Puppets as icons of Brand of Apparel . . . Goes to Internasional!

Wayang is a cultural heritage native to Indonesia who lack appreciation among young people today. The entry of foreign cultures into the country coupled with the rise of entertainment that is not raised in the culture sinks in Indonesia makes the puppet swallow era. There are many ways to preserve the puppet in the era of globalization, it makes one young entrepreneur raised the concept of puppets in the products it offers.

 

Rizky Aditya Putra, alumni of management, FEB UB (UB) class of 2007 went on to become young entrepreneurs thanks to the efforts distro Indonesian themed heroes. "Yang paling laris kaos dengan tema indonesia dan barat, gambar gatotkaca dan catwoman disatukan, itu yang paling laris," said a student from West Kotawaringin as reported

Wayang Should be Multimedia Entertainment

http://foto.kapanlagi.com/selebriti/Slamet_Gundono/rez_002.html

“Slamet Gundono is one of the finest and most innovative puppeteers of his generation. On the forefront of Java's dynamic performance scene, Gundono's work is some of the most meaningful, provocative, original theatre today. He is a multi-disciplinary artist who draws on the long traditions of Javanese and Indonesian culture so as to reinvent and innovate within the field of interactive shadow puppetry. Gundono collaborates with artists from other disciplines, and incorporates story telling, dance, film and multi-media. He also runs workshops to encourage experimentation.”[1]

This is a rightor smart inovation saving this masterpiece, bringing contemorary issues, daily life about societal community, even politic and national problem. Further, colaboration about ‘Wayang’ and other multimedia is a great opportunity to attract young generation, and also can used as a option of puppet shadow theatre brought to future from conventional show.

By using contamporary issue, people as the viewer, can get a fresh story than they are bored by puppet show about epic or mistic story. So, it may also as a way to keep existence of ‘Wayang’. Indonesian must mor creative to keep this heritage, by some mixing with technology we think that make puppet show will become more interesting. By technology, especially for multimedia, will bring ‘wayang’ easier and as a new option to enjoy it.

As the example, we can find that animation,  is a media that have very high influence to the young. So it can use as a way to reach the young generation from beginning as a ‘Wayang’ saving program. Or, we can make a professional show like Opera or by using more futuristic effect, lighting that supported by human artists as the “Wayang”.

---

[1] http://www.princeclausfund.org/en/what_we_do/awards/2005SLametGundono.shtml

Indonesian Puppet Shadow in Educational Institution

http://pure.rhul.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/matthew-isaac-cohen

All-night shadow puppet play will run through the night from 7pm to 3am, with Professor Matthew Isaac Cohen on puppeteer duty throughout the eight-hour performance with only one break at the University of York

Newsquest Media Group

“York was the first university in the UK to have a Javanese gamelan, and many of today’s top British performers had their first experience of playing Indonesian music here,” says Ginevra House, one of the organisers.

This is a real way to introduce Indonesian Culture especially for Puppet Shadow “Wayang”, Indonesian need this step not only by achieved status of wayang as masterpiece in traditional heritage of indonesia from Unesco. But by using of education institution and theater show in foreign, International Society can easyly know more complete. Not only what does ‘Wayang’ looks like, but also can look how does this puppet show played. So, Indonesian must support this initiative form, further Indonesian should can be Initiator like this project as the concern of government to save national culture, and using Educational Institution in foreign is one of great ways.

Punokawan!, Made in Indonesia

Some People Know that Indonesian Wayang puppet show was influenced by India's epic story. But please don't forget, that indonesian people are very creative to respond that culture by adjust those India's epic story with Indonesian's self culture.

about Punokawan!

http://www.museumwayang.com

right to left: Semar, Gareng, Petruk, Bagong.

They are character of Wayang puppet that constructed in process of acculturation that influenced majorly by Javanese. Each of those character are have various behavior which symbolyzed by each design and as an idea, principal, or ways of life that sould be inspired traditional people in Javanese especially.

Characreistic[1]:

• Semar character that has white crest hair represents a story behind the calm attitude of genius, mental sharpness, rich life experience and knowledge. Also simple, quiet, humble, sincere, not hypocritical, it's never too sad and never laughed so merrily. His mental state is very mature, calm water like a sweep.
• Gareng’s prominent features are physical disabilities. His squinted eyes is a sense of awareness, throbbing hands as a sense of thoroughness and limped legs is a sense of prudence.
• Petruk is a symbol of the will, desire, intention described in his hands. hia hand that pointing forward, choose what does he want, hand grasped behind what has been gotten and kept it.
• Bagong with his two hands five fingers widely opened, meaning that he is always willing to work hard.

