Ogoh-Ogoh Balinese Monsters
Maintaining harmony with nature is the basic in the implementation of various rituals in Bali. This can be seen of the celebration of Nyepi as a celebration of the turnover of the Çaka New Year. Perhaps it is only on this island that the turnover of the year is celebrated not with fireworks, festivity nor glamour. The Çaka New Year is welcomed with silence, meditation, no activity at all. The streets will be empty of vehicles, the air free from noise and combustion smoke, the birds can sing happily – a form of thankfulness for His gift.
On the previous night, the villages and cities all over Bali look tense and eerie. Big and tall puppets with fangs on their spine-chilling faces fill the streets. The Ogoh-Ogoh is paraded around the streets, accompanied with dancing and the vigorous and vibrant Belengajur music (Beleganjur is considered similar to marching band music). These terrifying puppets are called Ogoh-Ogoh.
It is vital for Ogoh-Ogoh to always be present in the Pengerupukan ritual. Ogoh-Ogoh is a representation of negative energies in life. Through the the Pengerupukan ritual, all the negative energies will be neutralized into positive ones which can give kindness to humans in the coming years.
Ogoh-Ogoh becomes a creative media for the Balinese young generation, who usually make them in the traditional community, the banjar (village). The themes or forms are usually based on traditional stories or Hindu mythology. The Calonarang story brings celuluk / leak (evil spirit) figures, called Rarung, who devours babies to increase its magical powers. Then there is also Rahwana, the 10-headed giant from the Ramayana story, and other fantasy figures depicting images of Butha Kala (supernatural demons representing the dark side – Hindu belief) or other supernatural beings who rule the underworld.
In its development, Ogoh-Ogoh varies in their forms and shapes. Many people create Ogoh-Ogoh as parodies of the reality or phenomenon being discussed in the middle of Balinese community, e.g. corrupt officials, thin gamblers, drug addicts, sexy prostitutes; all these mirror modern community crimes. This is interesting, a critic conveyed through creative media, funny, surprising and original ideas, done with high level of skill / technique.
This book entitled Ogoh-Ogoh: Balinese Monsters features very interesting visual language, presented with spectacular pictures, the results of Tamarra Kaida’s photo shots. Through her work, Tamarra was also successful in exposing the humanity side: humans’ faces with their dimensions of various feelings: attracted, fearful, worried, tense, and at the same time excited.
The captions on the photographs provide enough details on how Ogoh-Ogoh was made, what it symbolizes, who made it, and the symbols portrayed in the Ogoh-Ogoh itself. The captions also identified the characters of the Ogoh-Ogoh, whether a god, a demon or a Western villain. Sarita Newton’s writing also discussed the Balinese calendar system, the background story of culture and history behind the rituals prior to the Nyepi, the origin of the parade, and provide very good and detailed explanation about the traditions and customs of the Balinese community during Nyepi, people refrain from desires and activities during the rituals in welcoming the Çaka New Year.
Together with Sarita, Tamarra has produced one publication style which not only feature one of the newest and most interesting forms of art, but also covers minutes on the study of the meaning of life which will keep on developing in Balinese contemporary culture.
This book could be found at Komaneka Fine Art Gallery.