1 Home and 2 with a Caterpillar
Premiere
2025 Taipei Children’s Arts Festival: 1 Home and 2 with a Caterpillar
Performance Dates & Times: July 3–6, 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
Venue: Bopiliao Historic Block (No. 173, Kangding Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City 108)
Format: Promenade Performance
※ This production is a commissioned work by the Taipei Performing Arts Center.
How old is a lightbulb?
When it goes out, how old is it?
And the light it once gave off—how old is that?
How old is a car?
A car speeding down the road—how old is it?
How old is the road that stretches into the distance?
And the distance itself—how old is it?
How old is the mother who gave birth to me?
How old is a gentle mother?
Ah, but when she’s angry—how old does she become…?
★ Adapted from poet Shiah Shiah’s picture-book poem How Old Is an Apple?
★ Blending light, shadow, and sound to re-create the enchanting details of childhood
Do we measure time through addition, or through subtraction?
And how many stories about time can a home contain?
1 Home and 2 with a Caterpillar is inspired by poet Shiah Shiah’s illustrated poem How Old Is an Apple? and transformed into a stage performance by puppetry and light-and-shadow artist Pei-Yu Shih, who employs everyday objects as puppets to bring verses to life.
The story follows three generations, weaving together their imaginations of time. A child counts age by addition, eager to grow up. A mother seeks balance between the old and the new. A grandmother reflects on the past through subtraction. Time brings change and accumulates the stories of home. In the theater, the caterpillar—an imagined figure—crosses generations, accompanying people at different stages of life and witnessing both the passage of time and the warmth of family.
This performance fuses puppetry, sound design, and installation art. Audiences move through various rooms inside Bopiliao Historic Block, listening to stories through headphones and experiencing how time takes on different forms within space. It is not only a play but also an immersive journey, inviting each audience member to uncover their own memories and emotions within the flow of time.
“Birthday, come quickly! I want to grow up fast!”
But Grandma sighs, “Why does time pass so quickly?”
Indeed—time feels different for everyone.
So let us put on headphones, step into different rooms, and listen to the memories hidden within a home. You just might discover a treasure of time that belongs to you.
Do we measure time through addition, or through subtraction?
And how many stories about time can a home contain?
