Publications & Research

2024, Research Report Book, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BVTrB47erypG3tevi1U9Fv6BbNUBEiuiX/view?usp=sharing The Tjipta Boedaja Art Center is a vibrant space for traditional arts that thrives in Tutup Ngisor Hamlet on the slopes of Mount Merapi, Magelang, Central Java. Established in 1937 at the initiative of Rama Joso Soedarmo, this center serves as a center for the preservation and transmission of folk performing arts, particularly wayang wong, jathilan, karawitan, and various Javanese ritual practices and traditions. More than just a venue for the arts, Tjipta Boedaja is integrated into the lives of the Tutup Ngisor community. The art at this center emerges from the daily lives of the residents—farmers, dancers, and cultural practitioners—who view art as part of their daily lives. The principle of "urip kanggo seni, dudu seni kanggo urip" serves as a foundational value that continues to be upheld across generations. Through regular performances, annual rituals, and collective community involvement, the Tjipta Boedaja Padepokan not only preserves cultural heritage but also serves as a space for learning, reflection, and the intersection of tradition and time. The artistic expressions that flourish in Tutup Ngisor capture the relationship between humans and nature, spirituality, and historical memory that lives on to this day.

2023, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/115691074/Farmer_Artists_Concept_of_Kober_in_Padepokan_Tjipta_Boedaja_Tutup_Ngisor_Magelang_A_Cultural_Materialist_Analysis?sm=b&rhid=38496233083 The experience of the farmer-artists of Padepokan Seni Tjipta Boedaja, Tutup Ngisor, Kabupaten Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, who conduct art performances as parts of their rituals four times every year since 1937, becomes an interesting phenomenon to investigate. They work in their farms and fields from morning until afternoon, in the evening they will gather in padepokan to do art activities. An ethnographic study has been conducted to make sense of their activities, especially those related with the Javanese dances, Javanese traditional songs tembang, gamelan music orchestra, and Javanese dancing drama. Employing the four major aspects of Marvin Harris’ cultural materialist theory, this article aims to explain how the mode of production and reproduction among the agricultural community affect the structural and infrastructural aspects of the farmer-artists’ sociocultural system. It found that they perceived arts as hobbies and rituals instead of the primary source of financial earning. They coined the concept of kober, which literally means having time to do things. Their view of their habit “to live for arts” instead of “arts for life.” It shows that material concerns remain basic to the shaping of organizational and ideational aspects of the sociocultural system. It is supported by their cognitive capability to understand the significance of the basic material needs as the basis for their socio-cultural as well as ideational aspect of life. The experience of farmer-artists in Tutup Ngisor alters Harris’s linear way of defining cultural formation as materially based into a cyclical way of cultural preservation.

2020, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/62194149/Morphogenetic_Kebudayaan_Dalam_Sistem_Mata_Pencaharian_Masyarakat_Desa_Tutup_Ngisor_Kabupaten_Magelang?sm=b&rhid=38496233083 Cultural systems that play an important role in people's lives, especially those related to local wisdom in the livelihoods of the people. This study aims to determine the culture of the livelihood system of Tutup Ngisor’s Village. The method in this research is qualitative with purposive sampling technique. As for conducting data validity using triangulation of sources with in-depth interviews as data collection techniques. This research was examined using structural theory and agents from Margaret S. Archer. In this theory, the morphogenetic approach can be seen in two forms, namely morphogenesis and morphostasis. There is the influence of agents and structures in interactions and actions so as to bring up structures that also react and change with the actions and interactions of the agents. Based on the findings of the field, the people of Tutup Ngisor’s Village have a number of livelihood elements that have experienced technical changes (morphogenesis) and there are some elements that have morphostatic (unchanged). Thus there is a cultural change in the livelihood systems of Tutup Ngisor’s Village community.

