Traditional Art's Survival in the Digital Era: Puppet Performance on YouTube

Introduction

The pandemic is a sign of massive change in the digital era. Performing arts is a sector that has been hardest hit by the pandemic. Pandemic condition which requires that health is given top priority has eliminated all performance or gigs. All performance contracts that had been booked were canceled. You can imagine how paralyzed the performance team is. The puppeteers also try to be able to get through this condition while still paying attention to the performance team. At the start of the pandemic the mastermind distributed basic food packages complete with cash so that all team members could follow government policies of stay at home (di rumah saja). However, with creativity and critical thinking skills these conditions can be overcome. Digital platforms such as YouTube provided adequate facilities to hold live shows. Although there were several obstacles, both in terms of production and consumption, in the end digital platforms became a solution for performing artists. For the next time the puppeteers began to transform into the digital realm with virtual climen puppet (Wayang Climen) performances. Many artists have taken solidarity actions by holding virtual performances to raise funds for victims of Covid-19 (Yusuf, 2020).

Theory of critic by Adorno suggests transformation of culture with the emancipatory direction (Bernstein, 1991). This theory is developed in a special context, so that it does not take into account the conditions under which culture cannot be applied in the future. The cultural industry question raised from perspective in its relation to possibilities for social transformation. Cultural industry is understood in its potentials to promote and block integral freedom. The capitalist production forces are unfetter with the capitalist production relations, then in general the illusory people's freedom. Otherwise, further integration and domination is through unification or unity. Enlightenment is about freedom and happiness, but self-destruction of enlightenment in a capitalist perspective – market economy, goods are produced not to satisfy needs and desires but to seek profit and capital accumulation and this puts the use value of objects below the exchange rate – irresible regression. False universality - bourgeois autonomy for true universality - oppress vs. Public opinion has become a commodity. The Dialectic of Enlightenment as mass deception. Autonomy class by excluding workers producing privately and without specific consumer demands (state, church). Cultural industry inversion is offering cultural goods, exhibitions, concerts on TV, free radio as a public service - fees have long been paid by the mass of workers. Art conflict canteen schemes, how to show the structure of the mass media. On the other hand, Mosco explains that the object that is exchanged has an exchange rate which is known as commodification (Mosco, 2009).

This chapter specifically shows the experience of the puppeteer (Seno Nugroho) in carrying out digital transformation through two YouTube channels during the pandemic. Both channels were managed by a crew dedicated to documenting the show, in addition to showing the strategies pursued in digital transformation. This chapter also identifies the implications for the sustainability of puppet shows, the endurance of the entire crew of the performance team, and the level of accessibility of loyal fans. The innovations and creations of the Seno puppeteer to migrate to digital platforms have created obstacles for some team members and some loyal fans. The digital tradition presents a new way of dividing teamwork when it comes to distancing policies and no crowds. This chapter aims to test the hypothesis behind the innovations and creations that seem to provide ease of transformation to digital platform raises solidarity and several social capital of both internal teams and loyal fans.