Chrysalis
The Chrysalis Lantern is a glowing, sculptural puppet-lantern created by Toni Mikulka-Chang as part of the Monarch Butterfly lifecycle series, joining Cornelius the Caterpillar and the Monarch Butterflies in a complete narrative of transformation. The chrysalis represents the quiet, hidden, and essential stage of change—the moment when everything is reorganizing before something new emerges.
Designed to function both as a visual sculpture and as a luminous performance object, the Chrysalis Lantern brings a sense of stillness, anticipation, and wonder into installations, evening performances, and immersive environments.
Materials & Construction
The Chrysalis Lantern is built using a combination of lightweight natural materials and traditional sculptural techniques:
Structure: Formed from reed
Skin and surface: Made from architectural tracing paper and silk
Form and detailing: Shaped using papier-mâché techniques
The layered materials create a translucent surface that allows the lantern to glow from within, giving it a soft, ethereal presence in low light and nighttime settings.
Scale, Light & Presence
The Chrysalis Lantern stands approximately 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Its proportions make it large enough to read clearly in space while still feeling intimate and delicate.
When illuminated internally, it becomes a quiet, radiant focal point—less about movement and more about atmosphere, pause, and transformation.
Purpose & Ongoing Life
The Chrysalis Lantern was created to complete the Monarch lifecycle series and to give physical form to the often unseen stage of change. In performances and installations, it serves as a moment of stillness between the energy of the caterpillar and the expansive flight of the butterfly.
As part of ArtJoy’s Giant Puppets Save the World collection, the Chrysalis Lantern continues to be used in installations, ritual performances, and educational settings focused on life cycles, transformation, and the fragile beauty of living systems.
