contributed by Marianna Lis, 29 January 2021

 

Cover image. Batara Corona, a screenshot from a performance by Ki Catur Kuncoro posted on Youtube

Performances of the Javanese shadow theatre Wayang Kulit have traditionally been imbued with ritual character. Performances have been shown, for example, at important family or local celebrations, or during purification rituals for individuals or entire communities. At the same time, wayang kulit has also been a space for free expression of current problems and challenges, especially those important for local communities. As such, wayang has become a source of information for viewers and a commentary on everyday life. The turbulent year of 2020 has brought many changes to wayang. Performances, oftentimes gathering crowds of viewers during all-night performances, have moved to cyberspace. While this is not the first time that wayang has used new technologies like the  radio, television and the internet, 2020 has increased this usage to a whole new level. 

The year 2020 also saw the introduction of a new kind of wayang - pandemic wayang - which takes different forms and strategies for talking about the novel coronavirus. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, being more than 10,000 kilometers away from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, the cities in the South of the Central Java from which the described artists come, for the first time in my career as a wayang researcher, I had the feeling that distance was not an obstacle in my research. Like the rest of the wayang viewers scattered around the world, I sat for the past months in front of my laptop screen, turned on YouTube and moved into the known-unknown world of wayang - which offered not only new characters and stories, but also new forms of community and new forms of reception for me as a viewer trying to find myself in an experience spanning between digital isolation and remote togetherness.

One of the first performances shown during lockdown in Indonesia was a performance in March 2020, in which dalang (puppeteer) Ki Purbo Asmoro performed the Sudamala story. He was alone, without the accompaniment of musicians nor a choir of singers and amid the absence of a live audience. This unusual, one-man spectacle-prayer in aid of the world suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic made use of the ruwatan formula – a ritual performed for the protection and cleansing not only of the soul and body of individuals but also of entire communities and for the restoration of cosmic balance. Ki Purbo Asmoro viewed the performance of ruwatan as a kind of prayer for the world (doa untuk dunia, as he called his performance), as well as a duty to society that he could fulfil.

Formation and consolidation of a community are one of the main objectives of the wayang. In this case, the dalang was able to build a community while self-isolating, thus changing the character of the community in which everyone remained together despite their own physical separation.

 

Video 1. "Doa untuk Dunia" performance of "Sudamala" story by Ki Purbo Asmoro posted on Youtube

Soon after Ki Purbo Asmoro's wayang intervention, more and more dalangs began including information about the pandemic into their performances, although performances were still staged solo or accompanied only by one or two other artists (most often from the puppeteer's family or connecting with the dalang via the internet). The performances created at that time (often in the form of short clips posted not only on YouTube, but also on Instagram) provided viewers with pertinent information and recommendations. The protagonists of the performances drew the audiences’ attention to the most common symptoms of the new disease, encouraged them to wear masks, taught them to wash hands thoroughly and reminded them to keep their physical distance. Information about the pandemic appeared not only in wayang kulit performances addressed to adults, but also in wayang kancil performances intended for younger audiences, in which the heroes are animals (including the title animal, kancil or mouse-deer).

 

Video 2. Wayang kancil performance by Ki Anggara Sri Wisnu posted on Youtube

Most of the information related to the pandemic was intertwined into the gara-gara scenes. Traditionally gara-gara, shown in the middle of the show, depicts a world devoid of inner harmony. With the intermediary of the Punakawan (clown servants) - Semar, Petruk, Gareng, and Bagong - the dalang is able to comment on current social and political topics. His comments may be entertaining, but they may also contain - as in the case of the “pandemic wayang” - a moral or philosophical message of the entire performance.

The coronavirus very quickly became one of the characters these shows. In the performances of such dalangs as Ki Catur Kuncoro, a new figure appeared - Batara Corona or Koronayaksa (“Corona Ogre”) – new puppet which links the coronavirus image with traditional iconography. In these performances, the coronavirus becomes a character that you can talk to and fight with, taking over the features of other ogres known from the wayang. His on-screen appearance did not necessarily have to be accompanied by dalang's “educational” remarks, as was the case before. Recognized without any problems by viewers, he has become the main antagonist - the arch-enemy that the protagonist of the show has to face in order to save his community (relatives, subjects, the whole world - depending on the story) from danger. The threat of a deadly pandemic in the world of wayang is synonymous with a disturbance of harmony in the universe. Thanks to the power, wisdom and the skill of using secret knowledge, the dalang is thus capable of restoring the imbalance and introducing harmony.

 

Video 3. Batara Corona and Kyai Gardala in the performance by Ki Catur Kuncoro posted on Youtube

In “pandemic wayang” performances produced in the period from March to July 2020, a gradual change in the attitude of dalangs to the pandemic can be observed. The first performances, staged immediately after the lockdown in Indonesia in March 2020, were usually ritualistic and prayerful. The world we all knew changed in a split second: almost every aspect of everyday life has turned foreign. Wayang thus appropriately responded immediately by offering support, comfort and a new kind of virtual community for many who were suddenly devoid of social contact and familiarity.

But as time passed, the pandemic showed no sign of easing and as it became the reality of a new everyday life that both the viewers and the creators have to grapple with, the coronavirus also became a recurring character in many performances. The protagonists fought Koronayaksa or faced (as in the Wayang Kampung Sebelah play, whose name literally means “Wayang from the next-door neighborhood” and indicates the topics most frequently discussed in the performances) the problems caused by the pandemic: loss of job and livelihood or insufficient state aid, thus helping to tame uncertainty and alleviate fear of what the future holds.

Over the past year, wayang has once again proved that it is an important and living art that can adapt to any situation. The art which helps us to survive, to face isolation, loss and to find oneself in the new reality.

---

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the blog editorial team or the Asia Research Institute.

South Asia | Southeast Asia | East Asia | Other Places | Hinduism | Buddhism | Islam | Christianity | Other Religions

back to project's homepage