Investigation report of puppets performance - Mansukjung Nolum·Seosanbakchumji Nolum -

인형극 조사보고 - 만석중놀음·서산박첨지놀음 -

Among elements of play, there are puppets performances and shadows performance which are replacing actors by puppets and shadows. Puppet performance is characteristic of expressing various movements and symbols at its conveniences by the reduced models of human form with various materials. Shadow performance is realized in various colors that cannot be discovered in other countries by expressing mysterious cubic effect in reflecting the light against various forms. Mansukjung Nolum is a unique shadow performance that has been inherited in Korea. There are found many shadow performances inherited in the northern Europe and South-eastern Asia. Recently the silhouette animation in application of shadow performance is made. In the northern Europe and South-eastern Asia, they performed in white and black color while Mansukjung Nolum is performed in natural colors. Since they adopted the leather materials for making puppets, their opaque feature cannot reflect the colored light. But in Korea we adopted the specially colored semi-transparent Korean paper, which gives the colored shadows to spectators. Mansukjung Nolum consists of three acts for arousing attention of fallen monks destroying the teaching of Buddha. Seosanbakchumji Nolum is a puppet performance inherited in a village in Seosan, Choongnam instead of wandering artists. The story and form of performance in Namsadangpae's puppet play is mostly similar to it, but it is woven by its villages natural environment and specific dialects, reflecting their consciousness in mind. The villagers made the puppets and manipulate them in communicating their wisdom of life between them. Parkchumji Nolum is a kind of integral art combining puppet manipulation, witticism, songs and dances. The hero of Parkchumji discloses the social and structural conflicts of feudalism, in arousing the spectators' rich attention of self-awareness and lessons.