Minu’s Dream is a new work-in-progress shadow puppetry theatre performance by Moon Shadow Studio. The story follows Minu, a busy mother fish, and her child, Jam, who live in a bustling ocean. When Minu receives news that Papa Fish is growing old and weak in her hometown, she embarks on a new journey—reconnecting with her roots and family through memory, family, distance, and her connection to her homeland. This gentle work beautifully mirrors universal human experiences, sparking meaningful intergenerational conversations about love and loss.

The story is uniquely conveyed through a captivating combination of puppetry, shadow puppetry using an overhead projector, and performative storytelling. This innovative approach enhances the narrative, offering a rich tapestry of emotions and experiences as the characters navigate the complexities of their relationships and migrant existence.

Minu’s Dream

Minu’s Dream is a new work-in-progress shadow puppetry theatre performance by Moon Shadow Studio (known as "Kiki and Zuki"). The story follows Minu, a busy mother fish, and her child, Jam, who live in a bustling ocean. This gentle work beautifully mirrors universal human experiences, sparking meaningful intergenerational conversations about love and loss.

About

Content Notice

At its heart, Minu’s Dream is a story about the deep love and connection between three fish characters, a father, a daughter and a grandchild. Because it touches gently on the reality of parents growing old and eventually passing away, alongside the beginnings of grief and loss, some moments may feel overwhelming or too sensitive for individuals and families currently navigating these experiences.  We completely understand if these themes feel too sensitive for your family at this time.

Who is this for?

The digital work is designed for ages 8 + and welcomes audiences of all ages.

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When is the next event?

Upcoming events

2026
> Public showing and workshop - Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub - Ivanhoe, AUS

Past events

2026
> 26 June - 1st development showing - Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub - Ivanhoe, AUS

  • Photo by Mahla Karimian

  • Photo by Mahla Karimian

  • Photo by Mahla Karimian

  • Photo by Mahla Karimian

  • Photo by Mahla Karimian

Team

  • Youbi Lee is a Korean-heritage, multidisciplinary artist based in Naarm/Melbourne. Her practice encompasses installation, performance, animation, puppetry, and facilitation. Drawing on her diverse skill set and experience, she has created large-scale collaborative arts projects with various communities, councils, and festivals. She works with established organisations like Lemony S Puppet Theatre, Threshold, and Polyglot as a puppeteer, concept designer, and art facilitator.

    Youbi has participated in several competitive residency and development programs, including SITUATE Arts in Festival (2018), ArtPlay New Idea Lab (2020), and Lemony S Puppet Lab (2022). Her work has been recognized with nominations for Obang: Theatre for Baby at the Green Room Awards (2024) and Asian Grocery at the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Best Live Art (2017). She also contributed to the visual design of Best Party Ever by Threshold, a project that won the Innovate Award by NBN (2024). She was also commissioned to create large-scale interactive shadow puppets by the City of Melbourne in 2022 as part of ‘Flash Forward’. 

    https://ubtopia.net/project/

  • Taka Takiguchi (滝口貴) is a Naarm/Melbourne-based independent artist and producer of Japanese (Hiroshima) heritage.His practice delves into personal stories, places, their historical contexts, and our presence within them today. He explores relational phenomena—between memory, time, and language—bringing them to life through poetry, scriptwriting, and movement-based techniques including the Suzuki Method, Butoh, and shamanic/trance dance.

    The recent projects include: "Lost in Place" - Performer at Mona Foma (2022) & Mona Museum (2023) | "Obang – Theatre for babies" - Producer & Performer at Sydney Opera House (2024),   Bunjil Place (2023) & Bowery Theatre (2023) | "Humans in between" - Director & Performer at  Pavilion Melbourne (2023), “Apologia” - Performer at Malthouse (2024) | "Kiki and Zuki" -  Co-creator at Banyule Council

    www.taka-takiguchi.com

  • Ai Yamamoto's practise comes with sonic exploration and melodies. She sources all different sounds from our surroundings like insects, machines, animals, kitchen equipment, etc as well as instruments like piano, strings, etc. Her early works were more experimenting all different samples by changing pitches and adding effects. Then she composed with those manipulate textures. She was also interested in creating melodies which controls the sense of emotions without any lyrics.

    Most of her works are ambient, experimental, soundscapes, atmospheric sounds. Some of them are specifically composed to match visuals such as animations, video installation, short films etc. Ai also makes video works for her music; those works have been shown as a part of Melbourne International Arts Festival (2018) and toured internationally. Many of her works have been exhibited at various galleries.

Support

Mentor: Sue Giles

Minu’s Dream was conceived, developed in 2026 with the support of the Banyule City Council’s Arts and Culture program.

Acknowledgement of support

Minu’s Dream was conceived, developed in 2026 with the support of the Banyule City Council’s Arts and Culture program.