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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the sustained vitality of traditional arts performance practices in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. We interrogate how processes of continuity and change in performance affect the relevance and significance of traditional arts within contemporary Javanese rural communities.

Paper long abstract:

This paper reports on an ongoing research grounded in a framework of collaborative anthropology that involves a PhD candidate from The University of Newcastle and six Indonesian students working within and with rural communities in Magelang, Central Java. The project investigates the role of traditional arts within these communities and if, and how, these have adapted to social and cultural changes. Through this questioning, a range of local artists, farmers and community members are invited to reflect and participate in the imagining of possible futures in which traditional arts practices thrive and remain significant.

Initial findings suggest that in contemporary rural settings, conservation efforts, top-down (cultural) support, or promises of monetary gain play minor roles in sustaining traditional arts practices. Instead, the continuity of traditional arts lies within its capacity to create excitement, festivity and a liveliness that sparks enthusiasm and further entices communities to collectively create or maintain performative spaces. These performative spaces, we contend, are important beyond the arts and fulfill essential societal and cultural needs.

In this presentation, we will present an analysis of processes of continuity and change in performance. Seeking to move beyond essentialist notions of traditional arts and judgment on esthetic quality and cultural authenticity, we focus on change and continuity in the way performance plays a significant role in fulfilling societal needs. The presented ethnographic data, collected in concert with contemporary rural Javanese communities, is filled with examples of how performance endeavors to remain relevant to its immediate audiences, and will lead to a better understanding on both how and why performance sustains and remains vital within society.