Shadowgraphy (performing art) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Shadowgraphy or ombromanie is the art of performing a story or show using images made by hand shadows. It can be called "cinema in silhouette". Performers of the art are often called a shadowgraphist or shadowgrapher.

The art has declined since the late 19th century when electricity became available to homes because light bulbs and electric lamps do not give off good shadows and also because cinema and television were becoming a new form of entertainment. Shadows are greatly defined by candlelight and therefore hand shadows were common in earlier centuries.

The modern art of hand shadows was made popular by the French entertainer Félicien Trewey

Félicien Trewey

Félicien Trewey, born Félicien-François Trevey , was a French magician, mime, comedian, vaudevillian, tightrope walker, balance artist, dancer, musician, chapeaugraphist and shadowgraphist. The principal of Trewey's entertainment was balancing tricks, which at the time he was a grand master. He was...

in the 19th century. He popularized the art by making silhouettes of famous personalities.

Origin

Since shadows have existed since the existence of objects obstructing light, it is hard to say when the art was first used by humans for entertainment. It could have been practiced by ancient or later humans, but it probably originated in the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

. The French entertainer Félicien Trewey was interested in the art of Chinese shadow puppetry called Ombres Chinoises, which means "Chinese shadows". He popularized the art of hand shadows when he developed shadows of famous silhouettes. It then became popular in Europe in the 19th century.

Prevalence

Though the art is popular amongst different kinds of entertainers it seems prominent amongst magicians, because it was popularized by a magician who inspired many other magicians. Félicien Trewey who popularized the art perfected the widely known elephant, bird, and cat hand shadows and had even created some of his own, such as The Volunteer, Robinson Crusoe, The Jockey, The Rope Dancer and more. In 1889 he joined with Alexander Herrmann

Alexander Herrmann

Alexander Herrmann was a French magician, better known as Herrmann the Great. He was part of the Herrmann family name that is known as the "first-family of magic". Those who witnessed Herrmann the Great perform considered him the greatest magician they ever saw...

who most likely learned it from Trewey. David Tobias Bamberg most likely learned it from Alexander who then passed it down to his son Okito (Tobias Leendert Bamberg) who then passed it down to his son Fu Manchu

David (Fu Manchu) Bamberg

David Tobias "Theodore" Bamberg was an itinerant magician that traveled with his full evening magic show from the early to mid part of the 20th century. In Bamberg's autobiography, Robert Parrish wrote in the introduction that no other great illusionist could match David's skill. The Fu Manchu...

(David Theodore Bamberg). Other magicians who used hand shadows in their act includes David Devant

David Devant

David Devant was an English magician, shadowgraphist and film exhibitor. He was born David Wighton in Holloway, London...

, Edward Victor

Edward Victor

-History:Edward Victor was born Edward Neuschwander in England.Edward was early member of the Magic Circle and for over thirty years was president of the Merlin Magical Society....

, and the duo Holden and Graham

Max Holden (magic)

William Holden Maxwell was a Scottish-born Americanvaudeville performance artist and magician.-Early life:The son of a cabinetmaker,...

in which Max Holden was famous for his "Monkey in the Belfry" shadow. The magician well known today in shadowgraphy is the Australian Raymond Crowe

Raymond Crowe

Raymond Crowe is an Australian mime artist, magician and cabaret performer. Originally from Adelaide, Raymond Crowe describes himself as Australia's only Unusualist....

whose hand shadow act performed to the song "What a Wonderful World

What a Wonderful World

"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999...

" by Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....

has become extremely popular, especially on YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

Hands

The hands are usually exercised and different finger positions are practiced to help aid in forming the shadows.

Light source

The light source to be used should be small and bright. The best shadows come from light proceeding from the smallest possible point. Albert Almoznino suggests to use a candle, a flashlight (with the lens and reflector removed) or any very small light. If a bulb is used, it should be clear. J. C. Cannell suggests in his book, Modern Conjuring For Amateurs, that the best source of light to be used is the electric arc

Electric arc

An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. An arc discharge is characterized by a lower voltage than a glow discharge, and relies on...

