetry. ISBN 1858560993
2. Laufer, Berthold. [1923] (1923). Oriental Theatricals. Field Museum of Natural history Chicago. No ISBN digitized text
3. Chinavista. "Chinavista." ''The Shadow show.'' Retrieved on 2007-05-26.
4. ''The Spirit of Montmartre: Cabarets, Humor and the Avant-Garde, 1875-1905''. edited by Phillip Dennis Cate and Mary Shaw (1996) , excerpted on line as Henri Riviere : Le Chat Noir and 'Shadow theatre'.
Nowadays, several theater companies in France are developping the practice of shadow puppets. We can quote the companies : Le Petit Miroir, Le Théâtre des Ombres, La Loupiote.
5. Nang Ta Lung, excerpted from ''Siam Smile Airport Magazine'', July 1997, p.62-66; Rmayana theatre in India and South-East Asia, on carnatica.net; The Nang: Thai Shadow Puppets, University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology; Nang Yai from Mahidol University.
6. Allaboutturkey
7. Emin Şenyer: Karagoz Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre
8. Athensguide
9. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/643983
External links
★ Wayang Kulit Video
★ The History of the Discovery of Cinematography An Illustrated Chronology
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