theater

A Performance Collection

of Wayang Kulit

at the Museum of

International Folk Art

Felicia Katz-Harris

MUSEUM OF INTERNAT IONAL FO L K ART

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

IN ASSOC IAT ION W ITH

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS

SEATTLE AND LONDON

u vt( c-t ,)

prJ Iq79 s5' J<38L-f X (),D 1 D

The photogt-a phs of th e wayang flgu t-es in thi s catalog a re not necessa rily intended as tt-ue

co ntex tual r epresentation s, but rath e r their poses are arti s ti c interpre tation s of th e c haracters

t ha t a re prese nted.

© 20 I 0 by th e M use um of Inte m at ional Fo lk Art

Pre Fa ce © 20 10 Dr. Suya nt o , S.Kar .. J\tIA .

··In s ide t he Puppet Box" © 20 10 Fe li c ia Kat z- H a rri s

Ed itor: Ali ce Dave np ort. Dave n po rt & Schw in tzer

Des ig n: Sko lkin + C hi c key . Santa Fe

I nd exer: Ka rla I(nig ht

All st udio photog raphy by Bl a ir C la rk

Printed in Si nga pore

14 I 2 I I I 0 09 5 4 3 2 I

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te m, w it ho ut permission in writing From the mu se um.

D ist ributed by the Univ e rsity o r Was hin gto n P ress

P.O. Box 5 0096, Seat rl e, WA 98 145 U.S.A.

'Nv..' \ .\!. \-vas h i ng to n .ed uf u 'W press

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The pape r used in thi s publi ca ti on mee ts th e minimum requir e me nt s 01' Amer ica n Na ti o na l Sta ndard For

Inl'o rm a ti o n Sc ie nces - Pe rman e nce o r Pape r lo r Printed Library M.ateria ls, ANS I

Felicia Katz-Harris

Inside the Puppet Box Wayang Kulit at the Museum

of International Folk Art

Wayan.q kll/it performances li e close to the h eart of Javanese cu lture , and a re o n e of the greatest sto ryte ll ing trad iti ons in the wo rld. \ Vayang kulit figures are e laborate ly painted

and intricately punc h ed and carved fl at rawhide puppets tha t cas t dramatic shadows through a

cotton sc reen during a performance. The stories are based on classical literature, but every per-

formance also draws on contemporary themes, and teaches important moraL ethi caL and philo-

sophical id eas w hil e en tertaining th e audience at times wit h roaring humor and specia l

action-pack ed scenes. Traditional performances, w hi c h are a lways accompa ni ed byafJtzl71c/all

(a traditional Indon esian musical ensemb le) , last a ll night long, beginning in the evening a nd

e nding at dawn . I Abbreviated performances, however, may be geared toward tourists and a lso

to younger I ndonesians, w h o may prefer television and movies to this deep-rooted trad ition .

As opposed to common Western notions of p upp etry as chi ldren 's en t erta inm en t,

waya n g kulit is cons id ered one of t h e highest forms of art in Indonesia and is a wor ld-

renowned representation of Javanese cu ltura l h er itage. I t is a hi g hly sop hi st icated art form

that has been performed in v illages, c ities, a nd roya l co u rts for hundred s of yea r s. Perform-

ances common ly ce lebrate or com m e morate personal accomp li s hm ents, rites-of-passage, hol-

idays and national events - but performances may a lso be arranged s imply for e ntertainm ent.

Waytllzg leI/lit is ge n era lly und erstood to mean "leather shadow puppet" in the national

Ind onesian lang uage (Ba/w" (l Il1 r)OIZeJtfz) . There a r e va ri o u s theories abo ut the specific mean-

ing and origin of the word wayall.fJ itse lf. [fY'ayal1.fJ ca n be used in two se n ses . It ca n mean

"pupp et," or it can m ean a type of perFormance (usua lly t h e performance of the associated

Rall1ayalla and / J;[a/wMwmta ep ics, or the performance of other J avanese stor ies as described

14

further below). As the root word for the Javanese terms wcwayan/Jall and wClI'ayal1;fjallin.tf Ilrip,

the word wayalZ.tf also connotes the shadow of human life. 2 Originally, audiences mostly

viewed not the physical form of the wayang (that is, the puppet), but the shadow that pene-

trated the screen. The word kadit literally means" skin" and is also typically translated as

"leather." Although wayang kulit are commonly presented as leather shadow puppets, in real-

ity the material used to make the figures is rawhide (from water buffalo skin). This book uses

the words wayan/J and waYall.tf !culit to refer to both physical puppets and to the performance

art, depending on the context.

