CENK BLONK LEATHER PUPPET PERFORMANCE WITHIN POPULAR CULTURAL CONTEXT I Made Marajaya I Made Suastika I Wayan Dibia I Nyoman Kutha Ratna Puppeteering Department, Faculty of Performing Art, Indonesia Institute of the Arts Denpasar email: mademarajaya@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This present study is intended to discuss the Cenk Blonk leather puppet performance “Wayang Kulit Cenk Blonk (abbreviated to WKCB) within the popular cultural context. If viewed from the perspective of cultural studies, this present study is concerned with a new reality and phenomenon in the Balinese puppetry art. The Balinese leather puppet performance, which does not refer to the source book of the shadow play story “pakem pewayangan” and the puppetry norm “Dharma Pewayangan”, is preferred by many people. This present study analyzes the form, factor, and meaning of the WKCB performance with the popular cultural context using the theory of popular culture, the theory of deconstruction, and theory of discourse. The qualitative interpretative method was used. The data were obtained through observation, in-depth interview, and documentary study. The data were analyzed using the descriptive, qualitative and interpretative method of analysis. The data were presented starting from the basic data, data presentation, data analysis and conclusion. The result of the study shows (1) the WKCB was performed as part of the promotional activity; (2) the WKCB was performed as part of the socialization activity; (3) the WKCB was performed as part of the commemoration of anniversaries. Second, the factors contributing to the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context included: creativity, art sustainability, the practice for the supporting artists, the modern cultural impact, the advance in technology, and the market demand. The meanings of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context included: the aesthetic meaning, the social meaning, the welfare meaning, the amusing meaning, the political meaning, the conservation meaning, and the image meaning. The novelty shows that the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context presents the elements of popular works, popular discourses, the change in presentation, the change in the performing apparatus, and the freedom in receiving messages from those who have it performed to be transmitted to viewers. Keywords: WKCB performance, creativity, and popular culture INTRODUCTION The WKCB performance with I Wayan Nardayana as the puppeteer is one of the innovative leather puppet performances, which has been able to make itself the most popular balih-balihan art (the art which is created to amuse others) in Bali, meaning that the WKCB with its unique and interesting presentations has been able to attract the leather puppet fans. Those who are interested in it are not only males but also those coming from all the society layers regardless of their social statuses. The WKCB performance has been getting popular rapidly as it has been able to catch the current people’s aesthetic desires. Being able to process the art using the technological package, and being able to communicate with the viewers through aesthetic, critical, and fresh humorous touches allow the WLCB performance to exist in the middle of the society. Those who have it performed are not only individuals or groups of people, but also entrepreneurs, the government, and private organizations. The common people have it performed as part of the religious ritual; the entrepreneurs have it performed as part of the promotional activity through which their products and services are promoted. The government has it performed as part of the socialization program and as the information which is related to the people’s interest. The WKCB performance within the popular cultural context is a performance which audibly and visually presents the elements of popular works and discourses which are developing in the middle of the society. The elements of the popular works can be seen starting from how the WKCB is presented, the apparatus used, and the context in which it is performed. The popular discourses which are transmitted to the viewers are of the economic problem, the socio and political problem, law, environment, security, and health. The interesting and popular presentations of the WKCB performance have actually broken the puppetry norms which are locally referred to as pakem pakeliran and Dharma Pewayangan. Therefore, what is presented in the WKCB performance is highly phenomenal and leads to a controversial reaction; many agree and many others disagree with such a phenomenon. Those who agree with it consider that the WKCB performance is an art with a highly aesthetic value; it is stated to be able to resurrect the culture of responding to and watching the shadow play with leather puppets, and to inspire the growth and development of the innovative leather puppet performance in Bali. Those who disagree with such a phenomenon are the puppeteers or the lay people who are still fanatic for the great quality of the traditional leather puppet performance. This present study is intended to identify the form, the motivating factor, and meaning of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context. The significance of the result of the present study is that it can contribute and add to the scientific treasure of the puppetry art, and that it can be used as a comparison by the researcher who will explore the matters pertaining to the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context in the future. RESEARCH METHOD The qualitative interpretative method was used in the present study. The primary data which are used in the present study were obtained through several direct interview in which the interviewees were I Wayan Nardayana, the puppeteer of WKCB, and the other puppeteers. The secondary data, which were obtained from the results of studies, books, articles, journals of arts, and both printed and electronic mass media, were also used as the supporting data. The data were collected using the techniques of observation, in-depth interview, and documentary study (pictures, recording, and note taking). The data were analyzed using the qualitative approach in order to obtain the picture of the form and the motivating factor, and the meaning of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context. RESULT AND DISCUSSION The WKCB performance is a popular innovative leather puppet performance, which is a transformation of the traditional leather puppet performance. Being popular and innovative, the government, entrepreneurs, and private companies are made to be inspired to have it performed in various important events such as promotion, socialization, commemoration of anniversaries and TV advertisement. The WKCB used to be performed to complete a religious ceremony; however, then it has been performed as a commercial performance which is economy-highly oriented for the entrepreneurs, as a medium for socializing the government programs. It is this which has led to the appearance of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context, meaning that it has been performed: 1) for promotional activities which include (1) the promotion made by the cellular telecommunication, in which the products of Kartu-AS and Blackberry cellular phones are promoted to the viewers; (b) the promotion made by Kopi ABC in which the product of Kopi ABC is promoted to the society of viewers which can make them stronger; (c) the promotion made by Susu Frian Flag, in which it is promoted that such milk can make the body healthy and strong; (d) the promotion made by the dealer of Yamaha motor cycles, in which the Yamaha product is promoted to the society of viewers; (e) the medical promotion made by Antangin JRG as medicine for relieving cold. 2) The WKCB is also performed to socialize particular programs such as (a) taxation socialization such as the Income Tax “Pajak Penghasilan (PPH)”, the Value Added Tax “Pajak Pertambahan Nilai (PPN)”, the Sales Tax levied upon Luxury Items “Pajak Penjualan atas Barang Mewah (PPB)”, and the Land and Building Tax “Pajak Bumi dan Bangunan (PBB)”; (b) the socialization of what to do to overcome disasters such as earthquake, tsunami, landslide, flood, fire, and so forth; (c) the socialization of the 15th ASEAN Summit Conference “KTT ASEAN ke 15”, in which it was suggested to the society to get involved in keeping security so that the 15th ASEAN Summit Conference could be successfully carried out at Nusa Dua Bali; (d) the socialization of drug abuse in which it is suggested to the society not to consume and spread the forbidden items which can inflict the children’s future; (e) the socialization of general election, in which the election for the legislative candidates, the election for the regent and governor, and the political and democratic education are socialized; (f) the socialization of AIDS. 3) The WKCB which is performed as part of the commemoration of anniversaries; the commemoration of Dies Natalis ISI Denpasar in 2004 and the anniversary of SMAN 4 Denpasar in 2012 are two examples. The factors which have contributed to the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context are (1) creativity; the attempt made to create new things in accordance with the current aesthetic desire of the society; (2) being motivated to maintain art; the attempt made to conserve the leather puppet performance in the middle of globalization current and; (3) the practice for the supporting artists; they are made to be more skilled so that they can perform the best and newest puppetry art works for the viewers; (4) the cultural impact of the modern society; the impact of the cultural value-oriented society’s life which is made to develop into the current life and civilization indicated by the critical and consumptive way of thinking and luxury life style; (5) the technological advance; the development of science and technology to support activities and; (6) the market demand; aesthetically, people desire to enjoy interesting