Art Experiments and Cultural Preservation during a Pandemic: A Case Study Lembah Gana Festival in 2020

¹ Indonesian literature, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Indonesia
² Indonesian literature, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Indonesia
³ Indonesian literature, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Indonesia
⁴ Indonesian literature, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: fajrul.falah@live.undip.ac.id

Abstract

This study aims to reveal artistic expressions and forms of cultural preservation at the Lembah Gana Festival in Semarang Regency. This research is interesting to do because no research has been found on the Lembah Gana Festival. The urgency of this research lies in the introduction of cultural heritage, especially ancient Java. The problem is that most people forget about historical remains, both physically (tangible) and non-physically (intagible). The object and location of this research is the Lembah Gana Festival in Semarang Regency. This research is in the realm of ethnographic research. The research method used is document extraction, observation, and in-depth interviews to related parties. The research data were analyzed descriptively qualitatively. The novelty of the findings lies in the ability of the Lembah Gana Festival to bring back ancient Javanese culture. In addition, the research results show that the Lembah Gana Festival is increasingly existing and efforts to preserve culture have received enthusiasm from the people of Semarang Regency during the pandemic. The Festival Model which is conducted online, makes it easier for the audience to access.