Construcion of the Spatial Concept of Art and Culture in Keraton Kacirebonan, Indonesia

Abstract

Art is an integral part in the spread of Islamic religion in the past. Keraton Kacirebonan as one of the three Keratons in Cirebon, was initially built with the purpose of spreading Islam in Java island. Until now, art and cultural activities remain intact in Keraton Kacirebonan. It has a studio specifically designed for this purpose namely Sanggar Tari Topeng Gaya Slangit as tari topeng or traditional mask dance itself conveys the meaning of life. The purpose of this paper is to construct the spatial concept of art and culture in Keraton Kacirebonan. The method applied in this paper is a theoretical dialogue between themes derived from inductive reasoning and viewed from the perspective of humanism and the Sundanese identity of Keraton Kacirebonan. The result of this paper deals with a local wisdom concerning values of life that need to be preserved, mainly those that are being eroded by modernity in conjunction with the globalization agenda. Keywords—art-cultural space; humanism; Keraton