Semar's Journey

by Gamlean Madu Sari

In Java, the ancient tradition of shadow play, or wayang kulit, is as popular as ever, and new stories based on the great epics, like the Mahabharata, are constantly being performed. In Vancouver the creation of new shadow plays now dates back more than two decades, to the Western Front's Canada Shadows and the visit of I Wayan Wija's Balinese group to the Asia Pacific Festival in 1985. Since Gamelan Madu Sari began to perform in 1986, many new works that integrate new music, media and performance with the Indonesian traditions have been performed by significant artists, such as Heri Dono. Semar's Journey is the culminating event in our year-long celebration of 20 years of gamelan in Vancouver, and stirs in some unusual elements of its own. .

In our tale, Semar — god, clown and advisor to humanity, and the most entertaining and widely revered figure of the traditional Javanese shadow play — finds himself facing some of the greatest challenges of his early career. Born of an egg in the Underwater Kingdom, he makes his way to the human world, which seems to have gone quite mad. Will his legendary wit and wisdom pull him (and us) through -- or is he hopelessly out of his element on our side of the heavens?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• An
• Electronic
• Shadow
• Play

[zubinmohamad]

ni avant-garde wayang, nice

[ervi2475]

nice video. thank you for down loading it.