Shadow puppetry is an ancient art form over 1,000 years old that originated in India and Egypt. A traditional form of shadow puppetry from Indonesia is called Wayang Kulit, where handcrafted puppets made of pressed buffalo hide and painted with gold leaf are held up to a backlit screen while musicians and a puppeteer tell stories. Traditionally, the puppeteer chooses stories that illustrate solutions to issues facing the local community.

1. STORYTELLING WITH
SHADOW PUPPETS
Jessica Rolen

2. SHADOW PUPPETRY
 Shadow puppetry is an ancient art form in which shadow images
of elaborately handcrafted puppets are projected onto a screen
 Over 1,000 years old
 Originated in India and Egypt and overtime became a prominent
part of Indonesian culture.

3. SHADOW PUPPETRY
Materials
 Traditional form of storytelling is
known as Wayang Kulit (Shadow Skin)
 Constructed from pressed
and dried buffalo hide
 Involves: performance of
 Hand painted with gold leaf
musicians, a puppeteer (dhalang) and a
and colorful pigments
series of two-dimensional puppets that
 Polished section of buffalo
are projected on a backlit screen.
horn that functions as a handle

6. STORYTELLING
 Traditionally the shadow plays are performed based on the specific
community in which they are being presented
 The dhalang or puppeteer asks the village about the local issues
they are facing and then chooses a story that illustrates solutions

7. FIVE STORY ELEMENTS
 The Five Essential Elements of a Story
http://www.katiekazoo.com/pdf/KK_FiveEssentialElements.pdf

8. REFERENCES
 http://www.worldartswest.org/plm/guide/locator/shadowpuppet
.shtml (Shadow Puppet Information)
 http://www.katiekazoo.com/pdf/KK_FiveEssentialElements.pdf
(Handout)
 Bridging The Curriculum Through Art Interdisciplinary
Connections, Second Edition
 Google Images