Silhouettes and shadow puppets
Dark shapes against the light tell stories.
Silhouettes
A silhouette is a dark outline of something against a bright light. At sunset, trees, people and boats become black silhouettes. You see the shape, but no colours or details.
Silhouettes are popular in photography – take a picture of a friend standing in front of a bright window or sunset.
Shadow puppets
Shadow puppets are flat cut-outs, often made of leather or card. A light shines from behind them onto a cloth screen. The audience on the other side sees the shadows move.
In shadow puppet theatre, the puppeteer often also tells the story and sings, while musicians play drums and gongs.
Puppets across Asia
Shadow puppet theatre is an old tradition in many countries. In Indonesia it is called wayang kulit. China, India and Turkey have their own styles. Puppeteers tell stories of heroes and animals with music.
Puppets with holes cut in them make patterns of light inside the shadow. Coloured, translucent puppets make coloured shadows.
Making your own
Cut out a shape from card and tape it to a stick. Shine a torch behind it onto a wall. Move the puppet closer to the torch to make it bigger.
Split pins at the joints let your puppet move its arms and legs. Thin sticks make it easy to move without blocking the light.
What I learnt
- I know what a silhouette is.
- I can make shadow puppets and change the size of their shadows.