Puppets as art<\/p>\n
The Indonesia-Europe Wayang Week which lasts from May 24 to
\nJune 2, 1994, is being held jointly by the cultural centers of
\nFrance, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain and Switzerland in
\ncooperation with the Senangwangi (Secretariat of Indonesian
\nNational Wayang Arts), the Jakarta Arts Council and the Jakarta
\nArt Center.<\/p>\n
An earlier seminar on puppetry held in Yogyakarta revealed the
\nstrengths and the weaknesses of the world of wayang as viewed
\nfrom various aspects. The seminar discussed the philosophy
\ncontained in the wayang shadow puppet stories, although many
\nopined that wayang is not a philosophy, but an art. However, it
\nis not to be argued that any art is a philosophy. The issue
\nactually is that philosophy is contained in the wayang stories.<\/p>\n
The wayang being discussed now include the flat leather
\npuppets and the three dimensional wayang golek wooden puppets.<\/p>\n
The wayang themes are taken from the Indian epics Mahabharata
\nand Ramayana, which are regarded as depicting all aspects of
\nhumankind, and which many would regard as \"sacred books.\" They
\ncan be used as a reference in the solving of human problems.<\/p>\n
Our concern about the present wayang presentations at this
\nfestival is that too much emphasis is being put on the
\nentertainment aspects of puppetry. This tends to lower the
\nquality of the performances as art. It is under this circumstance
\nthat institutional or individual authority and dignity are
\nneeded, not regulations and permits.<\/p>\n
--Kompas, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/puppets-as-art-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }