INDONESIAN WAYANG — SHADOW PUPPET THEATRE VISUAL STYLE

VISUAL STYLE: Indonesian Wayang Kulit — the ancient shadow puppet theatre tradition of Java and Bali. Intricately perforated leather puppets projected as shadows onto a backlit white cotton screen. The shadow is the performance; the puppet is unseen by the audience.

COLOUR PALETTE: In traditional shadow mode — the projected image is pure black (#000000) shadow against brilliant white (#FFFFFF) backlit screen. In the coloured variant used for daytime performance — the puppets themselves in their painted form: gold (#C9943A), red (#8B0000), black (#000000), and white (#FFFFFF) on the natural hide ground.

PUPPET FORMS: Highly stylised — figures in strict profile, bodies at impossible angles that combine frontal torso with profile legs. Elaborate headdresses, fine perforated clothing patterns, exaggerated facial features. The silhouette carries all the character information.

SHADOW: The projection is not a perfect silhouette — the perforations in the leather allow light through in patterns, creating a complex texture within the shadow form. The puppet is not simply dark — it is dark with light inside it.

MOVEMENT: The particular movement of puppets operated on rods — deliberate, formal, with held positions between gestures. Combat scenes use rapid shaking; meditative scenes use stillness.

DALANG: The puppeteer's hands are occasionally visible at the base of the screen — the only human element in the visual field.

No colour in shadow mode. No three-dimensional rendering. No modern character design. Only the leather, the light behind it, and the screen that receives the shadow.