There are numerous regional and stylistic variations of wayang performance, even

within the wayang kulit tradition. This book focuses on the contemporary court-based

Surakarta, or Solo, style that has become (in modern times) the most widely recognized and

widely performed form of wayang within and outside Indonesia. ' The more local, regional

styles of Yogyakarta, East Java, Banyumas, Bali, and elsewhere are less represented outside

of Java. To some extent, the Solo style of wayang kulit performance adapts or incorporates

elements of other regional styles, and it has become the favored style of performance for

audiences and performers outside of Solo. In fact, the Solo style has come to be the main-

stream style of performance in Indonesia, serving as a reference point for other wayang kulit

styles. 4 Historically, Solo's cultural traditions have strongly influenced traditions (including

wayang kulit) of other nearby regions, probably due to the widespread cultural influence of

Solo's !craton (royal palace). Perhaps the most significant reason for the popularity of Solo-

style wayang kulit and performances is that this form is flexible: through techniques of

dramatization, and through its humor and philosophy, this form can be adapted to cater to

the audience in each community. s

Wayang kulit is an extraordinarily complex art form, which can take a lifetime to truly

understand. Indeed, each aspect of the art form is a multifaceted topic, and each is worthy

of a book in its own right. To explore all the equally important components of wayang kulit is

well beyond the scope of this book. which instead provides a brief overview of some of the

main aspects of wayang kulit and its performance, such as: how wayang kulit are made;

wanda (mood and form of the wayang), JimpilZ/JalZ (the arrangement of the wayang) ; various

aspects of performance; the remarkable skills of the dhalan/J (shadow master and puppeteer);

and the history and literary repetoire of wayang kulit. This book also offers an extensive

visual reference that catalogs a particular performance set.

It is hoped that this introduction and visual reference for wayang kulit will offer the

reader points of departure for further research. This overview is based on published sources,

and on information that was collected through formal interviews, informal conversations,

observations and correspondence with numerous wayang kulit experts -scholars, pup-

peteers, and artisans. Following this introduction, the catalog presents images of wayang

kulit from a special collection of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New

Mexico. This collection, a full performance set of Solo-style wayang kulit, was acquired for

the Museum's award winning exhibition, Dancing ShadowJ, Epic Talc.!: WayalZg [(ulit of indoneJia

(March 2009-March 2010) primarily from Ki Purbo Asmoro, a prominent dhalang based in

Solo who is also a Professor of Puppeteering and Wayang at Institut Seni Indonesia (lSI) in

Surakarta (the Arts Institute of Indonesia) . Some additional pieces were acquired from the

collection of Ki Enthus Susmono, a famous dhalang based in Tegal. The catalog presents

provenance history for each item in the collection and basic information regarding the specific

characters that are included in the set; information provided mostly by Ki Purbo Asmoro .

The co lle c tion and these two p er Form ers w ill be di sc u ssed in Furt her d etail in t h e las t

section of th is introd u c tory essay, w hi c h w ill a lso exp la in how th e organization of the cata-

log reflects the place m e nt of the waya ng during a p erfo rm a nce.

How Wayang Kulit Are Made Th e intri cate art of wayang ku lit is a n example of the hi g h leve l of artistry found

in In donesia. Different m e thod s for c reatin g waya n g k ulit may be emp loyed in various

regio ns, but thi s section d esc ribes t h e ty pical pro cess as it is exec uted in Centra l J ava.

The s hadow pupp e t s are mad e from water buffalo hid e, c ut and punctured by h a nd,

one hol e at a tim e. Th e n they are painted in layers of wate r-base d p a ints, heav ily d ecorated

with extr ao rdin a rily Fin e d etail s, a nd oFten Finished w ith go ld a nd / or bron ze lea f. Th e stic ks

attach ed to t h e base and t h e articu late d lim bs of the waya ng kulit are m a de from water buf-

falo h orn, wood, or both. The artists who c reate wayang ku lit often learn their c ra Ft f r om

fami ly members and th e n appre nti ce wit h a master; but so m e have a lso studi ed in an arts

program at the kratoll (royal palace). Seve ral artists are u s u a lly in vo lve d in the pro cess of

makin g waya ng Im lit-the artists w ho prepare th e water buffa lo s kin, arti sts w ho carve a nd

pun cture th e hide, the painters, a n d th e horn carvers. Ea ch a rti s t might have th e know ledge

needed to c reate a puppet from start to finish ; however, it is co mmon for a rti sts to work

together and d eve lop a s pec iali zation for a parti c ular aspe c t of t h e process.

Fig.l

Family membe rs Tri Suwarno.

Suka rdi. and Riyadi Dw i Susanto

Hef t to rig ht) wo r k together to cre -

ate wayang kulit. Photograp h by

the author . Sewon. Ba ntu l. 2007.

15

Fig .2

Fig .4

16

Fig. 3

Fig.5

Fig.2

Suyoto is a trained ca rver of wayang kulit. but chose as his profession the preparat ion of rawhide Ifor handicrafts

such as wayang kulit ) because the j ob market is less competi tive. He supplies many wayang kulit art ists in the

Yogyakarta area w ith prepared hide . Photograph by th e author. Kas ihan. Bantu l . 2007.

Fig.3

Suyoto washes and softens wate r buffalo hide in a local pond. Photogra ph by the author , Kasihan. Bantul. 2007.

Fig.4

Suyoto beg ins scrap ing the first layer of skin from the hide . Photograph by the author . Kas ih an, Bantul, 2007.

Fig.5

Suyoto !ri ght ) and wayang carving artist, Sarjo Ileft) disp l ay a hide that is ready for mak ing wayang kulit. Photo-

graph by the au th or, Kasihan, Bantu l. 2007.

