Jagad: Visualizing Wayang Krucil Wiloso through the Damarwulan Narrative in an Illustrated Book for Young Audiences

Abstract

Wayang Krucil Wiloso is a traditional performing art from Malang whose visibility among younger generations has declined. This study designs an illustrated book that adapts the Damarwulan narrative as an introductory cultural medium for audiences aged 15–25 years and examines how it is perceived. The Stanford d.school Design Thinking framework guided the process, drawing on interviews with two cultural informants, field observation, research with young participants, and literature study. The resulting 64-page book introduces Arunika, a fictional contemporary protagonist who mediates between Gen-Z visual culture and the historical narrative, and develops Damarwulan and Anjasmara by preserving, modifying, or abandoning specific features of the Wayang Krucil Wiloso puppets. One media expert and one subject-matter expert assessed feasibility, with mean scores of 80.7% and 79.7% (both feasible), and 34 respondents aged 15–25 gave an overall rating of 85.5% in a small-scale trial. These scores indicate perceived feasibility, comprehension, and acceptance; they do not measure learning outcomes. The lowest expert ratings concerned cultural value (73%) and narrative structure (76%), pointing to the need for deeper cultural exposition and pacing. The study contributes a documented logic of cultural translation for wayang-based illustration and a proxy-character strategy for young readers. Future research should test learning effects with a pre-test and post-test design and a larger sample.