Wayang Kulit Exhibition



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Hello everyone, Welcome.
If you know about Marvel, Captain America or other world heroes, I guess you also won't know what I'm going to tell you this time. Similar to the story of heroes, good defeats evil. Indonesia has another interesting entertainment to tell. Let me know you!

We have one of the many entertainments, we call it 'Wayang Kulit' or shadow puppets. Really, this is really a legend from ancient times to the present and can be said to be a very strong cultural heritage and has always been a source of pride for the Indonesian people, especially the Java and Bali regions which are the origins of wayang kulit.

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According to my grandfather's story, he said that wayang kulit was one way to introduce Islam in Indonesia, brought by Sultan Kalijaga who was a nobleman who was famous for spreading Islam in Indonesia. But, we will not discuss this further, but I want to introduce someone who is an expert in making wayang kulit in one of the places known as the center of wayang kulit in Indonesia.

There is a man who has spent his time making wayang kulit. I tell you that the shadow puppet is made of cowhide shaped like fictional characters. There are many characters of shadow puppet characters, very diverse depending on which region they come from.

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The man is very skilled at carving and ornamenting every detail of the cowhide that he transforms into a shadow puppet character. This really amazes me because making shadow puppets is very difficult and requires expert hands in the field. Shadow puppets are not only carved like that, but can be moved because shadow puppets are an entertainment that relies on a storyline. Similar to marionettes that are moved using ropes, however, shadow puppets are moved from wood that is linked at several points so that they can move freely.

Seeing the man busy making patterns while carving was truly the first time in my life to see the process of making shadow puppets. Even though I was late seeing it, which was already halfway through making the shadow puppet, it already looked almost finished in the carving stage, only left to paint the color.

You can see the photo that I have shown, that the shadow puppet he is working on is similar to a bird that has wings. Even the details look like the fine feathers of a bird's wings being flapped.

In addition to showing his skills, the man also did not seem reluctant to tell us how to make shadow puppets. One of the lessons I learned was that making shadow puppets cannot be done in a short time, it takes time with special tools and materials to make the shadow puppets look alive when played.

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It looks very simple some of the equipment used, such as carved nails, several types of hammers, glue, whetstones to sharpen some sharp tools and super thick wooden cutting boards. The cutting boards are also not just any wood, using sturdy meranti so as not to damage the cowhide.

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An impressive experience to be able to see how shadow puppets are made directly and it makes me proud of the arts and cultural heritage in Indonesia.


About Author


Call me Isdarmady, because I have a full name that is very long, namely Isdarmady Syahputra Ritonga. I am a head of the family who work as Farmers Vegetables Hydroponic and Consultant Hydroponics, sometimes I also sell coffee from various regions in Indonesia.
I have expertise dispensing coffee with a variety of techniques and tools brewing, because I have the desire to make a coffee shop with hydroponics as centerpieces. Help me realize that dream.

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 14 hours ago  

Amazing, there is a craft man who is expert in wayang kulit. It is rare here to find the person with such skill