Rawhide PrepamlL{!/I The creation of th e s hadow puppets begins w ith the preparation of sk in. Hide from yo un g

Sulawesi water buffalo is most desirable for waya ng kulit. 6 Cultural gro ups in Sulawes i. s uch

as the Toraja. slaughter water buffalos for cerem onial feasts. When the animal is s laugh tered

a nd skinned. the hid e is was h ed. stretc h ed on a frame . and left in t he s un to d ry for a number

of wee k s: this pro cess h e lp s decrease a ny unpl easa nt odors. Th e hide is otherwise left intact.

In Java. when the preparer receives a hide. he soaks it overnight in water (usually a pond

or river) to softe n and cl ean it . The leathe r is again stretc h ed on a frame. and left to d ry in the

s un for twenty-four hours. Loose dirt is b rushed from the hide . Th e first layer of skin is peeled

with a scraper. thu s r em ov ing all h a irs fmm the hide . Shavings of this first layer are used by

farmers in their field s to pmtect c rops fro m pests. The hide is agai n se t in the sun to dry. Next.

the seco nd layer of skin is sC I-aped. a nd th e s h avi ngs of this layer a re fried a nd eaten as a snack

called krecek. or used in tasty di s h es s u c h as IWJLg//{)e.q. a specialty ofYogyanese and Solonese

cuisine. The skin is dried once again in the sun and the leat her rawhide is then r eady to b e

formed into shadow puppets or other crafts that utilize wate r buffalo hide.

On e hide can ty pi ca lly acco mmodate fifteen small waya n g c h a rac ters or eight large -

sized c haracters. Thi c k e r pieces of hid e are saved for larger wayang c harac ters . s u c h as the

g iants. w h ereas thinner cuts are used for female c haracters and for delicately framed. s m a ll

wayang c haracte rs. During th e dry seaso n . the process of prep a ring the hide may take two

to three days. In wett er seaso ns. the process may take longer. 7

Creatillg Hom Puppet Stick,! O fte n overlooked are the a rti s ts w ho make th e stick h a ndl es for the s hadow puppet. Water

buffalo horn is the most valu ed material. with w hite horn preferred ove r black horn. Wood

may be u sed for purposes of eco n o my. a lthough m a ny dhalang today prefer to u se w hite

water buffalo horn for the base h a ndl e a nd wood for the artic ul a ted limbs. Thi s is be ca use

wood is sturdier for performance purposes. particularly for robust. aggressive performan ce

techniques w h ere the wayang are thrown up in the air a nd physically smashed against eac h

other or twirled and held by these puppet sti cks . as is typical in b attl e sce nes.

Many horn artists make a variety of h a ndi crafts from horn . but not a ll horn artists make

wayang sticks. In fa c t. there are o nly a few a rti sts in Central J ava w ho supply waya ng kulit

makers with horn sticks. s Th e process of making th e ha ndles from water buffalo horn is quite

involved a nd intriguing to watch . First. w ith a simple saw. the raw material (a w hole wate r buf-

falo horn) is s plit le ngth- wise into two pieces; nex t. these two pieces a l-e split in half. Eac h quar-

tered piece is c ut dow n the middl e. but not severed. The quartered. partially sliced horn is

h eated until it is pliabl e. Using iro n tongs. th e horn is gently pulled apart forming a V-shaped

piece. With a n adze. the mugh outel- laye r of the horn is hacked away a nd filed dow n to remove

the coarse edges. The horn is soaked in water to help it coo l and ha rd en for the next step .

Th e V-shaped piece of horn is s li ced down th e middl e w ith the si mple saw. followin g

the a ngl e or c u rve of th e "V" s h ape. but the pi ece is not severed. The horn is h eated aga in

and t h e a n g les are straightened with th e tongs; thi s action lengt hens the horn into a lon g.

straig ht stick. partially sp lit down t h e middl e. In the end. this piece becomes th e base h a n-

dle : the segme nt th at hold s th e hid e figure. w hich is inserted into the s plit stick. Th e process

of firin g. cutting. filing. and soak ing w ill be repeated until the wayan g ha ndle is ready for the

final stages. w hen it is s moot h ed. polished with leaves a nd na tura l c halk. and finish ed with

ca rved decorative tou c h es. 9

17

Fig .6

Fig .S

/ 8

Fig.7

Fig.6

Hadi Siswanto, a water buffalo horn ca rver , quarters water buffalo ho rn (one of the beginning steps to mak ing pup-

pet sticks] outside his home and wor k shop. Photograph by the author, Polanharjo , Klaten, 2007.

Fig.7

Rejo Sumarto , Hadi Siswanto 's father , heats the sl iced water buffalo horn in order to create a long stick. Photo-

graph by the author , Polanharjo, Klaten , 2007 .

Fig.8

Rejo Sumarto hacks away at the rough oute r layer of the water buffalo horn . This beg in s the process of cleaning and

smoothing the sticks. which ult imately become shiny and sl ick, Photograph by the author, Polanharjo, Klaten , 2007,

Fig.9

Hadi Siswan to uses a meta l file to smooth the horn, Photograph by t he author , Polanharjo , Klaten, 2007 ,

Fig.10 Fig .11

Fig.1 2

Fig .13

Fig. 10

Hadi Siswanto slices though the horn again, following the angle to create long thin sticks with slits where the wayang figure

will eventually be inserted. Photograph by the author, Polanharjo, Klat en, 2007.

Fig.11

Giyarno, Hadi Siswanto's broth er , uses tongs to stra ig hten out the bend in t he horn over the flame. Photograph by the

author, Polanharjo, Klaten, 2007 .