"The adjustment of this philosophy concept also talks about the Javanese’s view of philosophy toward the position of gods in Javanese puppets world. Gods in Javanese puppets world are no longer a figure that free from mistakes, but as the same as other creatures of god, which sometimes can do mistakes. The existence of Punakawan (four figures in Javanese puppet consist of Semar, Gareng,Petruk, Bagong) in Javanese puppet intendedly created by Indonesia’s culture experts (especially Javanese’s culture experts) to strengthen the concept of philosophy that in this world, none of creatures that purely good, or purely evil. Every creature contains good and evil side[2].

---

[1] http://www.javaisbeautiful.com/our-blog/semar-and-punokawan-deep-philosophy-in-javanese-wayang-characters.html

[2]http://www.javaindonesia.org/art-culture/wayang-javanese-puppet-show/

Mahabharata: the Pandawa's saga

Gatotkaca, the Flying Knight of Pringgadani, son of Bimasena

The central story of the epic deals with the conflict between two branches of a family descended from the suprem Gods of Hinduism. One branch of the family, the Korawa, usurps the throne from the rightful heirs, the Pandawa.

The Dalang

The puppets are stored in line, in a banana tree trunk, behind the screen and in front of the puppeter. The puppeter is called the dalang.The dalang manipulates the puppets, sings and taps out signals to the orchestra. He also speaks the parts for all characters; he must be able to render the shy sweetness in the voice of a princess, the spiteful whine of a lackey and the righteous but controlled anger of a noble hero.

Not everyone can be a dalang. A Dalang is a most extraordinary man. First of all, he is a public entertainer. To amuse a great number of people is not an easy matter. He must be physically strong and healthy, otherwise he would not be able to stand the strain. Just imagine, he is seated cross-legged for nine successive hours. He cannot even have a wink of sleep.

The music during the performance: The Gamelan

The traditional gamelan orchestra accompanies the dalang, who manipulates the puppets from behind on the same side of the screen, providing a nearly continuous music appropriate to each scene. Though the dalang never looks back at them, and nearly never says a world to the players, each of them seems to know precisely what to do.

The Performance

"The evening of the Wayang performance has at last arrived.

In the darkness the insects have already begun to fly around unsteady flame of the oil lamp, which casts its dazzling light on the large white screen of the stage. at the lower part of the cloth-screen, the beautiful leather puppets (wayang kulit) are neatly arranged, their body-sticks firmly planted in banana-stems, placed beneath the screen itself.

On the right hand side are the good characters, on the left hand side the bad. The open space between them, about two meters wide, represents the stage.

Wayang Kulit

Wayang kulit (Leather Puppets / Shadow Puppets) are performing art which is more than half a millennium. Its appearance has its own story, related to the influx of Javanese Islam. One member of the Wali Songo created it by adopting Wayang Beber which thrives on Hindu-Buddhist heyday. The adoption was done because the wayang kulit already attached to the Java so become an appropriate medium for da'wah in order to spread Islam, while Islam forbids visual art forms. As a result, wayang kulit created where people can only see the shadow.

Wayang, Puppet Theatre of Indonesia

Wayang, Puppet Theatre of Indonesia

© Tim Mowrer / Mekin Photography

“A rich mixture of local Indonesian myths, Persian tales, and Indian epic stories constitutes the core of Wayang puppetry in Indonesia. Accompanied by a gong orchestra (gamelan), exquisitely crafted shadow puppets are operated by master puppeteers (dalang). The continuation of the cultural expression depends on artists trained in at least the three fields of storytelling, playing music, and puppet-making. However, the changing economic structure of Indonesia has led to a decreased interest in and demand for wayang performances, which jeopardizes artists’ livelihood and the transmission of their art. Furthermore, wayang is pressed to serve popular tastes that sometimes do not appreciate its traditional refined way of weaving humour into serious social and political commentaries. In this milieu, in November 2003, UNESCO

Introduction

Hey! You must be wondering what is that thing above? That was one of many traditional alphabet in Indonesia. It wrote as "Sugeng Rawuh", means Selamat Datang a.k.a Welcome!

Alright then, we are a group of students from International Affair at Brawijaya University. This is our project as a non-state actor in diplomacy class.This blog provides Indonesia cultures and its relation to education for our people. We try to share the idea and the value that can be adopted in the universal life, especially for youth and its generation. We believe that our culture and heritage can see things differently, from identity to humanity, etc. Just like one of our first president said,

"This country, the Republic of Indonesia, does not belong to any group, nor to any religion, nor to any ethnic group, nor to any group with customs and traditions, but the property of all of us from Sabang to Merauke!" -Soekarno.

So get ready and be amazed guys! Sampai jumpa! *wink-wink* (;