From: Rolande Duprey <puppetpro-AT-aol.com> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 15:48:21 -0400 Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Islam in wayang Thanks, Kathy -- I knew it was a BIG question. Rolande On May 9, 2008, at 2:11 PM, Kathy Foley wrote: > Islam of course is core to wayang. Though it began during the > Hindu-Buddhist period, wayang on Java was profoundly reworked in the > light of Islam. However the style of Islam is not what the average > westerner is exposed too in our contemporary sound bites. The Wali > (saints of Islam who are credited with the performing arts) were > generally of Sufi inclination and much of what we see in wayang is > related to ideas which we find in alchemical traditions which emerge > in the performing arts in many periods and places around the globe. > The sufis where ever they turned up were heavily invested in the arts > as metaphors of gnosis, ideas of the universe and its relation to > self, union with the divine and related ideas. Music, dance, puppets > and other abstractions from the confusing caughtness we experience > from "reality" (everyday life and how it emeshes us in material and > relational demands that lower our pursuit of absolute > self-realization) are part of the method of thinking through > existence. Puppetry is a tool of becoming and puppeteers are > powerful because practice exposes them on a daily basis to the truths > and ideas. Art is a place where we experience what IS--though not > every manipulator will get "it", one is more likely to-via this daily > exposure to powerful ideas embedded in figures, music, poetry, > stories, structure, etc., etc. One does religion and plays with dolls > at the same time. > > There is no time or reason to explain it all here. And it is > pointless since you only start to get a sense of the meaning when you > have played with the puppets, sung the songs, etc. for a while. But > the ideas are all Islam--certainly as it has been thought and > practiced by many from Turkey to Pakistan, India, south China, > Champa, Indonesia for a thousand years. > > Puppets and Sufis traveled together. This is not to say the Hindus, > tantric Buddhists, gnostic Christians, Pythagorians, Renaissance > thinkers and other groups don't have some imagery and thoughts in > common (Plato was writing about shadow shows with reason--though he > advocated a western realist response that the puppet player might not > have espoused). Puppets figure prominently in the iconography of > these groups because a puppet is a great image of our relationship to > powers that animate the whole and make it dance. > > > -- > Kathy Foley > Professor, Theatre Arts > Editor, Asian Theatre Journal > J-15 Theatre Arts > 1156 High St. > Santa Cruz, CA 95064 > tel. (831) 459-4189 > fax (831) 459-5359 > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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