Playing with Shadows

Light and shadow were the theme for this project, and one of the readings, "Black Box: Between the Lens and the Eyepiece" by the artist William Kentridge, got me to thinking about how my kids play with shadows, and how fascinating shadows really are. In this article, Kentridge talks about "shadow puppets", crating a shadow on the wall using backlit hands. We have all done that--playing around with how to get your hands placed "just so" in order to make the shadow look like a dog, a bunny, or a bird--that is about the extent of my shadow puppet abilities! What Kentridge pointed out, was that we know that the shadow is not that of an actual animal, that it is an illusion created by our hands and the use of light and shadow, but that we tend to "recognize the pleasure that you derive from this self deception". That we cannot "stop the suspension of disbelief". I love that he was able to put that feeling into words. Just because I know that the shadows are not actual creatures, it is so much fun, and perhaps a personal challenge, to make them. I love being taken to a different place through imagination and suspension of disbelief whether it is a movie, book, etc. Throw three kids in the mix, and its a party! Their creativity in not only making the shadow puppets themselves, but suspending their disbelief and delighting in the shadows is such a joy to experience. All of my kids, the 2 younger boys aged 3 and 8 in particular, sleep with lights or flashlights at night. Sometimes it is used as a security blanket, to scare away unwanted shadows, other times it becomes a crazy lazer-beam light show, but often, they make shadow puppets on the wall, and make up little plays or stories to go along with the shadow characters they are creating, and have many minutes of entertainment and pleasure! To see that Kentridge can use "shadow puppets" in quite a more sophisticated manner, and with such underlying commentary about racial wars, violence, and history, but also with a sense of playfulness, is wonderful.