Introduction
Dear Visitor,
Welcome to the Hull Museum of Southeast Asian Craft and Belief. We hope that you will find this booklet useful in exploring the museum. It contains information about the objects displayed in the 87 cases in the museum. You will also find 12 large panels in the museum, covering wider cross-cutting themes relating to craft and belief in Southeast Asia. Suggestions of cases and panels that you may wish to go on to are provided for each case and each panel. We hope that these will provide useful. But there is no ‘right’ path through the museum. Please wander and discover following your own interests.
Please return this booklet to the stand where you found it when you have finished visiting the museum.
Enjoy the museum!
Dr. Monica Janowski
Curator
July 2026
Acknowledgements
The museum as you see it now is the result of work done between 2024 and 2026 to transform the museum from a teaching collection to a public-facing museum. This has involved a thorough reorganization of the cases, including the creation of 28 new cases.
The production of this booklet and of the themed panels has been made possible through a grant from the Humberside Museums Partnership funded by Arts Council England. We are very grateful for this grant, which inspired the reorganization of our cases. Our hope is that this new interpretation helps the beautiful objects on display connect with, and be enjoyed by, as many visitors as possible.
We would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of the following in the work to reorganize the museum and produce the panels and booklet:
Andy West, Lisa Jones, Anna Ingleby, Maire Justice, Annabel Gallop, Marvellous Marsel Setiawan Catherine Wynne Maynard Keyne Langet Cecelia Mercer Melia Linggi Charissa Tiong Teo Mike Hitchcock Chris Awre Olwyn Reading Datuk Leonard Linggi Jugah Peter Abrams Derek Anderson Polycarp Teo Sebom Dora Jok Rina Arya Fiona Kerlogue Sally Fairfax Ellie Chen Chai Xin Sarah Shaw Helga Neu Shawn Ras Henny Ngu Tara Broadley Joseph Salang Terry (Victor) King Judy King Tuson Chong Kaz Janowski Xin Ying Lim Kenneth Wertheim Yang Jiang.
Booklet © Monica Janowski
Case 1. Wayang Golek Puppets made by Asep Sunandar Sunarya
This set of puppets was made by the famous Javanese puppeteer Asep Sunandar Sunarya (1954- 2014) for a tour in the UK in 2006-7. Asep Sunandar Sunarya revolutionized West Java's wayomg golek theatre, transforming the traditional art by engineering innovative mechanical puppets that could somersault or change expressions.
These puppets, which represent a range of characters from the Javanese adaptation of the Hindu Mahabharata epic, were donated to the museum after their tour, and were used in the Yorkshire 'Precious Cargo' projects 'Breath of Life' and 'Power of Story' as part of the museum's contribution to the Cultural Olympiad in 2012.
- Dewi Permani. She thinks she loves Batara Guru, but so offends him that he makes her into a raksasa (ogre). Humus 2011.3.1.
- Citrasoma. One of the hundred Kaurava brothers. In performance he is depicted as a boastful, stuttering, foolish prince who provides comic relief. Humus 2011.3.3.
- Dewi Arimbi. Sister of Prabu Arimba, King of the mksasa (giant)'s country of Pringgandani and has magical powers. Humus 2011.3.5.
- Raden Buriswara. Son of King Salya of Mandraka and Setyawati, a demon's daughter. Humus 2011.3.6.
- A buta (ogre). Humus 2011.3.2.
- Dewi SUbadra. An incarnation of Dewi Sri, the Rice Goddess (see Case 38). Humus 2011.3.4. Relevant thematic panels: Shadows, Water and Wood; The Cosmic Duo; Cooking the Cosmos
Relevant thematic panels: Shadows, Water and Wood; The Cosmic Duo; Cooking the Cosmos