The Making of Wayang, secretly guided inheritance revealed. Wayang (Javanese Traditional Shadow Puppet) has been known as a traditional souvenir as well as a handcrafted piece of art of Indonesia. Wayang may be one of the must-have souvenirs for those who visit Jogjakarta and/or Solo in Central Java Indonesia. A reader may wonder, what is so unique about wayang? Well, wait until you gasp over the beauty of the puppets for their colourful painting, or the stunning immaculate sculpture in every character. A character of wayang represents a figure of human being. There are nearly 600 characters in a complete set of wayang. None of the character is identical. Initially, a classic piece of wayang is handcrafted from water-buffalo hide as the main material, and the beast’s horn will be used as the holder. The more contemporary artists, however, introduce the use of goatskin as the medium. This let the furry and sometimes dark-coloured part of the hide intact while the character of wayang is painted in one side. The entire process of wayang making may take a whole month. It is started by stretching the hide in a frame. The entire fur will be taken off with a sharp piece of knife. After the entire surface is clean of fur, the whole set will be put under the sunlight for a couple of days until it is dried as well as hardened. The dried water-buffalo-hide is now become a semi-transparent parchment of leather. The next process is designing the character of wayang. That is when the wayang artist sketches the outline of character based on a certain pattern. There is basic geometry that the artist has to follow in order to make the character acceptable as well as consistent to the general guidelines of the wayang making. The size of the character’s head, for example, is based on a complex calculation to produce the harmonious proportion of the entire character. Right afterward is the process to chisel the parchment with the sharp pieces of small blades. It is considered as the most interesting yet complicated phase. The process is intended to make tiny holes according to different patterns. The dots or circular in shape, tiny holes are all but in accord to a certain philosophical meaning. Finally, the puppet is brushed with hand painted finish. Traditional wayang is performed by a puppet master. He/she will sit in front of a huge sized screen with a strong light right behind the puppet master. On this regard, the wayang will be standing out by two folds. Audients that be in front of the screen will observe the bright and colourful of hand painted details. While those behind the screen will be entertained with the magical-look of shadow creatures. (The term ‘wayang’ stands for shadow in Javanese language). Few people are aware that the process of crafting Wayang is observable. There is not any ingredient or methods that is hidden or secretly guarded - nothing. Ki Agus Birowo (Ki (read it as English: ‘key) is a title for a man for his mastery in a certain skill, especially in traditional art) for example, offers a tour for those who interested in the making of Wayang. He has been in the wayang making for 16 years, as well as a puppet master himself. He crafts wayang in his workshop which is his residency. If you have reached Jogjakarta or been in Solo, Indonesia, his workshop in Wonogiri is just around the corner. Please leave a message for further inquiry. Photography supplied courtesy of Suwadi Krijo Taruno and Alex L.Sarjowinarko. The owners of photos featured in this article are collectors as well as wayang artists. The reader may notice that both photos of wayang represent the same character. Despite they were crafted by different artists since the work were in compliance to a certain guideline, both characters are looked identical.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 11:58:50 +0000
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