2021
2024

Shadow Puppet

Charlie Grisham

Charlie Grisham

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

2021
2024

Shadow Puppet

Charlie Grisham

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

2021
2024

Shadow Puppet

Charlie Grisham

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

Shadow Puppet is a light that casts shadows with dynamic, adaptable shapes. Made from vacuum-formed transparent PETG situated inside of a black box with a very small but powerful LED, the design takes inspiration from Linnebach projectors commonly used for short-throw shadow puppetry in the 19th century. Opaque black liquid rolls inside of the interior of the plastic container, pooling and filling the various cavities and creating shadows based on the forms that the liquid takes. Formed around a 3D printed bas relief of internal organ shapes referenced in the anatomical sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, the projected shadows place us directly inside of the puppet, externalizing the internal corporeality of the human body, and creating a microscopic intimacy. Users interact with the light by tilting the box, which directs the flow of liquid toward the different spaces inside, taking advantage of a fully analog interface, similar to the control of a marionette puppet.

Shadow Puppet