Indonesia: Visit to Village Puppeteer

Jun22

It was very pleasant, if hot, to wander in this small west Javan village… with several more nature photographs to share with you all.

Rain lily (Zephyranthes rosea).

unknown.

St Joseph’s spider

Gelatinous fungus.

White bracket fungus

Goatweed, (Ageratum conyzoides) is an introduced weed from South America.

In this same village we made a visit to the home of a puppeteer.

The man of the house carved and painted the puppet’s heads.

Careful work.

Part-finished puppet head.

Other members of his family made the puppet’s costumes.

The workroom was a bit of a jumble.

Hundreds of puppets were ‘in storage’ awaiting their next public performance.

And here are some close ups of some of the puppet faces he has made. Some were gruesome, others were frightening and others were happy individuals.

Can you imagine the nightmares some young children may have after attending a show?

Some of them not so pretty!

a supercilious fellow

I wonder what the joke was?

The man who carved the heads was also the main performer.

Up to 13 other family members make up an orchestra of drums, gongs…

… and wooden xylophones.

It had been a fascinating visit to this place of unusual craft and local cultural entertainment. And we had a rather special farewell from a shy little boy… ta ta!

David

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China #15 Final Day in Beijing (15/09/15)

Nov7

We had one more day in Beijing before we each went our separate ways… most to go back to work. But I was bound for south-west China to Kunming, in Yunnan Province, and then onto another adventure trek in far western Mongolia. More about them in future musings.

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I must say that I was a little shocked to wake up in Beijing to this view with the sun trying hard to find its way through the thick smog. Where was that blue sky and fresh air we had been enjoying on our trek along the Wall and that was present in Beijing when I first arrived some ten days earlier? Anyway, whatever the weather, we still had one day together in Beijing; another day of exploring in the city before we attended a Reception given by the University of Newcastle to thank us, the ‘Heroes of the Wall Walk’.

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We started out early in an attempt to beat the traffic since we had to take quite a long drive across town to the 798 Art Precinct. This large area used to be a group of factories making electrical goods but it’s now used by all kinds of artisans.

One little saying I spotted which I particularly liked was – “the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out how”!

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Arriving as early as we did, we found that most of the shops weren’t open. A catastrophe for the shoppers among the group. However, most of us still found something to buy to make the whole exercise worthwhile. Like your new cap, Chris!

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These bottles were hanging around an outside bar area. I wasn’t sure if this was an art installation… or, indeed, if we were expected to add a container to the line-up! I think the former. Just imagine the hundreds… no thousands… no probably millions of containers the Chinese public would add to this line up. A bit tempting though!

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There were lots of weird sculptures.

I’ll leave you to make what you will of some of them.

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A fisherman and his son

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The fisherman’s wife and another child

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Happiness times four!

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Was this art or graffiti… or maybe both?

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It’s amazing how time flies when you are just wandering. It was soon time for yet another lunch… this time at Hua’s Restaurant. Note the red carpet! Was that really for us… or does Hua welcome all patrons as VIPs? I rather hope he does.

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Lunch was rather special… Peking Duck! I know, we were in Beijing, but this famous dish is still called Peking Duck. This is a “nouveau cuisine”, or avant garde, way of presenting the duck. After watching the chef prepare the meal, we enjoyed the eating.

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The traditional way is to wrap duck slices and veggies in little pancakes.

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And after the duck… desert, of course.

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Our next stop was at a promising looking square on the edge of a hutong. But the promise was totally unfulfilled. The anticlimax of the whole trip, for me, was about to unfold.

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It started with a rickshaw ride that, although it was on the itinerary, cost us each 20 Yuan! Not a problem. But when it turned out to be for only around 10 minutes, I thought it a rip-off. We got off our conveyance a couple of times, firstly to stand at a doorway and be told that we couldn’t go through because it was (I think, I wasn’t really listening) a military / police area. Fascinating!

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The second time we ‘got down’ was to make a home visit. Great expectations of seeing the inside a hutong family home. Not to be! We were ushered into an outer room, served a ¼ cup of green tea, talked to by the lady-of-the-house, who really told us nothing new and …

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all the time we were being stared at by a poor minah in a cage.

