Bandung to build new park for 'wayang golek'
Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil announced on Monday plans to build a new park in the West Java capital, dedicated to wayang golek (three-dimensional wooden puppets used in the staging of Hindu epics).
According to Ridwan, the new park would be large and would regularly host wayang golek performances.
The plan was initiated after the recent death of a prominent master of Sundanese wayang golek, Ki Dalang Asep Sunandar Sunarya.
The 58-year-old Asep, who passed away on Monday after suffering heart failure, had been a master puppeteer since the 1970s and was famous for his enigmatic, hilarious storytelling.
Asep successfully made the wayang golek character, Astina Jingga, popularly known as Si Cepot, very famous throughout West Java. He had also traveled to the United States and Europe to introduce the Sundanese puppet shows to a wider audience.
The maestro also taught wayang golek in France for two months, with students coming from both France and the UK.
Prior to his death, Asep was planning to inaugurate the recently finished Pesantren Budaya Giri Harja, a cultural center near his home, which was dedicated to preserving Sundanese culture, especially wayang golek.
According to his son, Dadan Sunandar, Asep had a vision that the place would also function as a wayang golek museum.
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