Playing with Shadows

This art installation and collaborative art piece was created with Kate Skelly for the Armory Gallery at Virginia Tech. In the installation, two large tables were placed in the gallery with flashlights embedded into one side such that they created a vignetted composition onto the far wall. More than a hundred peg holes were drilled into each table at regular distances and laser-cut cardboard and acrylic stencil were provided to viewers to place on the table. By placing pieces closer or farther to the light source the scale and clarity of the shadow cast by the stencil could be controlled. As new pieces were placed on the table and old pieces were removed, the shadow compositions changed slowly.

A few dozens stencils were digitally drawn by hand and feature local flora, fauna, and built objects. The stencils were laser cut on cardboard which kept them sturdy and able to block the light. Additional stencils feature regional cryptids cut into colored acrylic which created accents of interest and narrative. Visitors were also invited to utilize a craft station to create their own stencils out of cardboard, paper, or pipe cleaner. A “prompt bowl” was set out with prompts that explicitly invited viewers to engage with the work and offered direction how. While this wasn’t required, and open participation was encouraged, we found this helped with people who needed additional permission or were unsure how to get started.

Shadow Play first debuted as a part of the Summer Arts Festival from the Town of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. It has since revisited the Armory Gallery with plans for future events.