Saarinen's Shadows: An Interview with Puppeteer Daniel Barash
June 2008 National Building Museum Online
On Saturday June 21, as part of the National Building Museum’s ARCHitecture Family Day, shadow puppeteer Daniel Barash will host a hands-on family workshop titled “Saarinen’s Shadows” as part the National Building Museum’s ARCHitecture Family Day. Barash is the director of the Shadow Puppet Workshop based in Silver Spring, Maryland. His one-man theater program has worked with more than 100,000 students and has been presented across the United States and around the world.
The ARCHitecture Family Day puppet workshop centers around Eero Saarinen’s world-famous St. Louis Arch. The arch, once seen as a window to westward expansion, will serve as a window to the future. Families will work together to create puppet characters and the puppet show scenery based on their view of the future. The workshop culminates in a shadow puppet performance featuring all the participants. Saarinen’s Shadows begins at 10:30 am and ends at 12:00 pm. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend arriving promptly. NBM Online interviewed Barash about his puppetry and its relationship to the world we build for ourselves.
NBM Online: How did you first become involved with shadow puppets? What was their appeal?
Daniel Barash: Interestingly enough, when I was living in New York City after college, I saw shadow puppetry being used as part of a Purim play at my synagogue. I was immediately impressed with its simple yet profound way of conveying a story, and knew that at some point, I wanted to try my hand at it.
A few years later, after I had received my master's degree [and was working as a] Theater Arts Specialist in the public schools, I had the opportunity to use it in the classroom. Fifth grade students were exploring folktales, and I developed a shadow puppetry folktale unit to explore the genre's characteristics. Both teachers and students enjoyed the shadow puppetry medium, and the students, regardless of their learning styles, found a way into the curriculum via this unique performance art.
NBM Online: How does your work relate to the built environment?
Barash: Shadow puppets themselves are very concrete, two-dimensional objects, but when illuminated behind a shadow screen, they are transformed, and thus have the power to transport the viewer to another place and time. I think that inspired built environments also have the power to transport us with their shapes, lines, and textures.
NBM Online: Are there any architectural elements you have come across that have influenced your work?
Barash: In designing and helping students design puppets, I think the relationship between positive and negative space is fascinating. Particularly the fact that shadow puppet character and scenery designs sometimes converge but often diverge from our “traditional” conceptions of what something “should” look like. One thing that I love about shadow puppetry is the creative, non-representational freedom one has to make something that isn’t bound by something as simple as gravity to which most traditional built structures must adhere!
NBM Online: What is the history of shadow puppetry and how has its original purpose changed over the years, if it has?
Barash: Shadow puppetry is thought to have begun in Asia thousands of years ago, and it also has a long history in parts of Greece and Turkey. Its purposes have always been manifold, and include the passing of epic cultural stories from generation to generation, political satire, and pure entertainment.
NBM Online: Could you speak a little bit about the process of creating a shadow puppet?
Barash: While traditional shadow puppets are often made by carving the skin of animals (often very intricately!), I use thick poster board for my student workshops and residencies. Most of the time, figures are first drawn facing sideways, in silhouette form. This design allows the puppeteer to switch the direction of the puppet with relative ease. The puppet outline is then cut out, followed by some of its inner-design details. Finally, a rod is attached to the puppet, and it is ready to come to life behind the shadow screen!
NBM Online: What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Barash: I love the fact that I am able to explore the world of shadows with so many different populations on a daily basis. Through my organization, The Shadow Puppet Workshop, I am able to work with both young and old in both formal and informal educational settings, from preschools to senior centers, public schools to private schools, libraries to museums, etc. Shadow puppetry can be used to explore stories, poetry, history, and art from around the world, and it’s very rewarding to facilitate the investigation of our world using this both ancient and contemporary art form.