2019, PhD Thesis, https://www.academia.edu/75473846/Collaborative_Filmmaking_with_Traditional_Performers_in_Highland_Java_A_Practice_Based_PhD_Thesis This thesis analyzes the process of collaboration with a Javanese traditional performance group in adapting their work to film. The project has both practical and research goals. The practical goal is to collaborate with a traditional performance group from a rural area, and help facilitate their exploration of a new medium and to express themselves through film. The research goal of this project is to record, understand and analyze the process, while laying the groundwork for further collaborations and research in other contexts and with different communities. The underlying research question for this thesis is: “how does collaboration contribute and facilitate the group’s adaptation of its aesthetics and artistic expression to film?” To answer that question, it is important to first understand the group itself as local collaborators, including their members, their identities, their problems and needs, and the role of other villagers. The thesis establishes that the group has a long tradition and history, particularly in performance arts, and the village community is constantly in tension with ongoing social, political, and ecological changes, which often provide inspiration for the themes and contents of their films. The next aim is to understand the development of collaboration between the rural farmer-artists and their urban filmmaker-academic collaborators: the backbone of this thesis. We can see here that building “common ground” between collaborators from different contexts is a long and challenging process. Another important theme of the thesis is exploration of the adaptation process of performance arts to film, and how the years of collaboration shapes this process and its products. Here we can see that it is specific cultural values –not lack of access or sophistication– that drive the Tjipta Boedaja dancers towards particular film production methods as well as particular messages. When we look closely at the aesthetics of the films produced, we observed how they represent the group’s and the village’s culture, and the members’ and the villagers’ identities as well as the new set of film aesthetics that emerged from the collaboration. The local collaborators relate their techniques and approaches to storytelling to the varieties of local performances. Film in this context is largely determined by the complexities of the locale and its aesthetics and audience preferences. Finally, the project works with the group’s latest film productions, exploring what the collaborators had learned from the long collaboration process, adaptation of filmmaking methods, and establishment of film aesthetics. At this point, the thesis offers empirical confirmation that the filmmaking collaboration between two factions from different backgrounds must establish trust, build complex insights into all the collaborators’ cultures and power relations, and foster willingness for intensive investigation of the most salient local aesthetics and messages possible.

2018, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/41946965/Biar_Dhanyang_yang_Bicara_Film_Spiritual_dan_Pesan_Substansial_dalam_Kolaborasi_Produksi_Film_Tetangga This paper explores methods in making sure a film can make a statements to its audience, in this case to talk about true problems: local identities and natural resources, through non-realistic subjects: the spirits of the village. It focuses on film collaboration with a Javanese traditional performance group adapting their work to film. The project has both practical and research goals. The practical goal is to collaborate with a traditional performance from a rural area, and help facilitate their exploration of a new medium to express their narrative, aesthetic and cultural messages through film. On the other hand, using ethnographic methods, the research goal of this project is to record, to understand, and to analyze this process, while laying the groundwork for further collaborations and researches in other contexts and with different communities. What so important is the exploration of the adaptation process of performance arts to film, and how the years of collaboration shapes this process and its products. When we look closely at the aesthetics of the films produced, we observed how they represent the group’s and the village’s culture, and the members’ and the villagers’ identities as well as the new set of film aesthetics that emerged from the collaboration.

2018, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/130339589/Nilai_Nilai_Sakral_Wayang_Orang_Lakon_Lumbung_Tugu_Mas_Dalam_Upacara_Tradisi_Sura_DI_Dusun_Tutup_Ngisor_Sumber_Dukun_Magelang?sm=b&rhid=38490460383 This study aims to determine the sacred values ​​of the wayang orang play "Lumbung Tugu Mas" (Tugu Mas Granary) in the Suran traditional ceremony in Tutup Ngisor Hamlet, Sumber, Dukun, Magelang. This study employed descriptive-qualitative research. Data were based on written accounts, interviews, observations, and documentation. The research instrument was the researcher herself, assisted by various relevant tools, such as notebooks, video recorders, and cameras. The validity of the research data was achieved through extended observation, triangulation, and referencing. Data analysis employed descriptive-qualitative techniques. The results of the study indicate that there are sacred values ​​in the wayang orang play "Lumbung Tugu Mas." These sacred values ​​are manifested in three forms, for example: a) The value of the relationship between humans and God, which is manifested in the form of slametan (prayer), Yasinan (recitation of the Yasinan), uyon-uyon (religious recitation), ruwatan (religious ritual), sacred dance performances, jathilan (jathilan) parades, and kemitan (religious recitation). b) The value of human relationships with other humans, is evident in activities such as setting up a tarub (a traditional ceremony), slametan (a religious ceremony), setting out offerings, the wayang orang performance of the play "Lumbung Tugu Mas," and kemitan (a traditional ceremony). c) The value of human relationships with nature, is manifested in the choice of time, location, offerings, and slametan.