Fig. 12

Giyarno finis hes straightening the horn stick by hea ting it over a flame . Photograph by the author, Polanharjo, Klaten, 2007

Fig . 13

Hadi Siswanto finishes off a wayang base handle by polishing it with leaves and natural chalk powder. Photograph by the author, Polanharjo, Klate n 2007

/9

Fig.14

Among a pile of tatah, the out -

line of this wayang figure has

already been cut. Th e sketch

of what w ill later become the

carving details is see n on the

rawhide surface . Photograph by

th e author, Eromoko, Wo no g iri,

2007.

2(}

Pili I cIJ in.t} The pmata/l, the artists who carve and pun cture the leath e l-, begin their w ork by scratching

the outline of the wayang figure and the specific deta il s of the c haracte r onto th e hid e. Thi s

draw ing must be carefully executed, since the outline a nd the precise characteristics, espe-

cially the figure's posture, greatly influen ce th e portraya l of th e figur e 's personality, which is

one of the most important marks of high quality wayang kulit. Subsequent ca rving and

punching of the hide is guided by this sketch. 1o

The basi c tools used to carve the rawhide include agalldill (mallet) and latalz (thin carv-

ing tools, similar to a nail or chisel with specially shaped points). Generally, the artists c re-

ate the great variety of cutout shapes with only two kinds of tatah. They are tatalz datal' (flat)

and lala/l/cl1gkllll.tJ (curved), term s which refer to the tool's c utting edge. The mallet is use d

with th ese tools to tap the tatah and pun c h through the raw hide, in the same manner a sculp-

tor might use a hammer and chisel, or an awl. Though th e point of the tatah only comes in

two basic shapes, the tools do come in various sizes. No matter the size, most punches

require several turns of the tatah to achieve the desired detail in a single hole . This stage is

the most time-consuming of the wayang making process , and is considered the most impor-

tant to a c hieve accurate character portrayal.

Despite the seemingly infinite number of these punch shapes, only nine curved tatah

and six flat tatah are used to create twel ve distin c t punch-patte rns . II Each pun c h-pattern

has a specific function. Combinations of c urved and flat punch es r e pres e nt details s u c h a s

clothing style, hairstyle, and personal ornamentation. For example, a p a ttern of short,

straight lines (like dashes) might be used for the edg in g of a female c haracter's kaill (a gen-

eral term for cloth, and the specific term for a skirt cloth). Or, in another example, rounded

spirals represent hair.

Another type of carving detail is not achieved through punching, but by using th e tools

to push the hide surface into textured patterns that represent body or facial hair. Only select

Fig.16 Fig,17

Fig. 15

A set of lalah !carving tools]

belonging to the art ist . Riyadi

Dwi Susanto. Photograph by the

author , Cabeyan, Bantul, 2007.

Fig.16 & 17

Thoyib , an artist [who is also a

farmer] from Cemangkah Kidu l,

Wonogir i District , is an excep -

tional wayang carver. This

series shows the artist punching

the designs of a wayang figure.

The leather is punched one hole

at a time with the lalah !carving

tooll and a mallet. Because of

the intricacy of the carv ing , even

small sections of high quality

work like Thoyib's can take

many hours to finish . Large

shadow puppets can take sev-

eral months to complete. Photo-

graphs by the author , Eromoko,

Wonogiri,2007 .

2 1

Fig. l Sa

Wayang artists use spec ific pat-

terns to create punch details of

wayang fi gures [FA.2007404 71. Photograph by Blair Clark.

Fig.1Sb

Detail of spira l punches that are

used to represent hair.

Fig. lSc

Detail of straight line dashes

t hat outline the edge of a char-

acters kain [sk irt cloth]

22

Fig .18b Fig . 18 c

Fig.18a

c h aracters h ave this Feature (see fig. 26). In deciding on the particu lar s h apes, patterns, and

details to u se For a spec iFi c wayang c haracter, artists mu st Fo ll ow traditional rule s and w rit-

ten gu id e lines For creating and decorating waya ng kulit. E x isting wayang Figures, usually

From kraton co ll ections, serve as model s; an a rti st ca n consult these o ld er pi eces, or standard

draw ings of these pi eces, For ca l"v ing a nd painting r eFere n ce.

Pa il1 til/f} Wh e n th e ca r v ing and punching a re co mplete, p a intin g is the n ext s tage in th e process of

c r eatin g a nd d eco ratin g way ang kulit. Th e ca r ved and punched waya ng fi g ure is s mooth ed

w ith sa ndpa p e r: this pre pares th e s kin for the firs t layer of co lor. Th e Foundation co lo r is u su-

a lly w hit e ( in some lo cat io n s ye llow might be th e b ase co lor of c hoi ce). Thi s first layer of

co lor e v e n s out th e hid e's co lor tone a nd allows th e over laye r s of co lor to a dh ere we ll a nd to

be shown at th e ir b es t . Thi s Foundation coat covers th e e ntire pie ce and is allowed to dry

b e fore it is burni s h ed w ith a seas h e ll and th e seco nd co lor is a dd ed .

