RAJA SÉWU NEGARA NUNGKUL (KINGS OF A THOUSAND NATIONS OFFER SUBMISSION): DISPLAYING THE DYNAMICS OF JAVANESE POWER

• Main Author: Nurlaela, Dewi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/43203
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Indonesia has a unique set of inter-group dynamics. One of them is the dominance of Javanese culture in Indonesia’s political sphere. This can be seen from the fact that the majority of Indonesia’s presidents are Javanese and that Indonesia’s main ideology, Pancasila, is heavily influenced by Javanese ideals. Javanese dominance started during the age of Majapahit, when Gajah Mada declared to unite a large portion of what we now refer to as Indonesia. This paper is an attempt to describe Javanese power through drawing, with its hybrid and experimental nature, as the technique conveys ideas in a more direct manner. The mixed media drawing installation consists of Javanese shadow puppets that represent 34 provinces in Indonesia. Each province are represented by two wayangs: male and female. They face the gunungan which represents the origin of Javanese dominance which was the rise of Majapahit. The arrangement is then projected on by an image of Surya Majapahit (Majapahit Sun) mixed with imagery inspired by the kawung, representing Javanese centripetal influence. The result of this paper is that the Javanese have a particular conception of power that’s centripetal and have the tendency to bring their influence to other groups as the result of the chakravartin doctrine. Material-wise, the paper demonstrates that the thinner the laser cut results, the more likely they are to tear apart, while spotlights cannot easily project drawings on a sheet of plastic.