The Wang Center’s theater in Stony Brook University glowed softly as Wrapped Presence unfolded, a spellbinding shadow puppet performance created by Caroline and Madeleine Borderies, with Andre Bregegere on music and sound, and narration by jazz vocalist Tessa Souter.
The show began in near silence, only the faint hum of Bregegere’s layered soundscape filled the air. His compositions were tactile and alive. The rustle of cloth, the deep pulse of percussion, and the shimmer of strings that seemed to breathe with the shadows themselves. As the lighting moved from monochrome silhouettes to a surge of vibrant color, his sounds followed — expanding from quiet textures into a resonant, almost cinematic fullness that carried the audience through each emotional turn.
Then came Souter’s voice — warm, velvety, and effortlessly rhythmic. Known for her background in jazz, she narrated not with a performer’s distance but with a singer’s intimacy, her phrasing bending around the music like a melody. Her storytelling infused the play with a soulful human presence, guiding the audience through four generations of Korean women whose lives were stitched together by memory, fabric, and love.
Inspired by Through the Light: Contemporary Jogakbo by Wonju Seo at Stony Brook University’s Wang Center, the performance illuminated the poetic spirit of jogakbo — the Korean art of patchwork wrapping cloths symbolizing prosperity, happiness, and longevity. The puppets, lit by spare beams and translucent colors, mirrored the exhibition’s themes of transformation through light.
The performance concluded with a behind-the-scenes tour, where visitors could see the fragile puppets, the delicate instruments, and the light projections that together created a world both ephemeral and unforgettable.
