Kluwer

Wayang puppetry

The publishing company Kluwer approached me to handle the design for a book series on socio-legal subjects. This series boasts a unique and eye-catching design. To draw inspiration, I turned to an element from my childhood. As someone born and raised on the island of Java in Indonesia, I had encountered the popular Wayang puppetry, an epic tale from the Hindu Ramayana.

The Wayang puppetry involves flat figures attached to small sticks. These figures are carefully carved out of animal skin and adorned with holes and slits. What makes this performance unique is its execution behind a translucent screen. When light shines from behind the flat puppets and they’re set in motion, a spectacular yet simple puppetry comes to life.

For the covers of this book series, I’ve applied this translucent principle. The depictions are cut out of cardboard, punctuated with holes and slits. Subsequently, they are positioned behind a source of light and photographed, resulting in a similar interplay of light and shadow. This leads to covers that are not only visually intriguing but also provide a subtle nod to the traditional Wayang puppetry.