Pertunjukan Teater Boneka Nirkata Karya Papermoon Puppet Theatre dalam Perspektif Fenomenologi Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Siti Maghfirotin Na'im, Dr. Farid, S.Ag., M.Hum.; Prof. Drs. M. Mukhtasar Syamsuddin, M.Hum., Ph.D of Arts.

2025 | Skripsi | ILMU FILSAFAT

Papermoon Puppet Theatre dikenal dengan pertunjukan boneka nirkata (non-verbal) yang mengutamakan gerak, imaji, dan interaksi sensorik sebagai medium komunikasi utama. Keunikan dalam mentransformasi benda mati menjadi living body menimbulkan pertanyaan filosofis mengenai pembentukan komunikasi dan pengalaman estetis yang mendalam dalam keheningan. Penelitian ini, berjudul "Pertunjukan Teater Boneka Nirkata Karya Papermoon Puppet Theatre dalam Perspektif Fenomenologi Maurice Merleau-Ponty," bertujuan menganalisis secara mendalam bagaimana pengalaman kebertubuhan (embodiment) pemain dan boneka, dalam kerangka fenomenologi Maurice Merleau-Ponty, berfungsi sebagai bahasa utama untuk membangun komunikasi estetis dan intersubjektivitas dengan penonton.

Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif. Data dikumpulkan melalui studi pustaka Merleau-Ponty ("Fenomenologi Persepsi" dan "The Visible and the Invisible"), analisis pertunjukan Papermoon, serta wawancara mendalam untuk menangkap lived-experience pengkarya, pemain, dan penonton. Kerangka teori utama adalah Fenomenologi Persepsi, difokuskan pada konsep kunci: kebertubuhan (embodiment), tubuh-subjek (corps-sujet), intersubjektivitas, flesh, dan peristiwa chiasm (persilangan). Konsep-konsep ini membedah mekanisme pengalaman pra-reflektif yang terjadi di panggung Papermoon.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kebertubuhan (embodiment) adalah bahasa utama non-verbal, boneka berfungsi sebagai perpanjangan corps-sujet  pemain untuk mentransmisikan intensi dan emosi. Tubuh pemain maupun penonton menjadi pusat pengalaman estetis yang bersifat pra-reflektif dan afektif. Puncak komunikasi estetis ini adalah peristiwa chiasm, momen intersubjektif transformatif yang menyatukan tubuh pemain, boneka, dan penonton dalam satu jaringan pengalaman (flesh). Pertunjukan Papermoon menyingkap bahwa makna ditemukan melalui partisipasi tubuh yang hidup dalam dunia yang dipertunjukkan, bukan hanya melalui kognisi.

Papermoon Puppet Theatre is known for its non-verbal puppet performances that prioritize movement, imagery, and sensory interaction as the main medium of communication, instead of verbal narrative. The unique ability to transform an inanimate object into a living body raises a philosophical question regarding the formation of deep communication and aesthetic experience in silence. This research titled "The Performance of Non-verbal Puppet Theatre, by Papermoon Puppet Theatre from the Perspective of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology," aims to deeply analyze how the experience of embodiment of the performer and the puppet, within Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological framework, functions as the primary language for constructing aesthetic communication and intersubjectivity with the audience. 

This research employs a descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected through a literature study of Merleau-Ponty's works ("Phenomenology of Perception" and "The Visible and the Invisible"), analysis of Papermoon performance recordings, and in-depth interviews to capture the lived-experience of artists, performers, and spectators. The main theoretical framework is the Phenomenology of Perception, focusing on key concepts: embodiment, body-subject (corps-sujet), intersubjectivity, and the event of chiasm (intertwining). These concepts are utilized to dissect the mechanism of pre-reflective experience that takes place on the Papermoon stage. 

The findings indicate that embodiment is the primary non-verbal language, where the puppet functions as an extension of the performer's corps-sujet to transmit intentions and emotions. The body, of both the performer and the spectator, becomes the center of the aesthetic experience, which is fundamentally pre-reflective and affective. The peak of this aesthetic communication is the event of chiasm, a transformative intersubjective moment that unifies the bodies of the performer, the puppet, and the audience within a single network of experience (flesh). Thus, Papermoon's performance reveals that meaning is discovered not merely through cognition, but through the participation of the living body in the world being presented.

Kata Kunci : Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Fenomenologi Persepsi, Kebertubuhan, Intersubjektivitas, Chiasm