Upuh Ulen-Ulen is a traditional textile of the Gayo people that holds a significant role in both customary ceremonies and the performance of the Guel Dance. Previous studies on the Guel Dance have primarily focused on its historical background, movement philosophy, and cultural identity, while research on Upuh Ulen-Ulen has generally examined its motifs and symbolic values as a cultural artifact. However, studies that specifically investigate Upuh Ulen-Ulen as a visual sign system that constructs performative meaning through its relationship with the dancer's body remain limited. This study aims to analyze how the motifs, colors, and use of Upuh Ulen-Ulen generate cultural meaning in Guel Dance performances through the semiotic perspective of Roland Barthes. The research employs a qualitative approach using visual ethnography as its primary method. Data were collected through observations of Guel Dance performances in Central Aceh and Bener Meriah Regencies, in-depth interviews with dancers, artists, cultural experts, traditional leaders, and Upuh Ulen-Ulen artisans, visual documentation, and a review of relevant literature. The data were analyzed using Barthes' three levels of signification—denotation, connotation, and myth—integrated with perspectives from visual culture and performance studies. The findings reveal that Upuh Ulen-Ulen functions not merely as a dance property but as a visual sign system that produces meaning through the interaction between the dancer's body, Kerawang motifs, colors, and the performance context. At the denotative level, Upuh Ulen-Ulen appears as a traditional textile decorated with Kerawang motifs. At the connotative level, it signifies honor, protection, spirituality, and the cultural identity of the Gayo people. At the mythological level, these meanings are naturalized through cultural practices, transforming Upuh Ulen-Ulen into a collective representation of Gayo identity. This study offers a novel contribution by positioning Upuh Ulen-Ulen as a performative artifact that generates cultural meaning through a visual sign system, thereby expanding the application of semiotic studies within the field of Indonesian traditional performing arts.
This study examines how perspective and nirmana principles are integrated in imaginative drawings produced by Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) students in visual arts learning. Previous discussions of students’ drawings in art education have often treated perspective as a technical matter and nirmana as a list of visual elements. This study addresses that limitation by positioning both concepts as an integrated visual literacy framework for reading spatial construction, compositional order, and pedagogical readiness among prospective elementary school teachers. A descriptive qualitative design was employed using visual artwork analysis, classroom observation, documentation, and literature study. Ten student artworks were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling because they represented diverse themes, visual complexity, and varied applications of perspective and nirmana. The analysis sheet was developed from perspective indicators, nirmana principles, and stages of art criticism, then strengthened through expert judgment and inter-rater discussion. The findings reveal three patterns of visual construction: narrative-spatial, decorative-dense, and thematic-symbolic. Students demonstrated strength in visual imagination, local themes, color exploration, rhythm, and thematic unity; however, they still showed weaknesses in horizon awareness, vanishing point consistency, scale relations, proportional accuracy, focal point, and visual hierarchy. The study proposes a Perspective-Nirmana Integration model as a conceptual contribution for analyzing imaginative drawings in visual arts learning. Pedagogically, the findings imply that PGSD visual arts instruction should connect imaginative exploration with systematic exercises in spatial representation, composition, visual hierarchy, and reflective critique.
This study examines the function of gondang bolon music in the Patarias Debata Mulajadi Nabolon ritual, an ancestral ceremony performed once every four years by descendants of Ompu Mamontang Laut Ambarita in Sihaporas Village, Pematang Sidamanik District, Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra. Using a qualitative descriptive method, data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation during the ritual performance held on 22-24 October 2022. Alan P. Merriam's theory of the uses and functions of music was applied to examine how gondang bolon mediates communication between the Toba Batak community and Mulajadi Nabolon, the supreme creator in their traditional belief system. The findings show that gondang bolon performs at least seven interrelated functions within the ritual: accompanying the ceremonial sequence, guiding the tortor dance and ritual movement, communicating symbolic and religious meaning, expressing emotion, reinforcing social interaction, strengthening communal solidarity, and sustaining cultural continuity across generations. Performed by an ensemble of five taganing, one gordang, three to four ogung, one hesek, and a sarune bolon, gondang bolon proves to be far more than musical accompaniment: each tone produced functions as an intermediary that carries offerings, prayers, and petitions from the community to the spiritual realm. Comparison with related studies of gondang sabangunan in other Toba Batak ritual contexts confirms that these functions recur across ceremonies while taking locally specific forms in Sihaporas. The study concludes that gondang bolon is central to both the sacredness and the social cohesion of the ritual, and recommends further ethnomusicological research on its musical structure and long-term sustainability.
The musical composition Sitolu Sada was created by adopting the concept of “triadic unity” found in the cultural system of Dalihan Na Tolu. The composer chose this triadic concept because the Batak Toba community is deeply rooted in the symbolism of threes. This triadic principle is not only present in Dalihan Na Tolu, but also in Debata Na Tolu, Banua Na Tolu, and Bonang Manolu, all of which are important elements of Batak mythology. The concept of three is embedded into the structure of the music—reflected in its rhythm, meter, key signatures, timbre, harmony, and more. This composition highlights traditional Batak Toba musical values while incorporating elements of Western music. Sitolu Sada was developed using Alma Hawkins’ creative process methodology, which involves three main stages: exploration, improvisation, and composition. The composer went through several phases—from the initial idea to a fully realized musical performance. These stages include ideation, the creative process (exploration, improvisation, composition), presentation in performance form, and interpretation by musicians from notation to sound, ultimately making it accessible to listeners. The composition Sitolu Sada consists of three movements: Sitolu Sada I, Sitolu Sada II, and Sitolu Sada III. Through the creation of this work, it is hoped that the complexity of Dalihan Na Tolu can be appreciated and expressed as a creative outcome grounded in local wisdom and the rich values it represents.
This study aims to examine innovation in the Sembah Batin Dance as a form of performing arts development within the West Lampung community. The Sembah Batin Dance, created by Nyoman Mulyawan in 2010, now functions as a welcoming dance for guests at various official events, traditional ceremonies, and wedding processions. The uniqueness of this dance lies in its ability to adapt to modern social contexts through innovations in movement forms, accompanying music, and presentation structure, without abandoning noble values such as respect, mutual cooperation, and togetherness. This research employs an ethnocoreological approach to analyze aspects of meaning as well as elements of choreography, costumes, properties, and music. The findings indicate that innovation in the Sembah Batin Dance plays an important role in maintaining the sustainability of tradition and strengthening the existence of regional performing arts amid the social dynamics of West Lampung.
