Thousands of Residents Enliven the Amarta Binangun Shadow Puppet Show
PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko or InJourney Destination Management (IDM) held a Wayang Kulit Amarta Binangun performance at the Rakai Pikatan field, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Friday (19/7/2024). The activity, which was attended by thousands of residents from various areas around Prambanan Temple, aims to present a spectacle, order and guidance of Javanese cultural arts that are full of meaning and high moral values.
This shadow puppet show was performed by two talented young puppeteers, namely Ki Gading Pawukir and Ki Gadhang Prasetyo. Both are sons of the puppet master Ki Seno Nugroho who passed away in 2020. Previously, Ki Seno Nugroho was a puppeteer who was often invited to perform shadow puppets by TWC.
The Amarta Binangun Shadow Puppet performance was opened with a performance by TWC Wiyaga, a gamelan and karawitan art group whose members are employees of PT TWC. TWC Wiyaga performed a number of songs including Ladrang Ayun–Ayun Laras Pelog Nem, Ladrang Wohing Aren, Ladrang Pariwisata Slendro Songo and others.
After that, it was continued with the symbolic handover of puppets from IDM President Director Febrina Intan to Ki Ghading Pawukir and IDM Marketing and Business Development Director Hetty Herawati to Ki Ghadang Prasetyo.
In his remarks, Director of Operations and Services Mardijono Nugroho said that this shadow puppet show is a form of effort by the company managing heritage destinations in Indonesia to participate in preserving the nation's traditional arts and culture.
"We hope that through this puppet show, we can all take wisdom and valuable lessons and love and preserve our culture even more," he explained.
The Amarta Binangun Shadow Puppet Show tells the story of the Pandawa's struggle to build a new kingdom in a forest area called Wanamarta. This kisan not only contains heroic values and wisdom, but also teaches about perseverance, the spirit of hard work and tenacity in achieving goals.
"This is in line with the theme of the 44th Anniversary of PT TWC, namely, Nunggal Tekad, Nunggal Rasa, Ngrukebi Budaya, which means, in one determination, in one feeling, together preserving culture," he concluded.
