Water puppetry is one of the most authentic expressions of Vietnamese culture. Hiding backstage, puppeteers standing waist deep in water maneuver large wooden figures carved from fig trees. Backed by live music and song, the puppets tell stories of ancient warrior heroes, corrupt landlords, and cruel rulers. I was more interested in the uniqueness of the context around these puppets than the appearance of the puppets themselves. As I shot my images of them, I watched the patterns reflected in the water as closely as I watched the puppets. And when these reflected patterns significantly extended themselves, as they do here, I made my images. More than half of this picture is a swirl of magical colors – it is if a palette of paint has been placed just below the surface of the water. It is that shimmer of color that brings life to this image and takes it beyond literal description.