Deep Java in Art

“Acara Seni Budaya Jawa Tengah” (Folk Art Event Central Jawa), “Turonggo Panuntun Group”. Desa Gantang, Kampung Tanggulangin. Sawangan,  Magelang. Indonesia, 11 November 2017

 

In all these years, I have been lucky enough to attend, both in Rome and in the countries where I have been, really interesting representations and artistic shows, which I have already talked about in this blog.

But this one in Sawangan, Magelang, was certainly one of the most memorable for me.

It was a long time ago, in 2017, but seeing these photographs reminded me of that moment.

It was staged by the “Turonggo Panuntun Group”: “Acara Seni Budaya Jawa Tengah” (Folk Art Event Central Jawa), in Desa Gantang, Kampung Tanggulangin. Its peculiarity and beauty were in being truly an “asli kampung” show, original of a village.

I remember it was already late in the evening, it lasted for hours, until midnight, under pouring rain.

The lights were dim; the photographs are dark and often moved but perfectly convey the atmosphere of the event.

I was allowed to enter everywhere, from backstage to the stage with the orchestra to the inside of the arena, bordered by bamboo canes.

The show included a mixture of theater and dance, typical of Javanese culture (especially of West Java) which drew from the epic Ramayana to the more typical Kuda Lumping, the traditional Javanese dance originating in Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia depicting a group of knights: the dancers “ride” horses made of woven bamboo and decorated with colors and colored fabrics; generally, the dance portrays troops on horseback, but another type of Kuda Lumping performance also incorporates trances and magic tricks, thanks to the hypnotic sound of the gamelan. When the “possessed” dancer performs the dance in trance conditions, he may exhibit unusual abilities, such as eating glass and resisting the effects of the whip or burning coals. In Malaysia, it is known as Kuda Kepang.

The fascination was not exclusively given by the actors and dancers, but also by the audience – an entire village enraptured by the show, with enchanted children and bodies wet from the rain.

It was not an event on big stages or for an elite audience, but the nocturnal dream of a village, between myth, art and tradition.

 

I hope my photographs can convey that charm that enchanted me too.

In the mud and darkness, the epic of wonder was staged.

 

Italian version