WAYANG KULIT

Wayang kulit is a traditional cinema form of puppet-shadow play originally found in the cultures of Java, Bali, and Lombok in Indonesia. Due to the course of history, this culture had found its way into the Malays lifestyle and become one with its culture.  

The term wayang can be related Javanese mean for "shadow" or "imagination". It’s similar in standard meaning which is bayang. In modern day vocabulary, wayang can refer to the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre cinematic performance. Kulit means "skin" or "leather" from Malay language is the material from which the figures are carved.

Wayang kulit being perform through the puppet figures that are rear-projected on a taut linen screen. It is lighten using a coconut-oil or electricity lamp light. Dalang, the shadow artist will manipulates carved leather figures between the lamp and the screen in order to bring the shadows look alive. The story is mainly about good vs. evil and moral value.

Conclusion, Wayang kulit had become an irreplaceable legacy in Malay culture. People in past always attend to this performance as one of the entertainment for the time. Not to mention that, wayang kulit activity is made through grouping which can unite the society and keep them together under the same activity.

Author: Mohd Imran Tashiron