Filming the Making of Wajangs [Shadow Puppets]

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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
Mead and Batesons field trip to study the
Balinese of Indonesia and the Iatmul of Papua New
Guinea from 19361939 was a landmark in the
history of visual anthropology.
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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
They took approximately 35,000 photographs,
hundreds of feet of motion picture film and
copious field notes. In this sequence they
recorded the work of an artist making wajangs or
shadow puppets.
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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
Along with the film shown here, Mead and Bateson
recorded with photographs and notes the step by
step work of the artist, I Wara of Negara, making
the wajang.
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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
Mead and Bateson worked out a precise system for
recording field data in Bali. They synchronized
their watches along with their Balinese secretary
and recorded the time of each action minute by
minute.
They noted when photographs were taken with
LEICAS or L, and when motion picture film was
taken with CINE.
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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
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Filming the Making of Wajangs Shadow
Puppets
All of the photographs and a large selection of
the field notes from this field trip have been
digitized and are available online in the
Manuscript Reading Room.