Hear it for the ACM-ERS

Monday, March 29, 2010 @ 7:18 PM

Lesley's Reflection of Wayang Kulit Reading - Arts of Southeast Asia

Kerlogue, Fiona. Arts of Southeast Asia. Singapore: Thames and Hudson, 2004.

This article tells us about the assimilation of traditions (mainly the Javanese and Balinese) in Asia.

It all started when the Hindu Court of Majapahit was forced to abandon Java in the sixteenth century. The royal family and many members of the aristocracy took refuge in Bali, taking much of their artistic traditions with them.

It was not log before the presence of Javanese traditions, religion in particular, became evident in Bali. Images carved on the walls of religious areas and structures of temples were soon reconstructed to resemble designs from Javanese architecture of the period.

The spread of the Javanese narrative tradition soon followed. Although Bali already had its own legends, they started to spread even more during this period of assimilation.

My Thoughts: I think it is amazing how rich Balinese culture is. It isn’t just one culture by itself. Instead, it is a mixture of many others, each with their own roots tracing back to the beginning of time.

Learning about Indonesian Wayang Kulit is a part of this project. Let’s not stop at the surface. We should also look beyond and find out more about the traditions that lie behind it. I am sure that doing this will allow us to gain a better understanding of Indonesian Wayang Kulit.