Page 5 | Wayang puppets

The elements of puppet design

Contents

Wayang puppets - a spotter's guide (1)

Making the puppets (2)

The main character types (3)

Stylisation (4)

The elements of puppet design (5)

Colours (6)

A final word (7)

Seleh Notes Volume 4 Number 4

© Tim Byard-Jones

 

A forest demon (Raksasa type)

 

The elements which help to distinguish a puppet can be considered individually and classified.

However most dhalang or audiences do not rely on recognising each feature separately any more than recognising someone you know is a case of –‘let’s see...brown eyes, dark thinning hair, round face, plump body, moustache, it must be Tim!’

Some wayang characters are instantly recognisable (e.g. the clowns or Cakil) and others are familiar through popularity (e.g. the Pandawa or Hanoman).

With some the distinguishing elements must be learned (e.g. how to tell the twins Nakula and Sadewa in the Mahabharata from the twins Guwarsa and Guwarsi in the Ramayana).

Needless to say, this greater depth of knowledge is irrelevant for anyone other than the dhalang, and those assisting him directly in sorting out puppets or setting up the simpingan, since the identity of the puppets used during the performance will be clear from the context.

See archetypal wayang characters showing the types of eye, nose and mouth listed.

Note that humans only have one eye visible, monkeys (like Hanoman or Sugriwa) and most demons (like Kumbakarna or Bukbis) have two eyes visible.

Similar examples of hairstyles, head-dresses, costume details, body details, arm and leg adornments and hand positions could be given.

Note, for instance, the typical demon hand-position as demonstrated by Kumbakarna. Do heavy metal fans really know that they look like the Javanese?

Kumbakarna

 

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