Contemporary Puppetry: Yogyakarta, Central Java

By Barrie | August 6th, 2007 | No Comments

In a move to attract more young people to shadow puppetry, a play was performed at a shopping mall in Yogyakarta last week combining shadow puppets, traditional dance and animation.

The “wayang pixel” play did not follow the traditional rules. Instead, it developed its own guidelines.

A combination of puppetry, dance and animation with modern nuances gave a contemporary feel to the show and persuaded the audience to stay until the end.

The 45-minute play showcased a fragment from the Ramayana epic and was titled Rama Shinta Shadow Love Story. It was co-produced by several young artists in Yogyakarta.

– Text and photo by Tarko Sudiarno