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Deposited back in the square we walked to the Drum Tower, which formed one end of the square, where a performance was taking place high above our heads. It would have been interesting to see the drummers doing their thing but it must have been deafening to be in the drum hall while the performance was actually taking place. It was loud enough outside.

Meanwhile our city guide’s explanation of what was happening etc. was being continually interrupted by her mobile phone ringing. It rang three times that I know of. On the third occasion I told her that I wasn’t going to pay her the 10¥ she wanted (from each of us) if she answered the thing again. Sure enough, it rang again; and nobody paid.

We were back at the hotel by mid-afternoon as we had to ‘fancy-up’ for the University’s reception put on by the UoN Vice Chancellor as a ‘Thank You to the Walkers’.

It was a bit of a shock to be in shirt and tie, and cocktail dresses for the ladies, after 6 days of sweaty walking clothes. But, with a bit of spit and polish we all shaped up very well!

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The Reception was to be on a ‘garden roof’ on the 6th floor section of an 80 floor complex. So while waiting for the main event to start, we whizzed right up to the very top floor for a drink and a peek at Beijing from way up there. Pretty impressive.

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Looking down on Beijing! Much of it lost in the smog.

The formal part of the Reception was a rather tedious affair with everybody, both Chinese and Australian, in descending order of importance, having to be mentioned. Everything had to be translated into the other language as well. We ‘Heroes’ had to parade up onto the stage and be applauded – and rightfully so! We had walked 77.4km which included the hikes necessary to get up to and off the Wall proper. A sterling effort on all our parts even if I say so myself.

Just as well we’d had that good lunch. There were 170 guests and all we saw of food was some small triangles of pumpkin. The other illusive offering we were told of was a prawn! At least the beer, wine, and I think bubbly, didn’t run out.

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It was a beautiful night outside on the rooftop Pine Garden.

And so, ended our adventure. We were all very proud to have participated in such an exciting experience and to have raised in excess of AUD80,000 for Shaping Futures Scholarships. This means that about 20 extra disadvantaged students will be given the opportunity to study at UoN next year. We sincerely thank every one of our supporters who made it all possible.

I hope, in turn, that you have enjoyed joining me for the journey through these musings.

David

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/50kmFor50Years

Click on “Sponsor a Friend” under the photo of the great wall

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China #9 An Evening Craft Lesson (11/09/15 Part c)

Nov1

After dinner we had the opportunity of visiting a Master Paper Cutter, who had a studio just across the road from our lodgings. Although tired, it was an opportunity not to be missed, particularly as we were going to get an out-of-hours demonstration.

Paper cutting is a craft that can be dated back to the 6th Century. I’d heard that, usually, professional paper cutters are males. So, I imagined the Master was going to be an old man with perhaps a long drooping, but wispy, grey moustache.

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But, not so on this occasion. A middle-aged lady turned up shortly after we arrived. She is a Master cutter, following a long tradition of this handcraft by women. In the past, rural girls were expected to master this craft, and brides were often judged by their skills.

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This Master set about showing us her skills, first folding the paper together.

She was quite a show woman!

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After folding the paper, she started cutting it with a pair of very fine-nosed and sharp scissors. In no time at all she was unfolding the cut paper to reveal, not one but two, intricately detailed and different coloured butterflies. She’d tricked us by working with a piece of blue and a piece of green paper folded together. Her dexterity was amazing.

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Some more of her multi-coloured work.

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It was then our turn to see what kind of a mess we could make

with a pair of scissors and a piece of paper.

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And the result is…

I got an MBE for this; My Bloody Effort!

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She is certainly a Master of her craft!

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Another of her intricate, delicate Paper Cuts. Truly amazing work.

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Close up a larger piece… depiction of a regal male.

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Detail of the head gear of the Paper Cut above.

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And the full Paper Cut together with another work of art.

It is said to be easy to learn to make paper cuttings. However, to master the art takes much practice, great skill and exceptional imagination… and patience. We were very pleased that we had experienced this demonstration. Now, finally, we could go to bed and rest our weary bodies in preparation for another day walking up and down on the Great Wall.

More anon

David

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China #8 Section 2 – Walk on the Wall (11/09/15 Part b)

Oct31

This Walk on the Wall is About Helping Others to Help Themselves

On and on and on went the wall. On and on we plodded. But all in a very good cause. At some of our rest stops we reminded ourselves just why we were doing this; why we were putting up with aching legs and other muscles that were finding us out. We were doing it to help others who are doing it tough in other ways in their daily lives… every day… and without the views.

