Shakespeare in the Shadows

Puppets from "Macbeth in the Shadows"
Originally uploaded by seni-seni.

An intriguing new production is breathing life into wayang kulit in Malaysia, where the art form is slowly vanishing. Macbeth in the Shadows adapts the action of Shakespeare's classic play into shadow puppetry, with the dialogue performed in Bahasa Malaysia.

From Malaysia's Sun newspaper:

Slowly but surely, if no one does anything about it, traditional folk art such as wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) will disappear from our shores. Right now, there are only a handful of its exponents still keeping this culture alive.

Among them is Dollah Baju Merah (Dalang Abdullah Ibrahim), one of the last leading Tok Dalangs (shadow puppeteer) in the country.

Pusaka (Centre for the Study and Documentation of Traditional Performance in Malaysia), in association with the British Council, will be bringing Malaysians a taste of Shakespeare performed wayang kulit-style.

Macbeth in the Shadows combines the efforts of Dollah, British novelist-playwright-illustrator Edward Carey, and local poet-writer-translator Eddin Khoo.

The performance involves the design and creation of new puppets by Dollah and Carey, based on the characters in Macbeth. Khoo will adapt and interpret the original play to suit the requirements of wayang kulit.

Macbeth in the Shadows is scheduled to be staged at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) in September.

Read more about on this production on the Malaysian blog, Bibliobibuli.

British Gamelan Trail

Yesterday I examined a SOAS PhD thesis on Balinese gamelan theory by Kate Wakeling - who plays with the London gamelan Lila Cita, and has also studied Balinese dance for a number of years. A really well written piece of work, with much of substance, particularly in relation to new compositions and their theorization.

Kate's supervisor is Mark Hobart, a SOAS professor of media studies and a close colleague of mine. After the examination, I sat in on a meeting Mark held with my co-examiner Neil Sorrell, arts producer Hi Ching and Balinese dancer Ni Made Pujawati (Mark's wife). Hi Ching, Ni Made and Aris Daryono (a Javanese musician who plays with the Southbank Gamelan Players) are developing a project for heritage funding called the British Gamelan Trail. If the bid is successful, this will take Aris and Puja around the country (with a particular focus on the London area) talking to people about how gamelan has been embedded in communities. The idea is to develop a general history of gamelan in Britain, with a focus on 6 groups in particular. Documentation will be included in an exhbit on Balinese dance and storytelling planned for the Horniman Museum in 2011-2012.

At this meeting, Neil offered a synoptic overview of gamelan. Neil's own studies go back to 1971 - when he attended one of Bob Brown's summer sessions in Bali. He believes the first gamelan ensemble in residence was at Dartington in 1974- a set of instruments borrowed from Europe. The Durham Oriental Music Festival sparked the interest of the Indonesian embassy to purchase a set of instruments, which was played by the group to become known as the English Gamelan Orchestra (which later morphed into the Southbank Gamelan Plyaers). Neil was able to use the EGO's existence to convince York to purchase a set of instruments for £6000 in 1980. This was the first set of instruments purchased by a university. The Cambridge University gamelan, a gift from an Indonesian cabinet minister who had a child studying at Cambridge, followed a year or two later.

We also spoke about other ensembles - Cragg Vale, the Bow Gamelan and the like - which will likely fall outside the remit of the British Gamelan Trail project.

The project is a clever and fascinating one - hope it gets funded...

Discovering Indonesian Art at the TIM Centre

Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Centre which is known as the TIM art centre was named after a prominent Jakarta-born composer who is well known for his efforts in promoting the arts in the country. Unlike many other art centers in Indonesia, the TIM centre has a unique approach to promoting art and culture among the locals as well as tourists. Instead of the usual dichotomy of traditional art versus modernism, this centre embraces both styles and showcases the best of both worlds. Traditional dance performances such as Wayang, dramas and Puppet Theater are among the regular features of the centre's program.

The Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Centre is particularly well known for presenting local Indonesian artists and other regional artists from countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. Staying true to the vision of Ismail Marzuki, who was well known for composing patriotic songs during the early days of the Indonesian independence, the centre helps promote the indigenous music of the region.

Perhaps the most popular song composed by Marzuki was Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (Solace on a Coconut Island), which gained many accolades locally as well as internationally. His work was honored posthumously by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004 with him being declared a national hero.

The TIM centre fills in a long-felt void in the cultural scene in Jakarta. Earlier, many local artists where hampered by the lack of a proper venue to perform. But with the establishment of the art centre they now have state-of-the-art facilities as well as a regular appreciative audience. The centre also has a planetarium that is a favorite among schoolchildren.