Hilton Chen
The Puppet Maker
A Wayang (shadow puppet) craftsman shows his grandson how to decorate a puppet, while the young boy pays rapt attention to the lesson. The art of Wayang has been designated by UNESCO as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." The craftsmen are called "Empul Wayang" and they make the puppets out of leather or wood.
The Wayang is deeply rooted in Javanese, Hindu, and Buddhist worldviews, and it is not merely entertainment but a spiritual and moral performance. The screen represents the veil between the seen and unseen worlds. The puppets are manifestations of cosmic forces, and the shadows on the screen represent human perception. The viewer sees only shadows, not the actual puppets - a reminder that life itself is a shadow play, a transient illusion of a deeper reality.
The Puppet Maker
A Wayang (shadow puppet) craftsman shows his grandson how to decorate a puppet, while the young boy pays rapt attention to the lesson. The art of Wayang has been designated by UNESCO as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." The craftsmen are called "Empul Wayang" and they make the puppets out of leather or wood.
The Wayang is deeply rooted in Javanese, Hindu, and Buddhist worldviews, and it is not merely entertainment but a spiritual and moral performance. The screen represents the veil between the seen and unseen worlds. The puppets are manifestations of cosmic forces, and the shadows on the screen represent human perception. The viewer sees only shadows, not the actual puppets - a reminder that life itself is a shadow play, a transient illusion of a deeper reality.