Hide and Shade
Title
Hide and Shade
Synopsis
A reimagining of puppet theater through wayang kulit—Indonesian shadow puppets crafted from buffalo hide. Departing from the text-driven tradition, the film unfolds in silent episodes featuring the clown-servant Petruk as an observer of life and performance. Interwoven are documentary scenes of the Javanese Nadran ritual—a three-day sea offering that culminates in a buffalo sacrifice.
Credits
Directed and edited by Ben Hagari
Puppeteer and research advisor: Matthew Cohen
Cinematography: Boaz Freund
Videography (Indonesia): Ben Hagari
Original music: Matt Bauder
Gamelan music: Embie C. Noer and the Gamelan Sinar Surya Orchestra, Cirebon, Java
Color correction: Benjamin Murray
Filmed at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT and features Indonesian shadow puppets from the Dr. Walter Angst and Sir Henry Angest Collection, Indo-Pacific Art Department
Appearances
April 4 - June 28, 2025
Hide and Shade
Gutman Museum, Tel Aviv Jaffa
Installation Gutman Museum, Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Photos: Elad Sarig
Installation ZAZ10TS, Times Square, New York
