布袋戲自 19 世紀傳入臺灣,儘管臺灣社會環境不斷變遷,布袋戲仍伴随時代潮流,在看戲人與演戲人的互動下,翻新出不同類型的演出型態,陪伴無數的臺灣人度過成長的歲月。從廟埕野台、戲院劇場到電視螢幕,不知塑造多少風靡老少的英雄偶像,也搬演過諸多曲折離奇、蕩氣迴腸的經典戲齣。

「國立臺灣博物館」(下稱「臺博館」)成立於1908年,典藏品囊括自然史、工藝產業和歷史文物三大範疇,自日治時期便陸續收藏代表臺灣生活文化的布袋戲文物。2019年 5月,「財團法人私立西田社布袋戲基金會」(下稱「西田社」)將其收藏的文物捐贈予臺博館,身為現代化博物館,臺博館即進行專業研究及整飭的入藏作業。

以此為契機,臺博館於2021年策辦「布袋戲風物—偶的故事偶來說」特展,透過原館藏結合該批珍貴戲偶相關文物、本次入藏作業之研究成果、影音、文獻等,讓不論成長於什麼世代,對於布袋戲有不同經歷和想像的民眾,願意停下腳步再次欣賞這項掌中藝術。期許本展覽能引發大眾對在地傳統的情懷,也讓未曾認識布袋戲的民眾,能有個近距離接觸的機會 。
Since the introduction of pò͘o-tē-hì (glove puppetry) to Taiwan in the 19th century, the art has evolved over the generations. Taiwanese puppeteers have created all manner of innovative performance styles, continually renewing the art’s relationship with audiences. From outdoor stages at temple fairs to theaters and TV screens, pò͘o-tē-hì has elevated popular heroic icons and presented a diverse classic repertoire, sometimes full of twists and turns and other times emotional and epic.

The National Taiwan Museum was established in 1908 with an extensive collection that included artifacts of natural history, handicrafts, and human history. As pò͘o-tē-hì represents a significant part of Taiwanese life and culture, objects associated with glove puppetry have been added to the museum’s collection since the Japanese colonial period. In May 2019, following the Seden Society Puppet Theater Foundation’s donation of its pò͘o-tē-hì collection, the museum initiated a program to research and organize these artifacts, fulfilling its mission as a modern museum.

This exhibition aims—through the puppets, props, audio and visual files, research findings, and the collection process—to reveal pò͘o-tē-hì’s diversity to people of all generations, including those who have their own experiences and understandings of the art. We hope to revive memories of pò͘o-tē-hì and introduce it to those who have never experienced its charm.