We call this tradition the wayang kulit . Today, of course, new materials and new techniques have led to the creation of new styles of puppetry. Technology is influencing our world, but we are trying to preserve our culture and keep our shadow figures with great care. In general, the art of puppetry is a blend of tradition and innovation that evolves from our culture and our environment. You'll discover this in the exhibition.
Some puppets deliver cultural or spiritual messages, and others are there to entertain.
But whatever their function, puppets are alive. They make us laugh or cry, and they say aloud what we dare only to think. That's why they can be used in a therapeutic manner, as well as for political protest. As they come alive and begin to represent a specific group of individuals, puppets take on that group's history, legends and values. As methods of fabrication become more and more sophisticated, the creators' skills are transmitted from father to son or from master to apprentice, thus creating different traditions of puppetry.