performances which are useful to the society’s life. The meanings of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context include (1) the aesthetic meaning; the WKCB performance can make the viewers joyful; (2) the social meaning; the WKCB can give art experience and enlightenment to the society; (3) the welfare meaning; the WKCB performance can improve the welfare of the puppeteer, the supporting artists, and craftsmen; (4) the amusing meaning; the WKCB can amuse the viewers; (5) the political meaning; the WKCB has made the traditional performance less popular and may lead to the appearance of the innovative leather puppet performance; (6) the meaning of conservation; the WKCB protects and maintains the existence of the leather puppet in accordance with the era development and; (7) the meaning of image; the WKCB inspires the society’s desire to give response to and watch it within different contexts. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION It can be inferred from the present study that from the popular cultural context WKCB is performed to promote, socialize and demonstrate things; in addition, it is also performed to commemorate anniversaries and as part of TV advertisements. Second, the factors which have contributed to the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context can be classified into the internal factors and external factors. The internal factors include: creativity, being motivated to maintain art, the practice for the supporting artists. The external factors include: the cultural impact of the modern society, the advance in technology, and the market demand. Third, the meanings of the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context include: the aesthetic meaning, the social meaning, the welfare meaning, the amusing meaning, the political meaning, the conservation meaning, and the image meaning. The novelties of the present study show that basically the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context presents the elements of popular works, the popular discourses, the change in presentation, the change in the apparatus used, and the freedom in receiving orders from those that have the WKCB performed to transmit to the viewers. In relation to the WKCB performance within the popular cultural context, it is suggested to the artists that support the WKCB performance that they should intensify their creativity and practice in order to satisfy the viewers’ desires. It is suggested to the government that it should do its best to maintain the existence of the leather puppet performance in the middle of the globalization current. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The God’s blessing has allowed the writer to be able to complete this study in time, for which the writer is grateful. In this opportunity, the writer would like to thank the Rector of Udayana University, the Director of the School of Postgraduate Studies of Udayana University, Head and Secretary of the Study Program of Cultural Studies of Udayana University, the teaching and administrative staff for the moral support and facilities provided to the writer so this article can be completed as expected. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bungin, Burhan, 2001. Imaji Media Massa : Konstruksi dan Makna Realitas Sosial Iklan Televisi dalam Masyarakat Kapitalis. Cangara, Hafied, 2002, Pengantar Ilmu Komunikasi. PT Raja Grafindo Persada, Jakarta. Burton, Graeme. 2008. Yang Tersembunyi di Balik Media. Yogyakarta dan Badung : Jalasutra. Cangara, Hafied. 2002. Pengantar Ilmu Komunikasi. Jakarta : PT Raja Grafindo Persada. Darma Putra, I Nyoman, 1998. “ Kesenian Bali di Panggung Elektronik : Perbandingan Acara Apresiasi Budaya RRI dan TVRI Denpasar. Dalam Majalah Mudra, No. 6 Tahun VI, Hal. 31. STSI Denpasar. Darwanto, S.S. 1995. Televisi sebagai Media Pendidikan. Duta Wacana University Press, Yogyakarta. Dibia, I Wayan. 1998. “Pertunjukan Kesenian di Televisi”. Dalam Majalah Mudra No. 2 Th. II hal. 7. STSI Denpasar. Hoed, Benny H. 2008. Semiotik dan Dinamika Sosial Budaya. Yogyakarta : Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya (FIB) UI Depok. Kayam, Umar. 1981. Seni Tradisi dan Masyarakat. Jakarta : Sinar Harapan. Marajaya, I Made. 2002. “Pertunjukan Wayang Kulit Parwa Lakon Brahmana Sidi di TVRI Denpasar : Kajian Bentuk, Fungsi, dan Makna”. (tesis). Denpasar : Universitas Udayana. _______.2014. “Pertunjukan Wayang Kulit Cenk Blonk dalam Konteks Budaya Populer”. (disertasi). Denpasar : Universitas Udayana. Mariyah, Emiliana. 2006. “Wayang Kulit Dalam Era Globalisasi”. Dalam Wacana Antropologi. (ed. Pujaastawa). Denpasar : Jurusan Antropologi Fakultas sastra Universitas Udayana. Piliang, Yasrat Amir. 2003. Hipersemiotika Tafsir Cultural Studies Atas Matinya Makna. Yogjakarta : Jalasutra. Ra’uf, Amrin. 2010. Jagad Wayang. Yogyakarta : Garailmu. Sedyawati, 2007. Budaya Indonesia : Kajian Arkeologi, Seni, dan Sejarah. Jakarta : PT. Raja Grafindo Persada. Soetrisno, R. 2008. Wayang Sebagai Warisan Budaya Dunia. Surabaya : Penerbit SIC.