R a r ely do co nte mporary artists ma k e and u se natura l pi g ments . 12 Today, the preferred

paints a r e wa ter-base d co lors, s u c h as acrylics. Paints are mi xed with an adhesive s u e h as

flllC/l,., w hi c h in th eory is a type of g lu e mad e from fish bon es. In reality, however, the s ub-

sta n ce varies from artist to a rti s t : so m e tim es it is a merely a carpe nte rs ' g lu e . Oth e r types of

p a ints a re so metim es u sed (such as la tex house paints or oil-based paints), mu c h to the detri-

m e nt o f t h e wayang Figures-for these paints are not durab le a nd oFten peel oFf th e hid e .

W a ter-based paints are th e id ea l med ium because th ey are more eas ily a bsorbed by hid e a nd

th e ir co lors last longe r than tho se of other pain tS. 13

ColOI's are ge n e rally added in layers: color is first app li ed to th e larger areas in a par-

ti c ul ar order, and then gold or bronze leaf is a ppli ed. Add ition a l co lors a r e painted on aFte l'

the gilding process, and fine d e ta il s, s u c h as thin lin es a nd tiny dots , a re painted o r s tippl ed

onto th e design in the la ter stages .l ~ Egg w hite is a ppli ed very carefully to th e p a inted area,

a round th e gold or bronze leaf (th e meta l lea f is not coa t ed w ith egg w hite) . SIIII/J.qili/J refers

to the process of coloring waya ng, s pec ifi ca lly to adding gradations of co lor. (At least thre e to

five color gradients -light to dark -are needed for each hu e , depending on th e s ize of th e

waya ng figure.)

Painte rs ge n e r a lly Follow trad ition , u s ing s ta nd ard co lors a nd d ec orati ve p at te rn s for

sp ec ifi c a ttributes of s p ec ifi c c h arac te r s . Artists do h ave some leeway in term s of individual

Fig .20

Fig .19

Fig. 19 & 20

Wayang pa inte r. Tr i Suwarno ,

sa nd s an already ca rv ed a nd

pun che d fig u re and prepa r es th e

hi de fo r th e first l aye r of paint.

Pho togra phs by the au th or,

Sewo n , Ba ntu l , 2007 .

Fig. 21-24

Wayang arti st, Marino of

Manyaran, paints details on a

wayang figu re in co lor gradients .

Mar in o is a full time wayang

artist , whose specialty is

painting. Fellow pa inter Suyanto

looks on [in Fig.211. Photographs

by the author, Eromoko,

Wonogiri,2007 .

ZI

Fig.21 Fig .22

Fig .23

Fig .24

Fig.25

Fig.26

preferences and creativity, but for the most part, they must adhere to the traditional guide-

lines and c hoos e colors suitabl e for th e c h a rac te r they are c reating. I S

The following examples demonstrate a few of the many rules included in these artistic

guidelines For making w ayang. The fJtlmdluz (a mythical bird) image is found in the hair orna-

ments and/or clothing of many ch a rac ters and the image must be created w ith its eyes casting a

somewhat sideway s glan ce. The garudha 's adornments should be gold, the teeth or fangs must

be white, and the fa ce of the bird should include gradients of red or of blue, or sometimes a

shade of dark y e llow. 16

Another example is the color of the wayang figure's teeth. Way ang figures with black

faces can only have teeth that are gold or red. Gold-faced characters will hav e blac k te e th,

unless th e ch a racter is a ralc,l{l.IlZ (demon-giant), in w hich case it will have white teeth . Rak-

sasa with a red or blue fa ce must have gold teeth. 17 These guidelines can be quite specific,

and for non-spe c ialist s they may seem o v erly esoteric . In fact, not all wayang-m a kers (not

even all dhalang) know the exact reasons for th e rules; th ey only know that these rules exist.

One wayang expert suggested that these explicit formulas (for patterning the punches and

combining a nd /or juxtapos ing parti c ular colors) all h elp c reate a n impressive vi s ual impact. l s

Fig . 25

Garudha's face from a detail of a

figure's hai r orna m ent. Following

trad it ion , this garudha glances

to t he side , has a blue face and

white fangs [FA20074066)

Photogra ph by Blair Clar k.

Fig.26

Gat hut kaca has a black face and

gold teeth , conforming to stan-

dard colo r schemes. Textured pat -

terns represent fac ial ha ir , as do

the sp iral punches under the fig -

ure 's chin . [FA2007 .40. 16) Photo-

g raph by B lair Clark.

25

Fig.27

26

Fi g. 27 & 28

Marino demonst rates the appli -

cat ion of gold le af. an d exam-

in es his wo r k at his home .

Photogra phs by th e aut hor.

Manya ran. Wono giri. 200 7.

Fig .28

On the other h and, sometimes the co lor of a figure's body and face can be a straig ht-

forward r eprese ntation of personality or mood. Facial co lor is the strongest identifier, w ith

the most common colors (at least For human c haracters) being go ld, black, w hite, and red. A

go ld face s ignifies dignity and ca lmn ess; black can represent a st ron g c haracter, or age; red

symbo li zes an intense, sometimes vio lent anger, or one who is easi ly up set or offended; and a

white face indicates a person's youth, inno cence, or hon esty.19 These are only a few of many

suc h examp les of th e rich a nd comp lex iconograp hy that ex ists in wayang kulit from the Solo

tradition; and many other illustrations may be found in ot h er regional wayang forms. 20

Twenty-two karat gold or bronze leaf is used for finer pieces. The leaf is ve ry delicate;

it is prepared and applied w ith great care. Ancur is often mixed w ith gold co lored paint to

soften the gold leaf so it adheres smooth ly. Certain co lors a r e added after the gi lding process,

and fine details such as thin lin es and tiny dots are then painted or stippled into the design.

