Much like the “wayang kulit” that Malaysians know so well, Chinese shadow plays are literally just that – theatre productions that relay a story through the use of figures or puppets made from leather or paper, whose silhouettes are projected onto a cloth screen that it is illuminated from behind. The figures are manipulated by puppeteers using rods.
If you’d like to see this traditional form of theatre reimagined in a radical way, head to RexKL’s immersive digital art gallery where “Piying Dream” is being shown from now until July 14.
“The idea was to preserve this culture and express it in a format that can be enjoyed by modern audiences, and one of the ways to do this is through digital art,” co-founder of Rexperience Kuala Lumpur Sebastien Jurkowski told FMT Lifestyle.
The dazzling show is a collaboration between China’s immersive digital art exhibition pioneer Temple of Light and Paris-based design studio Danny Rose Studio.
The narrative of “Piying Dream” uses over 3,000 moving digitised shadow puppet artefacts from the Qing dynasty to the present day.
The production team drew inspiration from the Minhang Chinese Shadow Museum when crafting the immersive visuals, which belonged to Ma Demin who owns the world’s largest shadow puppet collection.
The result is a fantastical world that combines iconic design motifs and vibrant colours that will transport viewers back into the olden days.
Keen-eyed members of the audience will recognise iconic characters from classic Chinese literature such as the beloved Sun Wukong, or Monkey King; the wise Zhuge Liang, also known as Kong Ming; and the heroic Wu Song from the novel “Water Margin.”
Mythical creatures like dragons, traditional pavilions and colourful flora and fauna also emerge in unexpected forms here, perfectly complemented by original musical scores for a riveting audio and visual experience.
Another exhibit in “Piying Dream” is “The Matter of Painting”, which transforms the venue into a huge canvas where different forms of paintings are explored.
Conceived as a constantly morphing art installation-cum-performance, the way the paint flows and dances across the walls and floor are mesmerising, plunging you in matter and colour.
The show also welcomes the return of “Annihilation”, back by popular demand from its previous exhibition, “Other World”. It melds dance with cutting-edge visuals and 360 spatial soundtracks, with intricate 3D laser scans from Belgian and Malaysian landscapes – it’s fun naming the various venues as they pop up before your eyes.
Pro-tip: Watch out for the live dance performance timeslots, which will elevate this immersive experience greatly.
Being the individual who brought the immersive digital art experience to RexKL and Malaysia as a whole, Jurkowski said the idea stemmed from a visit to Paris’s Atelier des Lumières.
“That digital and immersive art centre was so amazing that I wanted to share that experience with Malaysia after I came back too, having lived here for 17 years,” he said.
It was by chance that he saw the space in RexKL in 2022 and immediately imagined how it’d look as a digital art theatre.
With that image in mind, renovation of the space soon started and Rexperience officially opened its doors in September 2023.
“When you want something done, either you wait for someone to do it for you or you do it yourself,” he said, smiling.
Since opening, the 700-square-metre space has hosted multiple exhibitions.
“It’s a great space for tourists to experience the local arts and culture too, as that’s what they want to see when they visit a new country.”
Head to RexKL’s website to book your ticket.
Piying Dream @ RexKL
Date: Now till July 14
Time: 10am-10pm daily
Venue: 80, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur
Location: click here
Tickets: Adults RM60 (regular show), RM80 (live performance)
Children RM30 (regular show), RM40 (live performance)