this is a page about shm's digital puppet rig.
it is also an archive for shmuppet shows (lectures, performances, talks, etc., that I've given using the system.)

my development of this rig and of my practice as a digital puppeteer was graciously supported by Stochastic Labs, where I participated in the Summer 2026 residency program as part of the Creative Tools group led by Joel Simon, and in the Theater working group with Michael Rau, Lizhi Chen, and Ace Chen.

• what is shm's digital puppetry rig

  • the shmuppetry rig is a big long index.html file with a bunch of JavaScript in it + a CSS file (including my favorite css library, xp.css) for performing digital puppetry in the browser. It draws from a different script (example) for each show or performance (these are written first in a notes document or my sketchbook, then converted to JSON. each scene is a JSON object that sets the dialogue and toggles different settings and puppets on / off. the rig reads each scene in order and moves on the next one when i press the spacebar.) + a couple folders full of assets (pngs, slide images, videos) for use as puppets, served by the same server i use to hold a bunch of other images, etc., for my website.
  • i made it in a 72-hour sprint right before its first performance. so the base set of features is a bit biased to the needs of that performance... but I like to add new features / improvements / puppets each time i use it.
  • i'm using face-api.js and mediapipe for the face and hand tracking. i generally use VSCode + Claude to write code, and test right in my web browser (Chrome / Arc Browser). I also like to make my assets in jspaint if i can help it.

reflections of a "new" media artist

August 28, 2026
for CNMAT OpenLab 2026
all signs seem to suggest that digital puppetry is a new media practice. but the models I use are, like, 7 years old (which is 700 years old in AI time.)
in this performance I give an overview of my recent work, publicly ponder my preoccupation with perception, ruminate the role of the new media artist, and reflect on how I'm responding to the pressure to make (big and new and fast) things, by seeking out ways to work with (smaller and older and slower) ones.
thank you Carmine-Emanuele Cella for having me!

shmidpoint presentation

August 20, 2026
for Stochastic Labs, Summer Residency Program 2026
The presentation I gave at the midpoint of my time in the Stochastic Labs Summer Residency Program.

puppets puppeting puppets

June 05, 2026
for the UC Davis Computational Artifice Symposium
a puppet show about puppets, and narrative agents as puppets puppeting puppets.
thank you Josh McCoy and the SING Lab for having me!

an introduction to hci

April 08, 2026
Guest Lecture for CS10: The Beauty and Joy of Computing, Spring 2026
this is my third time giving the semesterly "Intro to HCI" guest lecture for CS10, but my first time performing it as a puppet show!
thank you Dan Garcia and the Beauty & Joy of Computing course community for having me.

critical ai puppet show

March 20, 2026
For Interface to Agency: MDes Forum on Emerging Technologies at UC Berkeley.
thanks Kyle Steinfeld and Sabrina Merlo for having me!

recognizing my self

March 12, 2026
for ALL CHAT, curated by chia amisola at the tiat.place gallery in SF