After fixing the articulated limb s to the figure's body w ith bone or metal fasteners (q(:qel) , the

final step in creating a wayang kulit figure is to attach the horn sticks. The horn sticks are

heated over a small Ham e to mold the horn and to c u stom fit the stick around each individu a l

s h adow puppet's form. Finally, the wayang kulit is in serted into the handle and secured w ith

a n eed le and thread. In the past, and still in some regions today, thread-like strips of rattan

have been used to tie the stic k s to the form.

In the end, wayang kulit are incredibly ornate works of art. Many people wo nd er w hy

s hadow puppets are so elaborate ly decorated when their purpose is to produce shadows. For

o ne, people do see the physi ca l puppet when they watc h a performance from the dhalang's s id e

of the screen. Furthermore, waya ng kulit are important objects that represent important char-

acte rs. It co uld be For the sake of the puppet that th e figures are so beautiful. Most lik e ly, the

Fig .29

Fig .3 1

Fig.30

reason is that a dhalang des ires an admirable set of waya ng in the same way that a musi cian

might desire a beautiful in strum e nt. Not a ll dhalang can a fford the be st waya ng co ll ection;

therefore, a high quality, gold (or eve n bro nze) leafed set is indi cati ve of the stat us, popularity

and overall s uccess of a parti c ul a r dhalang.

Wanda: mood and form of the wayang characters Wanoa refers to the "inner mood" of certai n wayang characters in diffe r e nt c ircumstance s .2 1

Wand a also refers to the physical manifesta tion or expression of th a t mood , as seen in a fig-

ure 's face and posture .22 So, seve ral shadow puppets may b e used in a performance to por-

tray a singl e c haracter. Th ese various waya ng figure s a r e u se d to portray (or e mph as ize) the

d iffere nt personality traits of one c h aracter, and to express th a t c h aracter's e motional state

as the p e rformance progre sses.

Fig 29

Each figure has incredible

deta il, such as tiny dot s and fine

lines [FA200 738 1 0). Photo-

graph by Blair Clark.

Fig. 30 & 31

Waya ng art ist, Riyadi Dwi

Susanto, heats a puppet stick

[mad e from wate r buffalo horn]

to fit a wayang figure. He thus

crea te s a perfect ly balanced

wayang for a dhalangs use.

Af ter th e figure is in serted into

the pronged horn stick, Riyadi

sec ure s everything in place wi th

a need le and thread . Photo -

gra ph s by the author, Sewon,

Bantul,2007.

27

28

Physical features indicate the particu lar wanda of a character that is being portrayed,

and the wanda, therefore, is dependent on the carving and painting of the wayang kulit. For

examp le, the figure Kresna has several wanda. In ajejer scene, Kresna's demeanor wou ld be

respectful, formal, and humble. 23 These characteristics are best portrayed through his wanda

Rondhon (Kresna with a black face and body of go ld ) and this is the version of Kresna that

usually appears in such scenes (see plate 30 in the Simpingan Kanan section of the cata log) .

The physical c haracteristics that vary by wanda include face and/or body coloring; clothing;

ornaments; h air sty le; position of the face or h ead (whether bent downward or held hi g h) ;

the size, shape, and position of the eye and th e direction of its g lare; the size and general pos-

ture of the body; the way in which the neck is positioned; the posture and balance of the

s hould ers; and the s hape of the c h aracter's stomach. 24 Changes in s u ch features can s ignal

s u btle or dramatic differences in a character's personality or mood , and these differences can

be very important to the dhalang. For examp le, when dhalang Ki Enthus Susmono talks

about different wanda, his who le body reacts a nd hi s facial expression changes : he gets a

glint in his eyes; his jaw tightens; he straightens his posture. These are the types of facial or

body expressions that represen t emotions associated with various wanda .

In general, spectators w ho have a basic knowledge of wayang kulit and are familiar

w ith wayang figures may recognize the different wanda of a sing le c haracter in a perform-

ance, or at least particularly common wanda such as Kresna's wanda, Rondhon, as discussed

above. Nevertheless, diFFerences between a character's wanda are oftentimes so slight, that

only the most astute observer can distinguish between them. In s u ch instances, most a udi-

ence members cannot tell the diFFerence between the wanda, even iF the viewers are seated

only a few Feet away from the stage. For examp le, it is very difficult for an audience to per-

ceive the precise direction of a figure's glare, or whether a figure 's head is bent a few mil-

limeters lower than in anot h er wanda representation. These subtle differences exist for the

dhalang, the artists, and the experts -although even they cannot a lways distinguish between

the various wanda, even whe n they view the pieces up close. Ki Purbo Asmoro notes that

sometimes, dhalang cannot recogniz e the diFFerences but may choose a particular wanda

based on personal preference: for examp le, based on the perceived comfort in handling the

figure, or whe th er the hide structure is flexible enough for use in battle scenes. Still, wanda

also exist For the sake of the puppet and the story: wanda ca n illuminate the c h aracter's var-

iou s moods and personality aspects; and a particular wanda may be necessary for the story

according to the way it is interpreted by the dhalang. 25

Like many aspe c ts of wayang as an art form, the concept of wanda is open to interpre-

tation, and a continuin g discourse exists among dhalang and sc holars that is part of a

broader discussion about the nature of wayang kulit. Some dhalang claim that on ly certain

characters may have numerous wanda, but other performers exp lain that if the dhalang

believes it is necessary, he s hould be free to create a new wanda for any character. For exam-

ple, Ki Enthus Susmono explains that iF a character dies, the dhalang can create a IJlalZda lIla!'i

