for spreading their religion.

The shadow play became more than a carrier of mythological knowledge, it became an instrument of priests and kings to
establish and further their power. As always this power function is two sided, as shadow play could be made with very sim-
ple means, it was a also tactical tool to comment on power misuse, it could stir the flame of revolt as well.

There is migration of the idea through Jesuit priests from China into Europe as Ombres Chinoises in the 16th and 17th cen-
tury. There is the name of a 15th century Turkish Sultan and conqueror, Selim, who was ransacking Egypt and was im-
pressed by a shadow play he saw there and ordered a new shadow play glorifying his victories. Wajang became Karagoez,
from the Turkish word of black/shadow and with the expansion of the Turkish empire Kargoez was spreading around the
Mediterranean sea into North Africa and even in the 19th century into Greece, where this form of folk theater took the
Turkish name Karagkiozes. The Turkish empire was a neighbor of Italy for centuries, so the art of shadow play also found
its way into Italy. In the same time there is a renewed interest for projection of images (in those times often called shad-
ows) by lanterns, and different kinds of optics: the Laterna Magica. We know about Egyptian priest and the biblical magi-
cians Endor who had a lantern that could cast white shadows, there are the magic mirrors that could reflect images of
Buddha on the temples walls in ancient China and Japan, but it is only with the controlled production of mirrors and lens-
es in the 17th century that such projection systems further develop. The catholic priest of Austrian origin Thanasasius
Kircher in Rome and the Dutch inventor Cortnelis Drebbel with his Phantascoop are only two examples. In 18th century
Europe traveling lantern men develop a mix of shadow play and projection of hand painted images on glass. In Amsterdam
there is a whole group of these people, who have their center in what was called the Duivelshoek/devils corner, at a spot
were in the thirties of this century a big new movie theater, Tuschinski, was build.

Just before movie film was taking over, at the end of the 19th century, there were some spectacular mixed forms, like the
bohemian hang out in Paris Le Chat Noir were an ever more complex system of projection literary foreshadowing movie
film was developed. Over a hundred of gas flames and many different layers of gauze projection screens were used to-
gether with moving shadow devices to create artistic moving light effects with many layers of gray values, something
maybe reminiscent to the recent installations of the video artist Bill Viola who also uses gauze projection screens.

The performance ‘a dance through the shadow world of media’ is proposed for the coming Next 5 Minutes tactical media
conference in Amsterdam 1999. It should start just after sunset. The best place would be Paradiso. The size can vary,
though | am tempted by the screen size used in the Nang-Yai (big leather puppets) of Thailand which can go up to 6 by 16
meters, though something like 4 by 8 meters would very nice fit the Paradiso hall.. Do not ask me detailing now, that can
be next week as | have just written this text from scratch in two hours on this very day, the 30th of November 1998.

Media to be used: from candles and oil lamps to Icd and laser projection

‘Subject: the media and their functioning both suppressive and liberating over the last 300 years... using quotes and copies
of original figures from different cultures and times mixed with nowadays newly improvised shadow objects and figures.

The shadow play could very well also function to comment and summarize the content of the conference, or as an opening
and closing performance.
http//people.a2000.niAtijen/nSmshadow.htm!

Tjebbe van Tijen/maginary Museum Projects t.tijen@cable.a2000.n!

mm OOM