About Us

Wayang Bocor performance is contemporary shadow puppet which is created by contemporary visual artist Eko Nugroho. It has presented since 2008. This performance is inspired by traditional shadow puppet that is believed as Java culture.  Wayang (Puppet) comes from the word of wewayangan that has meaning as shadow.  Thus, in this puppet performance presents shadow behind the white screen (kelir) with special headlights called blencong in earlier times.  And usually, this performance also presents the story adaptation of Ramayana & Mahabharata. However in the era of Majapahit, it presents also the Panji story (ancestor of Majapahit).

In Wayang Bocor performance still uses some patterns of traditional shadow puppet such as: the show behind the white screen and the headlights. However the figures of the puppet no longer use the figures of traditional form but it is created by sensitivity of Eko Nugroho imagination from his visual art creation in painting, statue, drawing, embroidery, and animation. Sometimes it also presents the white screen more than one piece and in various shapes. In traditional show, the shape of white screen is rectangular. The lights not only for create the shadow but also become important element to create atmosphere of happening. Meanwhile, the gamelan sounds as the primary sound of traditional show still can be heard through the digital music. The new elements as part of the exploration are actor and narrator. The present of actors as actor; playing in front of white screen or collaboration partner with the shadow puppet, as shadow; playing behind the white screen, as puppeteer; playing the shadow puppet.  And the narrator is presented to replace the puppeteer function who tells all the story of show just like puppeteer

Script, actor, and narrator are the main elements of Wayang Bocor performance to cut down on its dependence to puppeteer because it does not have any fixed puppeteer.  Thus the present of puppeteer is also one of collaboration form as part as exploration of Wayang Bocor works. Beside that the form of this performance are flexible and collaborative which are all its collaborators have their own schedule beside Wayang Bocor agenda.  And for the story of show, Wayang Bocor always tells about simple story happened in society.

The value of this performance is collaboration in multidisciplinary of artists.  Eko Nugroho as visual artist needs performing art artists as collaborator (script writer, director, production manager, lighting man, musician, etc). The aim of this collaboration is to dig deeper many possibilities new aesthetics of contemporary shadow puppet.

The expectation of Wayang Bocor for its perform back in this year, 2014 (after its breaks for 1, 5 years) is Wayang Bocor becomes better known by public in where Wayang Bocor as new idea of performance will be perform regularly every year in simple form but always entertaining with simple story but full meaning.  Moreover, it can be a beginning in where the audiences of performing art and audiences of visual art more know each others.