Abstract
Museums increasingly adopt interactive technologies such as gamification to communicate complex historical and cultural messages in ways that are accessible to the public. In response to the growing need for more engaging and inclusive cultural education, the National Museum of Indonesia has introduced Paras Nusantara, an innovative program that merges artificial intelligence (AI) with historical portraiture to foster public awareness of Indonesia’s rich ethnic diversity. "Paras Nusantara," which translates to "Faces of the Archipelago," utilizes AI-driven facial recognition to match visitors’ facial features with one of 78 ethnographic portraits created by artist Raden Mas Pirngadie in 1935. By transforming traditional museum collections into interactive digital experiences, Paras Nusantara provides a compelling example of how technology can simplify complex cultural messages and make them accessible to a broader audience. This initiative not only highlights Indonesia’s pluralistic identity but also invites visitors, especially younger generations, to engage more deeply with their heritage through the lens of technology and storytelling.
This study aims to discuss the document productivity cycle as part of the museum communication process by utilizing technology. The research question is how the document productivity cycle reinforces museum communication through the interpretive mediation of collections. This analysis draws upon Lund’s concept of the documentation process, which positions documentation not merely as a technical act or a record-keeping but as a cultural and communicative process that involves the selection, interpretation, and contextualization of knowledge. It also explores the concept of the document productivity cycle from Yudhawasthi and Christiani's research, which found that the entire cycle embodies the role of communication.
Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and direct observations of participants as they engaged with the program. The informants consist of the visitors, the museum manager, and the developer of the program. The research was conducted from June to July 2025. The study concludes that the document productivity cycle strengthens museum communication by integrating documentation and interpretation as continuous, interdependent processes. Through interpretive mediation, collections become living documents that generate new meanings, sustain public engagement, and transform the museum into a dynamic system of cultural communication.
Recommended Citation
Yudhawasthi, Ciwuk Musiana; Reyes Parrucho, Rowella; and Wangsalegawa, Truly
(2025)
"Mediating Cultural Messages through Technology: A Case Study of the Paras Nusantara Program in the National Museum of Indonesia,"
Proceedings from the Document Academy: Vol. 12
:
Iss.
2
, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35492/docam/12/2/8
Available at:
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/docam/vol12/iss2/7
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.35492/docam/12/2/8