(that is, a wanda that expresses death). Innovation, such as creating new wanda, seems to be

a popular trend in the wayang kulit tradition . Ki Enthus believes that a dhalang's personal

interest, point of view, or interpretation of a story may a lso be expressed through wanda, w hi c h

can amuse the spectators and strengt h en the story, but h e also notes these are his own ideas

regarding wanda (perhaps on the progressive side) a nd that other perFormers may have dif-

ferent ideas. 26

Dhalang, who lean toward the classicist end of the spectrum believe that s u ch inno va-

tions are entertaining and creative but that with few exceptions, these trends do not generally

last more than ten or ~enty yea rs . Therefore, traditionalists maintain that the newer,

"invented" forms of wanda may be considered unique and unusual examples of wayang kulit,

but are not actually a new "wa nda ." Ki Purbo Asmoro noted that the norms for using wanda

are more relaxed today than in the past, particularly in performances by younger dhalang.

But, as in the past, the most important use of wanda is still injejer scenes (the beginning

scene where there is a meeting with a king), in which the character is expected to behave in

a particularly respectful and humble manner, and for most dhalang, only certain wa nda will

best portray those behaviors . 27

Simp ingan During a performance, the wayang kulit are arranged in a relatively standard way on the

geoebog (banana log). 28 This arrangement is referred to as the "ill1pingall. At every wayang

kulit performance, wayang figures are lined up to the right (dill1pill.(j(l/1 ktlWlIl) and left

(Jimpingall kin) of the screen, and are set firmly into the gedebog, in ascending size order

(with the smallest figures set closest to the dhalang who sits at the midpoint of the screen),

and the figures face outward, away from the screen. The arrangement is viewed from the

dhalang's side of the screen. A third group of wayang is kept apart by the dhalang; the o/wo- /W/WIl group. The dhudhahan group is not placed on the banana log.

The line of wayang on the gedebog is visually compelling, with overlapping pieces

flanking the screen to the right and left, all lined up in order of size, and forming a diagonal

line that brings the audience's focus to the center of the screen - the central performance

space. The number of wayang "on the log" can range from fewer than fifty to more than ~o

hundred, depending on the dhalang's artistic vision and collection, the sizes of the gedebog

and the screen, the occasion of the performance, th e performance space, and the sponsor of

the event.

SimpingClIl KClluuz-Kl'ri (Armll.qement (o the Rl~qM and L4{ 4 the Screell) As mentioned above, the physical arrangement of wayang on the log for a performance is

relatively standard . Placing specific characters on one side or another depends on aesthetics

and tradition as well as the dhalang's interpretation and personal preferences.

A popular misconception about simpingan is that the placement of the characters on

the gedebog is based primarily on the characters' moral fiber: that is, that characters with a

generally good, polite, and refined disposition (/WI/ld) would be placed to the right ("ill1pin-

gall kalZan) and those with a generally bad, rude, or coarse disposition (ka"ar) would be

placed to the left (,limpill.(j(UI kin). Characte ristics such as hal us and kasar are said to epito-

mize Javanese world view, at least in terms of ideal behaviors .29 Howeve r, there is more to

the arrangement of the wayang than good and bad qualities, or polite and rude traits.

Most wayang characters (like most human beings) are not simply "good" or "bad."

Good characters may do bad things, may be loud and coarse-mannered, or may have obliga-

tions that lea d to allegiances with the antagonists. Likewise, some characters are polite, loya l,

and diplomatic, but are at the same time immoral or make poor decisions. Arguably, there are

no purely good or bad characters in wayang, only shades of grey. For example, if any chal--

acter might be conceived as completely bad, Rahwana (a villain from the Rall1tlyallil) would

be the one. However, Rahwana believed that possessing Sinta (a reincarnation of a goddess)

would make him great: that is, Rahwana sought to better himself through his own actions

29

Fig . 32

Wayang kulit fl ank t he screen to

the r ight and l eft in an arrange-

ment referred to as simpingan.

Performa nce by Dhalang Ki

Enthus Susmono. Photograph by

Tadash i Kumagai. Centra l J ava .

July 2008.

Fig. 33

Deta il from simpingan kanan . the

right side. Ph otog raph by

Dr. Widya Nayati. Bantul. 2007.

30

Fi g. 32

Fig .33

base d o n pr in c ipl es th a t h e b e li eved . Thu s, eve n th o u g h th ere are m a ny negati ve as p ects to

Ra hwa na's c ha racter, it can b e argu ed t hat eve n thi s fa mo u s vi lla in neverth eless has so m e pos-

itive tra its an d good in te nti o n s . 30 S o t h e good- bad di c h oto my d oes n ot com p lete ly d efine t h e

wayang c haracte rs, a nd t h erefore (a lth o ug h a c ha ract e r 's tem p e ra m e n t may p laya ro le) t h e

good- b ad div ide does n ot a lone influ e n ce h ow th ey a r e a r ra nge d on t h e ba na na log.

