- Even my mom know who Darth Vader is.
Introducing popular character into the traditional art.
This way we can get more youth audience
get interested in the art.
And hopefully the art can be safe.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Everyone has a Star Wars story.
I'm Jordan Hembrough.
And I'm meeting Star Wars fans virtually
who have been inspired and changed by the galaxy far,
far away.
Today, I'm speaking with TinToy of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
TinToy is the founder of Fusion Wayang Kulit, a collective
of artists, musicians, and engineers
working to revive an ancient form of puppetry
by infusing it with Star Wars.
This is TinToy's Star Wars story.
TinToy, thank you so much for doing this with me.
I really appreciate it.
- Hey, good to have you Jordan.
It is an honor to be here.
- This is the first time I've ever done one of these
internationally.
So when Star Wars first came out in 1977 in the United States,
and there were like lines around the block for weeks,
what was your experience?
- I think I was like five years old.
But I remember it's crowded.
And we went in late so my father only
managed to get the first row.
So we are watching it like this.
So definitely, it is a big thing as there's
a lot of people watching it.
It is a worldwide phenomenon no doubt about it.
- You saw Star Wars at such a young age.
It must have had an incredible lasting impression on you,
didn't it?
- Yes it is.
It's one of the very early science fiction movie
that I watched.
And it give me a lot of impact, especially when
stormtroopers storming in the [INAUDIBLE] everything
is just mind blowing.
- I want to step ahead a little bit because you
went to school for design.
Did Star Wars influence how you looked at design growing up?
- It actually led me to become a designer.
And the design for Star Wars definitely helped.
Before Star Wars, everything is many fantasy like this
is Flash Gordon type of design.
With Star Wars, say the spaceship, that X-Wing or TIE
fighter, it feel like something that we
will be touching in 100 years.
That feeling it's really changed.
And give me a new perspective in design.
- That's fantastic.
And what I love about your designs and what you do
is you've actually found a way to combine
Star Wars and your love of puppetry as well.
So tell me, what is why Wayang Kulit?
- Translated it could mean show and skin.
Wayang Kulit.
So as it is skin show.
But the actual meaning, it is shadow show where we perform
at the back of the screen and audience
will be watching it from the front.
So it's a culture that's has been around Malaysia
for about 500 years.
- As I'm sitting around talking to you,
I see behind you, you have this whole collection
of puppets behind you.
Tell me about that.
- I'm in my gallery.
You know?
My Wayang Kulit gallery at Malaysia where we actually
display all the puppets here.
And then we have the puppet making tools.
We have even the stage.
This is our effort to keep the art alive here in Kuala Lumpur.
- You're doing something really incredible with it.
You're taking pop culture and Star Wars
and you're infusing it with the puppetry.
Why do you think Star Wars actually lends itself
to the performance art so well?
- I started this in 2012 for a art exhibition.
And I was thinking, maybe I can try something
different to combine something which is modern
and what the youth understand and what the youth like
into this project.
Like, even my mom know who Darth Vader is.
So it is something very powerful.
So we'll try and see how it work.
But one thing I want to say that I am the one who perform.
We started the concept by making the Luke
Skywalker and Darth Vader.
And we have an exhibition.
But we can't perform because we are not master puppeteer.
We are looking.
So [INAUDIBLE] he contacted us.
It was such a big relief for me.
When I met my master puppeteer, I know that, OK.
This is the people that I need most, a master
puppeteer who can perform.
So after that, we managed to convince
him to join the dark side.
You know?
And we've performed together now.
- Do you remember your first time actually
going out with these puppets and doing a live performance
to everybody?
- The memory definitely is very vivid.
When we perform, there's actually a lot of Star Wars
fans who came like Star Wars [INAUDIBLE] fan club
or some friends in [INAUDIBLE] office.
And when they come in, they ask our fans
when they see Darth Vader puppet appear,
they were shouting, you know, cheering, and [INAUDIBLE]..
So it is very meaningful, not only to me, but to the musician
because traditional musician they don't really know Star War
is, but in that performance they hear something that they
miss, the crowd cheering sound which they
don't have for a long time.
And it come in from the different type of crowd.
It changed the way they think about the project
and the belief in this movement as you say.
- So you were actually kind enough to send
me over a mandalorian puppet.
I want to get it for a second.
This is incredible.
They're absolutely beautiful.
Can you take me through the process of how
you actually make one of these?
- So the first thing first is design.
And of course, I have my master around.
So I will ask him to make sure that this
is done correctly from the format of Wayang Kulit.
So when he get approved, then we actually trace it out.
And then we just send it to the craftsmen.
So what they do is they have the paper sticking onto the cowhide
and they start cutting using this special nails and hammer.
And then when it's done, I will do the coloring
and then you add in the bamboo stick.
And voila, we are done.
It take about two weeks to actually
make one from start to end.
- So TinToy, how do you actually incorporate
visual effects into your performance,
stuff like light speed?
- We make use of technologies.
For background visual effect, we actually
used a projector to project color and move the object.
So you give audience a different look and feel.
- I've got to ask you to do something for me.
Can you pick up one of the puppets?
I want to see one in action.
- OK.
Well I'm not a qualified puppeteer,
but I'll just try my best.
All right.
- OK.
- Ho, ho, ho, ho.
Jordan.
[INAUDIBLE]
- You've made headlines around the world.
How does that affect you?
That's got to feel pretty good.
- I feel good that more and more people understand
or aware of this fading art.
But it is still a long way to go.
We are still working hard trying to make it better,
make it more popular.
It is my main objective to get the youth
attracted, interested in this.
When we have exhibition, we have the traditional puppet.
There are not too many people go near there.
But when I have things like this, they'll be like, whoa.
Can I take photo of it?
Can I Instagram it?
It happen when we performed in Germany as well.
I mean, they don't understand any Malaise words
but when they look at it, they are like, oh, OK.
They got it.
So it feel good.
- You know, Star Wars historically
has taken so much of the design influence from Asian culture.
- [INAUDIBLE] only Asian.
There's some African, not American.
All over the world, the design team did a great job.
I think because of that, it makes people easier
to understand or accept my project because, as you say,
Star Wars itself has a lot of Asian culture in it.
So when they see another like for my project,
another Malaysian culture implement into it,
it's easier for them to accept.
So I think it does help a lot.
- What do you want people to take away from your puppetry?
What do you want people to take away from your shows?
- The objective of ours is always trying to [INAUDIBLE]
into something popular again.
There are people who have never seen this art,
and they say that, I like it.
And I want to know more.
It feel good that I actually doing something
good for the traditional art.
- I love that you've sort of taken Star Wars
and reflected it back through your culture.
You're educating younger people and a whole generation
not only of Star Wars but of your culture as well.
[NON-ENGLISH] Thank you.
And I hope to see more of you soon.
Thank you so much for doing this with us.
- Thanks for having me.
And may the force be with you.