As children, we loved to sit by our parents lap as tale after tale was spun out of the pages of books. In Indonesia, storytelling is taken a step further as our beloved characters enter the puppets made of cloth or wood.

Enter Setia Darma’s House of Masks and Puppets for a story unlike any other told through the open lips of the 1000 masks and 4000 puppets housed. What catches your attraction first might not even by the displayed items but the houses of wide-roofed Balinese Pavilions and the patterned columns of the Javanese Joglo. Barack Obama steps forward to greet you as a shadow puppet of the current century but wind the dial back further and you’d be brought to the borders of 16th Century Sicility towed by stick puppets. Africa, Latin America and Asia, the collection reflects the power of stories across the globe. Taking center stage unsurprisingly are the wayang kulit with their jutting jaws and exaggerated features which dance across the stage when wielded by an expert dalang. Having seen it all, how would you like to hear your stories now?