Th e a r ra nge m e nt of the wayang o n th e ged e b og d epe n ds p ri marily on aesth e tic balance

a n d p ropo r tio na li ty. 31 Th at is, t h e s ize a n d form of th e c h aracters set u p to t h e r ig h t a nd to

th e left of the scree n s h o ul d be we ll bala n ce d : t h e s m a ll est c h aracte r s s h o ul d close ly fla n k

(or overlap) th e scree n o n t h e rig h t a n d left; and c haracters s hould gradu a lly in crease in size

as they extend out on the banana log, w ith the larges t c haracters at the en d of th e lin es . Gen-

der a lso plays a role in the arra nge me nt of waya ng figures: female c h a rac ters are displayed

on th e right side . Fa cial features and facial co lor are important factors in the arrangeme nt of

t h e wayang as we ll. For exa mpl e, accord ing to Ki Purbo, black a nd go ld or ye llow-Faced

wayang figUI'es are placed o n the right, a nd red a nd blue-faced wayang are placed on th e leFt.

Although facia l co lor may indicate temperament, personality, or mood, th e wayang are

placed on a particular sid e based o n h ow th ey look a nd groups of waya ng w ith same-co lored

faces, of simil a r s ize, are usua lly placed together:'2

The placement of the indi vid u a l figures in the simpingan is a lso determined by regional

style or the aestheti cs of a particular region, w hich is probably related to th e color of the wayang

fi g ures . For in stan ce, in Solo and Klaten, the antagonistic character Duryudana (a fi g ure w ith

a black face) is often pl aced in the ,lilllpill.qW/ kal/wl (to the right), w here many dh a lang feel the

character looks best aesth etica lly in the lin eup. (Duryudana's fac ia l Features, facial co lo r, a n d

expressio n are close to those of his co u si n, Bima -a figure usually placed o n th e right; see plates

4- 7 a nd 11 - 12 in the Simpingan Kanan section of the cata log.) 33 However, in places li ke Paci-

tan, Duryudana is norm a lly placed in th e ,Iilllplizgtlll kli·i (to th e left of th e dhalang) :>4

In su mmary, th e exact placement of s p ecific figures is not fi xe d, however, und er n or-

mal circ um stances, it is the overall look of the s pace - the vis u a l balance - t hat is the major

determinant of wayang placement, a nd that balance can be expected from s how to s h ow. In

t h e e nd , the ar range m ent of the wayang on the gedebog is ultimately up to th e dhalang.

Dlllldhahall (ll/ ayall,q Left Of/the Gedebog) Excluded from the simpin gan k a nan (rig ht) a nd s impin ga n kiri (left) categories of charac-

ters are the wayang figur es that fa ll into the {)/1ll0/1Il/W Il group - meaning, "take n- out. " 35 These

a r e s hadow puppets that remain in the dhalang's kot/wk (puppet box) or a r e kept wit hin

a rm s' reach at the dhalang's s id e. 36

Fig. 34

View of the simpingan kiri.

the left side of the screen at a

performa nce by dhalang Ki Anom

Dwij o Kangko. Photograph by the

auth or. Je bres . Solo. June 15.

2009.

S/

Fig. 35

Ki Anom Suroto de monst r ates how

he bri ngs the w ayang to life. Per-

formance eleme nts in cl ude the

sc reen and sc ree n fra me, banan a

togs, wayan g ku lit, the puppet box

and oox l id, a l ight sou rce , and

ga m elan instrumen ts. Photogra ph

by th e au th or, Solo , Ju ne 2007.

52

Way ang figures may be leFt oFF the gedebog (categorized as the dhudhahan group) iF

th ey are minor way ang figures (s u ch as an ima ls, g hosts, vehicles, armies, and weapons) and

wayang figures that in some way conFound or disrupt the aesth etic balance of the perForm-

ance setting. 37 For examp le, iF a c haracter's physical Form is too sma iL too big, or too fat they

will not harmonize with the oth e r Figures displayed on t h e gedebog and may spo il th e aes-

thetic balance in the simpingan arra n geme nt . Such hgUI-es are ther-efore left out of the gede-

bog's right-left arrangement .

Also in th e dhudhahan gro up are the puppeteer's most frequently used figures and the

c haracters that appear in a given performance. Charac ters used in an evening's p e rformance

are not ancho r ed to the log because retrieving a particular shadow puppet in mid-perfor-

mance wou ld be very disrupti v e. 38 The characters used in t h e eve nin g's performance wi ll be

kept close to the dhalang 's side, stacked on ehlek: (trays) in a very particular order. The trays

are placed on top of the kothak. on the puppeteer 's left (as he faces the scree n ) and on the

lid of the box, to the puppeteer's right, where the dhalang has easy access to th e pieces. The

c h aracte rs included in this scenario wo uld depend on the particular story to be performed.

Performance \Vayang kulit per-formances are grand events that last throughout the night, accompanied a ll

the w hil e by a li ve game la n orc h estra. Hundreds of people gather to watch and enjoy these

traditional theatrical performances.