Topeng Malang dancer adjusting mask backstage before Bersih Desa ceremony. Malang East Java

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Jaranan performer posing in front of a bamboo fence.

Gandrung dancer in traditional ornate costume with headpiece, standing in front of bamboo forest.

Reog Ponorogo dancer under a banyan tree, East Java

A Manusia Silver standing at the entrance to the mystical Sunyaragi Cave in Cirebon, West Java

Three Topeng malang performers dressed in traditional attire with Topeng masks and headdresses, standing against a textured wall.

Group of female dancers dressed in traditional ndolalak costumes with ornate embroidery and feathers, wearing hats with feathers, standing in a row in Purworejo, Central Java

Gandrung dancers performing with a large decorative lion or dragon head costume in the background, Banyuwangi East Java

Jaranan performer getting assistance from pawang in Banyuwangi, East Java

Wangsit is a long-term documentary and artistic journey initiated by French photographer David Haefflinger, dedicated to exploring the living heritage of Indonesia.
Through rituals, masks, trance, and the language of movement, the project examines how ancestral traditions continue to shape contemporary identity.

Developed in collaboration with dancers, choreographers, and cultural guardians such as the Reog community, Wangsit aims to create a dialogue between photography, performance, and memory.
His work studies the boundaries between ritual and daily existence, revealing how the sacred adapts to modern contexts.

More than documentation, Wangsit seeks to reveal a spirit, a living memory that moves through people and places, and to affirm that these cultures remain alive, evolving, and deeply human.