Dari Wayang ke Sirkuit: Transformasi Visual Semar dalam Poster Mencari Semar Teater Koma

Abstract

The development of contemporary visual culture has been influenced by digital technology to encourage the reinterpretation of traditional cultural symbols through the practice of visual communication design. This condition poses challenges when cultural symbols that have an established visual identity and philosophical content, such as the figure of a puppet character; Semar, are transformed into a contemporary visual language without losing their cultural value. So far, the study of Semar's character has focused more on the perspective of puppetry, philosophy, and culture, while the study of the visual transformation process through performance poster design is still limited. This study aims to analyze the visual transformation of Semar in the Koma Theater performance poster entitled 'Seeking Semar' and the new representation it presents in the context of urban visual culture. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method with a case study approach through observation of creative processes, documentation of works, exploration of design alternatives, and analysis of visual elements. The novelty of this study lies in the transformation of Semar as the formation of a visual system that integrates Semar's face, the shape of puppet mountains, circuit elements, typography, and futuristic landscapes. The results of the research show that circuit elements function as a visual mechanism that connects these elements into a new representation of Semar's figure. This transformation explains that traditional cultural symbols can be repositioned through contemporary visual language without eliminating the cultural values that have become the basis of them.