Having been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Detroit Institute of Arts in the United States has provided those stuck at home a chance to watch arts and cultural events online through their "Your DIA at Home" project.
Among these are two outstanding shows by Taiwan’s Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Theatre Troupe, "The Sandbag Trilogy" and "The Mountain of Flames," which are being shown on the DIA YouTube channel.
With five generations of history in Kaohsiung, the troupe is dedicated to bringing puppet theatre to stages at home and abroad. "The Sandbag Trilogy" incorporates new ideas from modern life into this traditional art, while "The Mountain of Flames" combines classic literary work "Journey to the West" with fascinating puppetry action and sound to present the story in a new way.
Larry Baranski, director of public programming at DIA, said that watching this century-old troupe perform gives one a sense of Taiwanese life and customs, and that the institute's collection of hand-made puppets from the troupe will give American visitors a chance to appreciate the beauty of Taiwanese puppet craft.
Chang Hui-chun, director of the Ministry of Culture’s Taipei Cultural Center in New York, says that the DIA is home to the sixth largest collection in the United States, including over 800 pieces of puppetry. This time, the institute has used picture-in-picture to show the performance of the puppeteer, while providing English subtitles to help the audience understand the plot. Through the backstage view and English subtitles, they will be better able to appreciate the art of puppetry and the craft used in this century-old art form.
Detroit Institute of Arts — "Your DIA at Home"
Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Theatre Troupe
Screening Period: Until the end of 2020
Site: https://www.dia.org/athome (Art Videos section)