2018, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/147845258/Community_Efforts_of_Tutup_Ngisor_in_Maintaining_Art_and_Cultural_Traditions?sm=b&rhid=38490460383 The objective of the study is to find out the cause of traditional art in the hamlet of Tutup Ngisor which still survive until now. Qualitative descriptive research is used to reveal data comprehensively in the field. Techniques of data collection are conducted by holding observations of various artistic activities that exist, semi-structured interviews with figures and leader of the arts community as well as studying some literature and previous studies. The results show that interpreting the tradition and change in art is addressed with wisdom, has become a strong foundation for the people of Tutup Ngisor sub-village in maintaining its traditions, maintaining the local values and being wise in facing of outside influences. This research is expected to provide a solution to the possibility of reviving an extinct local tradition and keeping the tradition alive well. Therefore it is necessary to have a good and clear management system in order to anticipate the development of the era so that the art community can continue to grow and develop.

2016, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/75473744/From_Stage_to_Screen_Early_Filmmaking_of_Indigenous_Performers_in_Highland_Central_Java This paper is based on an empirical study that explores issues around the process of a traditional performance art group in a village in highland Central Java adapting to flm production. Wayang orang—or loosely translated human puppet—is a traditional opera-like performance rooted in Central and East Java, Indonesia. As part of a traditional society living in a rural area, members of the group discuss their productions mostly without written documents. Storylines were experienced through performing and watching diferent shows. Technical skills were built through lifelong intimate practices. The project explores a general explorative question: how does a traditional oral and aural art group adapt to electronic apparatuses of cinema and create their flms? In answering this question, the research uses ethnography or participant observation followed by flmmaking collaborations that involve these artists, the writer and diferent flmmakers from the industry. The writer positions himself as the producer for the flms, supporting and managing the members of the group to explore their own artistic decisions. Tis paper focuses on one particular production at the early stage of the project.

2016, Journal Article, https://www.academia.edu/101027081/Tari_Kembar_Mayang_Sebagai_Legitimasi_Romo_Yoso_Sudarmodi_Dusun_Tutup_Ngisor_Kabupaten_Magelang?sm=b&rhid=38489645256 This study focuses on the Kembar Mayang Dance, a form of legitimacy for Father Yoso Sudarmo in Tutup Ngisor Hamlet, Sumber Village, Dukun District, Magelang Regency. It examines the elements of legitimacy for Father Yoso Sudarmo as the dance's creator. This study aims to uncover the performance form of the Kembar Mayang Dance as a form of legitimacy used at the opening ceremony of the Suran Tradition, which is sacred to the people of Tutup Ngisor Hamlet. The creation of the Kembar Mayang Dance is based on the role of Father Yoso Sudarmo. A cultural approach was used to uncover the problem from various aspects. The research steps utilized data collection techniques through literature review, observation, and interviews, which can help solve the problem. The results indicate that the Kembar Mayang Dance was created based on the creative ideas and ideology of Father Yoso Sudarmo in Tutup Ngisor Hamlet, Sumber Village, Dukun District, Magelang Regency, to legitimize himself as a respected elder in Tutup Ngisor Hamlet. The ritual involves two stages: preparation and implementation. The preparation stage includes purifying oneself with a grand bath and visiting the grave of Father Yoso Sudarmo. The ritual stage occurs when the Kembar Mayang Dance is performed as one of the main events in the Suran Tradition. In fact, the Kembar Mayang Dance can be enjoyed by the wider community as a form of offering dance in a sacred event, as a form of warding off disaster and protecting the people of Tutup Ngisor Hamlet from all disasters.

2012, Master Thesis, https://www.academia.edu/20112066/Dolanan_Globalisasi_Kajian_Antropologi_Globalisme_Seni_Gunung This thesis is a discussion of a global local-peripheral project model that dialogues and maintains local identity within a national and/or global framework. Specifically, this thesis discusses the art community in the Tjipta Boedaja hermitage, Mount Merapi, Tutup Ngisor Hamlet, Muntilan and how they adapt and produce art from 1937 to the present using the perspective of globalism in anthropology. To answer this, this thesis connects the perception of particularity identity in its encounters and games (dolan) with the global imagination and what projects are present to preserve this local identity in the context of mountain farmers in Java.