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Google Arts & Culture creates special page on Indonesian ‘wayang’
The page is a collaboration between Google Arts & Culture, the Education and Culture Ministry and the Jakarta administration.
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The Google Arts & Culture page that explores Indonesian 'wayang'. (Google Arts & Culture/File)
Digital platform Google Arts & Culture has created a dedicated page that explores Indonesian wayang (shadow puppets).
The special page features images of 106 wayang — taken using the Art Camera system, which is able to capture an artwork’s finest details — as well as interactive exhibitions on different accessories worn by the puppets, unexpected wayang characters, tutorial videos on making wayang from scratch and virtual tours to various places, including to the Wayang Museum in West Jakarta.
The page is a collaboration between Google Arts & Culture, the Education and Culture Ministry and the Jakarta administration.
Hilmar Farid, the ministry’s culture director general, said wayang was more than just an art work and performance. Wayang kulit (shadow puppets made from leather), for instance, has been designated as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Read also: Wayang kulit: A story of shadows
“Wayang is a medium of reflection to inherit values that are passed from one generation to the next. It’s an important heritage that is close to our hearts and needs to be preserved and commemorated,” said Hilmar in a statement. “Following this collaboration, crucial parts of this heritage have been digitally preserved and showcased to the public.”
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said the collaboration was “brilliant”. “Through Google Arts & Culture, students participating in home-learning programs will know about wayang. Thanks to this collaboration, people from Indonesia and even overseas can also travel to the Wayang Museum,” he said.
Since 2011, Google Arts & Culture has partnered with global cultural institutions to provide access to collections from more than 2,000 museums. The platform can be accessed via the website or app, which is available on the App Store and Play Store.
“We acknowledge the importance of preserving cultural heritage as part of a country’s identity. Since October 2016, we have actively added more contents from museums and other historical places in Indonesia to Google Arts & Culture,” said Ryan Rahardjo, senior manager of public policy and government affairs of Google Indonesia. “We hope that we can keep preserving more Indonesian cultural heritage digitally in the future.” (wir/wng)
