Culture and Art

Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
This morning we started with a visit to Wayan Kurdana, a maker of traditional Balinese shadow puppets. He is located in the village of Sukawati, which is known for its puppets. Traditional shadow puppet shows provided entertainment before the days of movies and TVs and still play a significant role in the local culture. They are included in many major celebrations. Wayan lives in a compound with his extended family including his brother and two nephews and their families. The compound includes a shop, workshops, and living quarters.

We learned about making the puppets and even tried our hand at the process of cutting and painting them . Then we were able to watch a short shadow puppet show performed by a Dalong, or storyteller. Besides manipulating the puppets, and being their voices, he also provided sound effects using a wooden implement which he held between his toes. In addition to the traditional characters who spoke in Balinese, there were two clown puppets who spoke English and not only provided an explanation of the story but also offered a lot of comic relief. The final part of our visit was to his shop which had many tempting items.

The next stop was to visit a mask maker, Wayan Muka, in the village of Mas. His wooden masks are used in temple ceremonies and dance performances. There are painted masks carved from P ? ? wood, and unpainted ones carved from Hibiscus wood. In his workshop we had the opportunity to try carving and learning about the process before visiting his gallery. There, Wayan modeled a variety of masks complete with mudras and dance steps. It seems that the artisan must know how the masks are used as well as how they are made .

The final stop on our itinerary was the Neka Museum of Balinese Art. However as we drove through Ubud's Main Street we passed Bu Oka, famous for its Babi Guling. The entire group agreed that we should eat lunch there before visiting the museum. It made me very happy because I missed eating there on on my first trip to Ubud. We sat on reed mats on the floor and ate the special meal of suckling pork, greens, rice, and pork rinds washed down with Bintang beer or green coconut juice. It was delicious!

Since we were just across the street from the Royal Palace we spent a few minutes exploring the gardens and pavilions before heading to the Neka. The museum was founded by Suteja Neka a former school teacher who realized that although there were outstanding exhibits of Balinese art in European museums, that such works could not be seen in Bali. He started the museum in 1976 and today it includes work inspired by Bali and other works from Indonesia.

Comments

Dee Hearle
2013-02-07

Marylea I would have enjoyed the mask maker and learning the role masks play in the Balinese culture.

2025-02-10

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