Slamet Gundono (1966, Indonesia) is a multi-disciplinary artist who draws on the long traditions of Javanese and Indonesian culture so as to reinvent and innovate within the field of interactive shadow puppetry. Gundono collaborates with artists from other disciplines, and incorporates story telling, dance, film and multi-media. He also runs workshops to encourage experimentation. Gundono has developed a form of puppetry that involves clay, vegetables, sleep talking, water and condoms. By using humour and satire in a non-confrontational way, he lends a voice to the socially marginalised and is popular with a widely based audience.Through his work he investigates social issues such as gender, exploitation, religious orthodoxy and damage to the environment. Gundono uses local idioms and simple means, and demonstrates that traditional cultural forms can be powerful vehicles for contemporary expression.
Slamet Gundono during a Story Telling Festival
