A letter
of impression
One
of our art students from Goucher University has
sent us her impression during her stay at our
school learning the pupet shadow making. Here is
her impression :
I
spent one month this past summer in Semarang.
I've been home for a few weeks now and I'm still
trying to readjust to American life. I
experienced a wonderful trip to Indonesia - not
just a trip, but an intense month of learning,
touring, observing, and discovering Indonesia. I
went to learn a little of the craft of puppet
making and came back with so much more.
When people ask me why I wanted to study the
shadow puppets I have found it difficult to
answer. I had seen the wayang kulit once or twice
before, unlike many Americans who don't know what
they are. I became increasingly interested in
them recently as an art student at Goucher
College in Baltimore (near Washington DC on the
East Coast). I love the idea of using shadow in
presentation rather than a physical object. I
love the intricacy of the design. I was drawn to
the somewhat distorted human figures. I had many
questions. Being extremely removed from
Indonesian art and culture left me with a sense
of mystery. For example, I couldn't understand
why the puppets were painted if only the shadows
were going to be shown. By traveling to Indonesia
to learn the craft of puppet making, I could gain
an understanding of Indonesian language, art, and
attitude. Learning the craft became the perfect
introduction to the rich Indonesian culture.
The difficult part was finding connections in
Indonesia. I researched for months trying to find
a school, a teacher, a host, or anyone who could
speak to me about the wayang kulit (in English).
On the Internet I finally discovered Semarang
2000, a bilingual school with programs for
foreigners. Immediately thereafter all the plans
came together. Agustina Prasetyo, owner of
Semarang 2000, organized my stay and found a
wonderful teacher of puppet making for me. In
late July I was off on this wonderful adventure
to a place I had never been.
The plane ride, with its many airport layovers,
took three days. I arrived in Yogyakarta
completely dazed. My host picked me up and we
embarked on a month long tour of Central Java. On
weekends we visited Jepara, Solo, Ambarawa,
Yogya, Borobudur, and Bali. The rest of my stay
in Semarang was spent working on the wayang
kulit. Warseno, my instructor, and I worked for
eight hours each day. We started with Petruk,
Gareng, and Bagong because of their relative
simplicity. My fingers ached from the carving; my
eyes from the small details; my back from leaning
over all day. The painting was fun because it was
relieving after the repetitive hammering and
carving.
After three weeks of work I had finished two
puppets and had begun on a third. I was amazed at
what I had accomplished. My puppets actually
looked something like the ones I had seen in
books and on stage. I could recognize Petruk as
Petruk and I was totally surprised at this! I
hadn't expected such a wonderful teacher and such
success.
In fact, the entire trip was a marvelous success.
I saw so many new places, I tasted all of the new
foods (even nasi babat), I learned sedikit Bahasa
Indonesia, I made fantastic friends in Semarang,
and discovered for myself a country that I knew
nothing about. I admire the arts of Central Java
the most: the batik; the woodcarving; the dance;
and the many wayang styles. I already miss nasi
goreng and the multitude of flavors that we don't
have here in America. I wanted to stay and learn
more. I hope to return in the near future, if not
to study, then to travel the many islands and
visit the caring friends I have made.
Clare Van Merkensteijn
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