Transformation of Aesthetics in Southern Nang-Talung

A reflection from Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Concept of Play

Abstract

This article is a part of research entitle Transformation of Aesthetics in Southern Nang Ta-Lung: A Reflection from Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Concept of Play aims to Study on the aesthetics transformation in Southern Nang-Talung, Study on Gadamer’s concept of play and Reflect Gadamer's concept of play from Southern Nang-Talung. This is qualitative research. The procedure was followed by collecting data from academic documents and related literatures. Also, the in-dept interview with academic researchers. The result shows that primitively Nang-Talung influenced by Brahmanism to be as a show that endeavors to teach moral lessons and the characters are indirectly related to audiences’ life. Nang-Talung has transformed narrative characters and presentation aspect to be play that emerge the dynamic conversation and directly related to audience’s life. The concept of play from Gadamer attempts to exhibit play as an approach to understanding art works. Participating with the artwork in play area that institute dynamic of to and fro movement and not tied down to any subjective judgement. The aesthetics understanding of Nang-Talung evolved from sacred religious show to a play that players are in the same degree and experience the dynamic of to and fro conversation.