, which Almoznino agrees to the small arc lamp

Arc lamp

"Arc lamp" or "arc light" is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc . The lamp consists of two electrodes, first made from carbon but typically made today of tungsten, which are separated by a gas...

, and the second best being the limelight

Limelight

Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime , which can be heated to 2572 °C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and...

(if used with a high-class jet). Trewey suggests unless the chalk for the limelight is cut in a triangular form, it will produce a gray border around the edge of the shadow. Cannell states another favourite amongst shadowgraphists is the use of acetylene gas (i.e. acetylene gas lamp or carbide lamp

Carbide lamp

Carbide lamps, properly known as acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide with water....

Blank surface

Albert Almoznino suggests to use a white or light colored wall or a white sheet or table cloth for a small audience such as in a private home. If a wall is dark-colored, the sheet or table cloth can be hung against it. If you're performing for a large audience such as in an auditorium or on a stage, he suggests a screen made of muslin

Muslin

Muslin |sewing patterns]], such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.- Etymology and history :...

or other thin cloth attached to a frame. In a nightclub, hall or small theater, he suggests a nylon screen on a pliable aluminum frame. It is a screen sometimes used for TV projection and is called a rear projection screen; but the light must be stronger such as a small spotlight without the projector, lenses, or diffusers, or a motion-picture projector with the front lenses removed.

Performance

The performer should sit or stand between the light source and the blank surface. The performer also has the option to perform in front of the performance surface or behind it, each with different advantages. The performer has another option to perform from the left or the right of the light source. The farther the hands are from the light, the smaller the shadows will be, while the closer the hands are to the light, the larger the shadows will be. Also, the closer you are to the blank surface, the sharper your shadows will be. Trewey suggests that the most convenient distance for the light from the hands is four feet while the hands from the performance surface should be about six feet. The performer should always watch their shadows instead of their hands.

The picture shadows should have movement to give them distinctive motions and gestures to bring them to life and give them character. Some shadows are performed with accessories attached to the hands or fingers to achieve movements or images not applicable to hands alone.

Notable shadowgraphers

Albert Almoznino
Albert Almoznino
Albert Almoznino is an Israeli hand shadow artist. He gained international recognition in the years 1958-1975 when he performed his hand shadow skills in front of thousands of people at Radio City Music Hall New York, Paris Olympia, Reno Nevada, "The Ed Sullivan Show" and other...
Amar Sen
Bablu Mallick
Félicien Trewey
Félicien Trewey
Félicien Trewey, born Félicien-François Trevey , was a French magician, mime, comedian, vaudevillian, tightrope walker, balance artist, dancer, musician, chapeaugraphist and shadowgraphist. The principal of Trewey's entertainment was balancing tricks, which at the time he was a grand master. He was...
Henry Bursill
Max Holden
Max Holden (magic)
William Holden Maxwell was a Scottish-born Americanvaudeville performance artist and magician.-Early life:The son of a cabinetmaker,...
Philippe Beau
Prahlad Acharya
Prahlad Acharya
Prahlad Acharya is a popular magician, illusionist, escapologist, and stunt performer from Udupi, Karnataka, India. Renowned for his escape acts, Prahlad has been termed Indian Houdini by the Indian media. Prahlad is also an entertaining ventriloquist, and an expert shadow play artiste...
Raymond Crowe
Raymond Crowe
Raymond Crowe is an Australian mime artist, magician and cabaret performer. Originally from Adelaide, Raymond Crowe describes himself as Australia's only Unusualist....
Sati Achath

Books

Hand Shadows to be Thrown Upon the Wall by Henry Bursill (1859)
Hand Shadows - Second Series by Henry Bursill (1860)
Home Fun by Cecil H. Bullivant (1910)--contains a chapter on Hand Shadows
The Art of Shadowgraphy - How it is Done by Trewey (1920)
Hand Shadows: The Complete Art of Shadowgraphy by Lois Nikola (1921)
The Art of Hand Shadows by Albert Almoznino (1970)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.