Facing West Shadows: An Immersive Art Experience

Facing West Shadows uses shadow puppets, video projections, and live music to create immersive art experiences. We’re excited for the group to transform our second floor gallery into an art installation with large banners, puppet performances, and videos projections, along with demonstrations and a workshop. Immerse yourself in this magical all-ages art adventure!

On Saturday, November 8th, experience two live puppet performances followed by the artists demonstrating their puppets and sharing their process.

When: Saturday, November 8th, 2025 from 6 PM to 8:00 PM

Ages: 6+

Children are welcome to attend, but please ensure they can remain seated and quiet throughout the performance to ensure the enjoyment of all guests.

Price: $25 for adults and FREE for children! Fill out the form after checkout to reserve your free kids tickets. Limit 2 children's tickets per general admission order.

Location: Cura Contemporary in the Edes Building | 17395 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill CA, 95037

Doors open at 6:00 and programming begins at 6:30:

6:30 - 7:00 ACT I: Facing West Shadows: The Endless End

7:00 - 7:15 Intermission

7:15 - 7:45 ACT II: Facing West Shadows: Lysistrata

7:45 - 8:00 Puppet demonstration and Q&A with the artists

ACT I: Facing West Shadows: The Endless End is a cinematic, sculptural installation and live expanded cinema performance that illuminates the perpetuation of extinction and survival. Through film, shadow puppetry, stop motion animation, and rich soundscapes, this immersive work addresses the endurance and demise of specific North American species and the interconnectedness of ecosystems. Using found historical footage, shadow puppetry, and early photographic studies, this work marks the passage of time and explores humanity’s complex role as prey, predator, caretaker, and destroyer.

ACT II: Facing West Shadows: Lysistrata is a multi-channel visual and audio installation created with projected hand-made animation, puppets, and cast shadows. It takes its title from an Ancient Greek Theatre Tragi-Comedy by Aristophanes, which tells a tale of a group of women who end the ongoing decades-long Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta to create peace between endlessly warring factions.

Join Véra restaurant before the concert! Located on the first floor of our gallery, Véra's menu was thoughtfully crafted by a master chef and showcases the highest quality local ingredients. Call (408) 778-1801 to make a reservation.

About the Artists:

Lydia Greer is a widely exhibiting interdisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker, animator, and the artistic director of Facing West Shadows, a Lumia arts collective working with shadow casting/ hybridizing art forms to create magical acts of rebellion as experimental art in the gold rush climate of the San Francisco Bay Area. Expanding into film/animation, theater/opera, puppetry, and sculptural installation, Facing West Shadows creates surprising experiences for the audience by seamlessly combining old and new technologies and art forms. Her work includes sculptural and video installation, hand-made stop motion animation, media sculpture, hand-made experimental animation with puppets, projected shadow and light on paper sculpture, two-dimensional drawings and paper cuts, and built immersive environments.

Caryl Kientz is a director, producer, and educator specializing in cinematic shadow theater. She is the Theatrical Director and co-founder of Facing West Shadows, an experimental shadow theater collective known for blending traditional shadow puppetry with animation, installation, and opera. For nearly two decades, she has worked with the internationally renowned ShadowLight Productions, where she now serves as Managing Director and Artistic Associate. Caryl has taught and directed shadow theater workshops and productions across the U.S. and internationally, with students ranging from K–12 to professional artists. Her collaborative work has been performed at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

Desiree Sturrock is an experimental cellist and multi-media artist from Southern California whose work centers on creating immersive experiences through collaborative improvisation. Classically trained, Sturrock draws on a rich background of ensemble performance to engage in deep listening, crafting evocative soundscapes that respond to and reflect their environments.

Adanna ‘Ada’ Ogu is a multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker from the San Francisco Bay Area, invested in fusing visceral visual imagery with ethereal sonic landscapes. Trained in vocal jazz, Ogu weaves together eras and memories, creating tactile community experience through experimentation and improvisation across various mediums.