The Wayang Kulit (leather puppet) show is one of the masterpieces of Javanese performance arts. It is an art that is five centuries old. You can watch it from any angle of the stage, including backstage!
Since there was no translation, I spent more time walking around the stage (without disturbing anyone of course) observing it from different angles … and shooting.
What you see in this frame are the profiles of the female singers called ‘sinden’ who sing Javanese songs as the background score. This was taken from the front view of the stage, but is actually a view of the side wings (which are usually covered). There was a 6 inch opening at this performance, which is in the foreground. Peeking through it, you get a good glimpse of the backstage without actually being there.
Taken at 200mm f/5.6, 0.8s handheld – because there was no other way to pull this one off. :-)
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2007
Arjun Purkayastha • travel & fine art photography • 