Shadow Puppetry

In the year 360 BC in his book "The Republic", Plato the Greek philosopher, described moving shadows being cast onto the walls of caves as prehistoric people dance around a fire. This is possibly the first reference ever made to moving images. Medieval puppeteers also used light and shadows to produce images that went along with the telling of their myths and legends. These early techniques that developed in Java, China and India began to appear in Europe in the late eighteenth century.
(There is a local theater troupe called "The Paperhand Puppet Intervention" that uses these techniques currently to put on shows in Chapel Hill's Forrest Theater, The Carrboro Arts Center and other local venues.)
The students will be learning about and experimenting with this art form. This project will be a collaborative project with not only Art students but English and Music as well. The process of putting together such a production is similar to the process of film and theater production, thus it mimics some real life expectations that working artists face.