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And as I stood in this crumbling ruin, I remembered so many others who did it tough…

the men who built the wall in the first place all those centuries ago;

the soldiers who lived in these towers to guard their country from invaders.

I was here in this magnificent landscape for but a brief time.

No wonder I could smile.

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And it was not only the construction of the wall that I found amazing.

So too, were the many small things I found.

Just look at the incredible construction of this caterpillar

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…and the way this flower is formed… delicate but intricate.

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…and another quite stunning caterpillar… just don’t touch!

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…and here’s a piece of architectural and engineering ingenuity displayed in a caterpillar!

Tiny but quite wonderful.

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When you think about how pines conserve water with those needle like leaves

and hold their seeds in cones until just the right moment

Nature is very inventive, isn’t it?

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I think these are Sedum sp.

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Looking up and out again… the Wall does seem endless.

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Just the floor of a second story watch-tower, the rest had disappeared over the Centuries.

But, it still provided an elevated platform for a better view.

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Great care was needed on some parts of the path… like this piece…

a steep drop off awaited anyone who slipped.

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The distance between towers was not far on this stretch of the wall.

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Iris sp.

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A view to the side. No Wall in sight.

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The distance between towers might be shorter but the steps seem to get steeper.

And those steps are not restored. Difficult going here.

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At times the wall branches. Which way to our bed for the night?

We’re getting weary. It’s been a long, hard day.

I’m so pleased that I put in the months of training to be fit for the task!

More steep steps. But we were almost there… or so we were told.

And at last, our end point for the day…with a rather magnificent statue to greet us.

End of day two of the walk… only three days to go!

Does anyone want my spare lactic acid?

David

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/50kmFor50Years

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Bhutan : # 11 Bhutan Crafts

May5

The Zorig Chusum School of Traditional Arts in Thimphu is a teaching institution where the arts and crafts of Bhutan are taught to the next generation of craftspeople. The continuation of this important part of Bhutanese culture is therefore ensured.

All signs in Bhutan are in English. Because there are many Bhutanese dialects,

English is taught in school and is the main language of communication.

Learning woodcarving techniques requires time and infinite patience.

Many sewing machines are used by the students to refine their embroidery techniques.

Heavy-duty scissors are used to cut leather templates required to shape each piece of

embroidery and each colourful silk hanging.

The school room was colourfully decorated with examples og the student’s work.

Students in the painting class draw the outlines that will later be painted.

Working with clay is an important part of creating idols used in Buddhist worship.

Senior students create very complex and intricate statues.

This piece appeared to have been damaged and sent to the school for repair.

This finished piece is being painstakingly repaired.

Most, if not all the crafts, have a five year apprenticeship.

Senior students, like these, have a desk of their own with good window light.

Palettes are generally messy but intriguing and colourful things.

These girls are happily working in close proximity to each other.

Perhaps they are not very far into their apprenticeship.

Extreme concentration is evident in this photo.

Note the thimble – made simply from a piece of cardboard.

The National Library and Archives of Bhutan is near the Crafts School.

This lidded wooden bowl is intricately painted.

It depicts various aspects of Bhutanese culture and the environment.

The institution stores many valuable manuscripts including these Bhuddist mantras.

Carefully wrapped in silk cloth, the parchments are held between outer wooden protective boards.

Taking photographs of statues of the various Buddhist deities are forbidden in temples.

However, in the museum this was allowed.

Although the protective glass caused annoying reflections,

the intricate detail of the statues could be seen.

Scholars at the Craft school aim to be able to make intricate works of art like this one.

Some of the colourful and grotesque masks made for the tourist trade.

Full-sized masks are used in many of the dances performed on festival days.

It was good to experience some of this Bhutanese dancing and music.

More anon

David

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Category Archives: Craft

Indonesia: Visit to Village Puppeteer

China #15 Final Day in Beijing (15/09/15)

China #9 An Evening Craft Lesson (11/09/15 Part c)

China #8 Section 2 – Walk on the Wall (11/09/15 Part b)

Bhutan : # 11 Bhutan Crafts