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Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark - shadow puppet public event

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - Moon illustration for shadow puppets and silhouettes

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - was a festival of art and participation events with a dark and shadowy theme, curated by Middlesbrough Council as part of Discover Middesbrough.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - Moon illustration for shadow puppets and silhouettes

I created a series of several Illustrator drawings, combing local landmarks with film noir references - these were then printed onto frosted acetate sheets which I mounted into wooden frames to be used as shadow screens. 

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - Hitchcock and Transporter Bridge illustration for shadow puppets and silhouettes

Hitchcock Transporter Bridge

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - crow shadow puppets and silhouettes

Some themed worksheets were provided, with lots of craft materials, so that participants could make their own puppets and have a bit of fun creating and sharing their own shadow play.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - art and craft materials for shadow puppets and silhouettes
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - The Birds Hitchcock activity sheet for shadow puppets and silhouettes
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - The Birds Hitchcock activity sheet for shadow puppets and silhouettes
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - dark fairy and moth activity sheet for shadow puppets and silhouettes
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - monster activity sheet for shadow puppets and silhouettes
Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - monster and gothic chair shadow puppets and silhouettes

Lots of participants made their own puppets and animated their own stories. It was a busy night for me, as I spent a lot of time handing out craft materials and holding up a mirror so that people could  see how their puppets looked. For some really great images and a very insightful account of the evening, there's a great blog of the night.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - public art event- Middlesbrough - moon and aeroplane shadow puppets and silhouettes