'Wayang thengul' puppets survive as souvenirs in RI's major cities
'Wayang thengul' puppets survive as souvenirs in RI's major cities
By R. Agus Bakti
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Wayang thengul (wooden puppet show) has every qualification to be listed as a Javanese "endangered" folk art, losing its audience to modern-day entertainment.
It used to be a well-known traditional art like the wayang purwa (leather puppet show) but its popularity is waning and probably only a small number of the younger generation has a good understanding of it.
Wayang thengul shows have become extremely rare. So the puppets are made for decoration and sold in local souvenir shops.
Santo, 44, is one of a handful of known wayang thengul puppet makers.
Santo is a seasoned craftsman from Pongangan village, Kulonprogo regency, Yogyakarta and a graduate of the local arts high school.
At a glance, the wayang thengul looks just like wayang golek, which still enjoys a degree of popularity in West Java.
The Sundanese wayang golek characters, like those of the Javanese wayang purwa, are derived from the Mahabarata and Ramayana epics. While wayang thengul (also called wayang golek menak) is adopted from stories of the Arabian kingdoms. One of the best known character is Prabu (king) Jayengrana.
Wayang thengul, which is one of the 40 kinds of wayang known in Indonesia, is three-dimensional. During its golden age in the 1950s, wayang thengul was often staged during wedding ceremonies or other ceremonial events.
Santo says today, both wayang thengul and the dalang (puppet master) are rare.
Arts for sale
Nevertheless Santo continues making wayang thengul puppets. His main motive is business rather than art because the puppets' popularity as an art is history.
He believes wayang thengul puppets would also become history if it were not modified and made strictly for arts sake.
Perhaps Santo inherits his talent from his father Darso Sumarto, who was a well-known dalang and wayang thengul puppet maker in his village.
Unlike his father, who made the puppets for shows, Santo makes them to be sold in the market as souvenirs. For a change, Santo, a father of three sons, makes the puppets' clothing from velvet and not from batik as was done in the past.
Santo believes art should be developed as business, and this is a challenge.
Santo currently employs seven full-time workers for shaping, painting, dressing and marketing the puppets.
He runs a showroom close to his home to showcase his wayang thengul puppets. Tourists guides are familiar with his place.
His products are available in art shops in Yogyakarta and Bali. Aside from exhibiting his puppets in major cities in Indonesia, Santo has also exhibited them in Jerusalem.
As the puppets are meant as souvenirs, they are designed to be easily packed. Santo tells his customers that his puppets are great as interior decorations.
"So, people don't order a whole set which comprises hundreds of wayang pieces. Some like to order just one piece to be painted by themselves, he said.
On the average, the puppets are Rp 50,000 per piece and Santo claims his monthly turnover is around Rp 17 million.
The puppets are made from mahogany (Swietenia macrophylia), a very fibrous wood that is widely used in buildings and furniture as it is termite-proof.
Santo is proud of his motto "art for business". When he receives a big order, he hires up to 40 of his neighbors to do the job at his workshop which he calls Pelita Kasih (Light of Love).
His ambition is to help the young learn more about this cultural heritage and to be innovative in puppet making.
His workshop in Pongangan village on Jl. Raya Yogyakarta-Wates Km 14, Sentolo, can be easily accessed by bus.