Eko Purnomo and Gamelan Madu Sari in Residence

Description:

Western Front hosted Javanese artist Eko Purnomo from Indonesia and local gamelan ensemble Gamelan Madu Sari for a residency in which they developed Semar’s Journey, an original multimedia shadow play that concluded with two performances at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre.

An experiment in cross-cultural music theatre, Semar’s Journey is a contemporary shadow play featuring traditional Javanese puppetry and live performance. The original storyline and music, created by the composers themselves, centres on the figure of Semar, the beloved god-clown of Java, and his misadventures in our own mixed-up world. 

It was created by Gamelan Madu Sari composer-performers Andrew Czink, Sutrisno Hartana, Kenneth Newby, Michael O’Neill, Mark Parlett, and Ben Rogalsky, in collaboration with Aleksandra Dulic and Andreas Kahre.

During the development of Semar’s Journey, the public was invited to attend an open rehearsal in the Grand Luxe Hall.