Bundengan: Social Media As A Space For Collaboration In The Conservation And Revival Of An Endangered Musical Instrument

Abstract

The widespread use of social media in cultural heritage and conservation projects principally
makes use of its capacity for public-facing engagement and the promotion of cultural
institutions and events. Its potential as an inclusive, accessible and dynamic research output
is less well-established. This paper focuses upon the potential of social media as a
complementary form of conservation documentation, in response to the use of
interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration between source communities and collecting
institutions as a means to preserve both material and intangible cultural heritage. Using the
conservation of a rare and endangered musical instrument called bundengan as a case study,
this paper will assess the uses of social media platforms in both documenting and enabling
collaboration between the source community in Wonosobo, Java, Indonesia, and academic
researchers based in Indonesia and Australia.