Shadow dreams of Anino Shadowplay Collective, a group of multimedia artists dedicated to popularizing the art of shadowplay in the Philippines, collaborated with Karilyo, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s (DLS-CSB) shadow puppeteers, to showcase a Halloween-themed performance called “Sombra Carillo” last October 15 to 17 at the SDA Black Box.
The event consisted of four individual shadowplay performances; the first three included mythical stories told time and again in Philippine culture while the last one was a production called “Arkipelago 2: Story of Intima-sea” by Anino Shadowplay Collective dedicated to one of their members and Karilyo’s past adviser, Mr. Don Salubayba, who passed away last March.
The first shadowplay featured engkantos, who are creatures with supernatural powers that can either be helpful or harmful to human beings. The second production was the portrayal of the Bakunawa, a mythological dragon who causes eclipse by eating the moon. The third shadowplay featured how the Manananggal, a flesh-eating, halved bodied creature, came to be. Lastly, the fourth act was an abstract shadowplay performance representing Mr. Salubayba’s life.
“Sombra means shadow and Carillo is the name of our group. What inspired us with this event were the dates–since it [the show] is close to Halloween, we associated our event with it. Plus we, the Karilyos, also like to [include] the Philippine culture [in our shows], thus, the Philippine mythical stories.” Chriskindlie Santiago, the manager of Karilyo, said.
“I was really amazed that you can do so much and even tell a story through shadow puppetry with the proper use of lights and projection. I’d love to see another show like this,” shared by Bryan Leynes, 3rd year student of Game Design and Development.
Anino Shadowplay Collective has represented the country in various shadow puppet competitions and performances. The team performed in World Puppet Carnival last August 2013 at Jakarta, Indonesia, where they represented the country. Later this year, Anino will perform Arkipelago 2: A story of Intima-sea, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
