The art of wayang – flat leather puppetry – is closely related to Javane theater. Its characters tells stories usually derived from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, but nowadays, new variations are emerging. Some puppeteers use their own storylines, others invent new forms with new materials. One of them is Pak Sardi, who makes puppets from plastic waste. He even sometimes gives performances using such puppets. Then, instead of the stories with heroes from Javanese tradition, he creates his own new stories, with which deal with environmental or recycling issues, accompanied by pop music.
Extraordinary, isn’t it?
I had heard about such wayang puppets for some time and decided to look for them. Riding my motorcycle, I searched and finally found the place in North Jogja, at KM 16, heading towards Kaliurang. There, seeing masks adorning the front of the house I was told to go to, I thought: ‘This must be the home of the man’. It was indeed him, Sardi Beib himself, who had been creating art from paper waste for decades and had come up with the idea of Wayang Kristal right in the middle of the Corona pandemic.
At that time, Sardi was forced to stay at home for months. He couldn’t go anywhere. All the events he used to participate in with his paper waste creations, masks in particular, were canceled. Over time, frustration set in. Trash piled up and kept increasing in volume. What to do? How to deal with that rubbish in an environmentally conscious way?
He began experimenting with plastic waste. It was not an easy task. He had to try for months before he came up with a striking night lamp, made from 30 layers of plastic pandan leaves. He immediately used it as his own night lamp. But the first night he could not sleep, its beauty kept him awake. There it was: in the morning, when he was about to make another lamp from plastic mineral water bottles, a flat puppet somehow emerged: he had begun making wayang puppets from plastic waste. From that time onward, he made wayang puppets every day. Soon he had a whole set of Wayang Kristal puppets, right in the middle of the Corona pandemic.
When asked why he chose to make wayang puppets instead of other objects, Sardi admitted there was no specific reason: he was simply a Javanese. So it came out naturally, because he is concerned about the preservation of wayang puppetry.
Sardi first called his plastic wayang characters very simply: Wayang Sampah, or “Trash Puppets,” but people did not like it, the word trash being too strong. So he changed it into “Wayang Kristal”, which is much better because Sardi’s transparent puppets are like crystal when illuminated with colorful lights.
Yet, Sardi is worried. He would like so much the younger generation to create Wayang Kristal, and create their own stories with them. For that purpose he is continuously conducting workshops and making performances. Spectators are both locals and foreigners.
Sardi is proud of his Wayang Kristal, but also worried because no millennials are seriously studying his art, even though he teaches the techniques freely and funds all the process. But he does not give up. He has even offered a prize of several millions of rupiahs to the youths who could create the best puppets. However, to date, no one is interested, even though people like Sardi, artists who address environmental issues by making artworks out of waste should be role models.
The reason is possibly that the work is too demanding. No one is assisting him. « I cut my puppets from used plastic bottles”, he says. “I do everything myself.
Initially, I ironed all these sheets, but the result wasn’t good. I kept experimenting until I stopped ironing, and somehow the results were fine,» says Sardi.
Sardi has created a special worktable for making his Wayang Kristal puppets. On its top is a glass plane behind which is inserted a sample image of the puppet character that Sardi wants to create. Beside the table, there is a container for the stamping tools. The role of the stamp tool is to create the patterns on the puppet’s plastic body.
«With the Wayang Kristal the carving process is the same from start to finish as with ordinary wayang. The novelty is in the use of plastic. It took me four years to come up with the perfect technique,» explains Sardi while showing the puppet of a clown he created just a few months ago. Amazingly beautiful: now mineral water bottles worth 200 rupiahs can now be turned in works worth millions of rupiahs. It sells indeed well. Souvenir-sized puppets are sold for IDR 1.35 million, while larger ones are priced at IDR 4 million.
Sardi has actually been creating all sorts of art objects from recycled waste for 13 years. Waste paper was long the main material he used. He made masks from it. Until he discovered he could still better contribute to contribute to “save” the environment in Jogja by making plastic wayang puppets. Yes! Collectors who order his Wayang Kristal not only purchase it for their beauty but also for his contribution toward enhancing people’s environmental awareness.
To date, Sardi’s Kristal Wayangs can be seen at the Danone Museum in Blok M Jakarta, the FUI (Forum Upcycle Indonesia) gallery, Bank Indonesia; some have become part of the collections of public figures. Sardi and his Wayang Kristal also took part in the #BijakBerplastik campaign organized by Aqua in collaboration with the Indonesian Upcycle Forum during National Wayang Day last year. Kristal Wayang also received an award from PT Alba Tridi Plastics Recycling Indonesia, the largest plastic waste management company in Southeast Asia.
To discuss and view Sardi’s works made from recycled waste, you are always welcome to visit him directly at the Koran Mask Studio, Kampung Literacy Pakem (KALIPA), Jl. Kaliurang No.Km.16, Kregan, Pakem Gede, Ngemplak District, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55582.
Sardi also actively shares his work on his personal Instagram account, @sardibeib.
Don’t hesitate, your visit is highly anticipated. Thank you.
Text and Photos by Ayu Nabila
