The Contemporary Human on a Timeless Stage

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The ‘Contemporary Human on a Timeless Stage’ expresses something that is equal parts whimsy and sobering. It is the only way I can think to communicate something so vast in scope. In its parody and truth. We asked the question ‘What makes us human?’ in Manus, a Conscious Journey. An art collaboration that had a unified point of origin but was consciously given the freedom to roam. Five artists explore this question together, whilst each of our creative instincts is tied together by a continuous process of collaboration, cooperation and open communication.

Dibal Ranuh enters the collaboration halfway through our project. Bringing into the room the exciting elements of cinematography, installation and performance into our creative artillery. This is not the first time he has shared his creativity with us. He participated in Sawidji Comes Home Exhibition with a moving and provocative short film titled ‘Requiem‘. It was immediately from here that the synergy of Dibal Ranuh’s creative energy flowed into the Manus project quite seamlessly.

The works of Made Kaek, ManButur Suantara, Tjandra Hutama and I, had taken shape in their thematic responses and Dibal Ranuh had a lot to consider for his work to be in balance with the existing works in progress. It was soon very clear though that this was not a concern. Some call it kismet, when everything just falls into place effortlessly. It was a little like this with Dibal’s ‘Manus’ Film Installation and ‘Wayang Manus’.

Contemporary Humans Playing a Colourful Role

Dibal was intrigued by incorporating film and involving the five artists as its subject to respond to the theme. With that in mind, each of the artists of Manus were appropriated a colour and role in a conceptual representation of the contemporary human. As a visual artist, Dibal is aware of the importance of colour whether in film or print. Jumping off the CMYK colour theory (appropriated with alternative colours of symbolic reference). We left our identities and became Wayang Black, White, Red, Blue and Yellow.

Each artist was dressed in the visually opulent style typical of Ranuh’s artistic aesthetic. For this process, we were filmed individually performing everyday tasks that occur in present-day lifestyles. These clips were then united in an installation of five digital screens in the general shape of the human body and each screen would play different clips of all of us performing these different activities.

Contemporary Human, Contemporary Wayang

The art film installation is partnered with a set of five contemporary wayang puppets. Performed on the opening night by Dalang Robbie Brengos. The contemporary Wayang performance tells the story constructed by the five artists and written by Mas Ruscitadewi. You may say it is a semi-satirical view of contemporary human characters playfully set against a much older and wiser contextual stage.

This brings me to the beautiful contrast presented in the two elements of Dibal Ranuh’s work in Manus, a Conscious Journey. The art film installation is everything contemporary, hyperbolic, technical and digital, appealing to the social vocabulary of our generational sensibilities today. This quality is transferred into a set of wayang puppets that stand beside the installation. Wayang, a traditional art that epitomises ancient wisdom, in a powerful and yet subtle art form.

We have touched on the subject of Wayang before in our article Dancing Memories of Wayang Wong. The significance of Wayang in our human heritage is recognised and further reinforced. UNESCO designated wayang theatre, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve the tradition.

Technology Meets Tradition

It is beautiful that in a collaboration that asks the question ‘What makes us human?’ we have a representation by Dibal Ranuh that visualises the contemporary human through a film installation in metaphorical colours, and then presented as Wayangs. Everything is contemporary and yet not separate from our traditional roots.

The Human is still a puppet on life’s timeless stage. With whatever changes and advancements we imagine to credit ourselves with. We are still perhaps a character on the timeless stage, with an unseen Dalang (puppet master) telling the story with layered meanings. What does this suggest about our ultimate fate and destinies?

The spirit of wayang is present in this contemporary work by Dibal Ranuh. In view of this, we are grateful to have Dr. Gusti Sudarta share his views on the art of Wayang during a discussion about Dibal Ranuhs’ work in Manus, a Conscious Journey.

Shedding Light on the Contemporary Wayang with Dr. Gusti Sudarta

“It is interesting… the achievement of a creative work here is deep. I see it from my point of view as a Dalang. .. we don’t look at it as just shape. There is the spirit of wayang and this may transform into different variations to suit different contexts. Dibal captured the traditional spirit in a new shape, a spirit of tradition in a contemporary form to communicate a message. This is tradition captured but manifested anew to connect to our contemporary times.”

Upon learning the meaning of Manus, the hand Dr. Gusti Sudarta made an interesting observation.

“When you connect this contemporary wayang to the theme of Manus meaning the hand.. The wayang shadow puppet is also controlled by our fingers and hands. It is important to note, in our culture, the thumb is known as Ibu Jari (which translates to ‘mother’ and finger’). In this instance, Ibu Jari also represents ego whilst it also represents wisdom. The ego needs to be worked, we need to struggle with it for it to become something good. Wayang brings awareness. It teaches us about humanity from different layers of awareness.”

“It is important to know what you want to communicate through the wayang. Because the Wayang touches on the highest point of human awareness and wisdom. If you can reach the point where this spiritual wisdom is the foundation of everything, you can discover narratives, forms and shapes that can touch and move many people. The shape explores imagination but it is not about intellectual exploration this is about spirit and wisdom. Imagination happens when you truly know what you wish to manifest.”

A Dalangs’ Reflections on ‘Collaboration’

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Gusti Sudarta mentions on several occasions his appreciation of the success of this collaboration. He elaborates a little on this.

“When you look at this collaboration as a whole, the context of the spiritual, you can see this has been explored. This collaboration shows something interesting because each artist can meet and come together. This is usually very hard. It usually requires each individual to have an inner wisdom to listen to each other truly.”

The Evolution of Contemporary Wayang

“There has been explorations and variations of contemporary wayang. This naturally keeps developing according to changing situations and phases of time. In Bali we have a term for this, Desa Kala Patra (Desa means place, Kala means time and Patra means situation). The shape is simply a vessel, and this shape may change form, but the connection the audience makes with the wayang is not all from verbal narratives. The audience however can make a connection to the shape of the wayang as a way into the narrative or the experience and this makes a strong connection.”

What does ‘contemporary’ mean for wayang today?

“I see this as added tools. Wayang may be strengthened with new technologies including videography. In Dibal’s work in Manus, even for the contemporary scope of wayang, the exploration of this contemporary set is quite deep and involved.“

“I have to be honest .. you said the fire of creativity in us is from Nature. I agree, if we can catch this fire.. this vibration is like we are given a text to read.. there is something that brings us into harmony with Nature. We can find some knowledge some vision or enlightenment there.. I believe the reality is like this…“

The Contemporary Human on a Timeless Stage

With that in mind we return to the exhibition room. On opposite walls facing each other are the two opposite ends of the one red thread. Dibal Ranuh’s Manus film Installation stands at wall height, with digital screens, and technical edges almost robotic, facing the wall of Made Kaek’s Kala Ireng and Kala Api. A wall where our story begins exploring our humanity from its most basic, primitive premise. Our survival and wilder instincts.

On Dibal Ranuh’s wall, the contemporary human stands, less beastly, and yet in glorious irony, not any more human. You may say the violence of our baser instincts is replaced by a much more seductive and entertaining camouflage. Most importantly, as opposite as they may seem, we are still perhaps the same in that we are none the wiser to do more than to enact the role we have been given. Nonetheless, still searching for our true identities, amidst all the roles we play on life’s timeless stage.

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