INTERPRETASI KONSEPTUAL: FOTOGRAM SEBAGAI PEMBACAAN RUANG KUNO (STUDI PADA GUA SELOMANGLENG KEDIRI DALAM PERSPEKTIF KENUSANTARAAN)

Abstract

This article examines the reading of the ancient space of Gua Selomangleng through a conceptual approach that employs the philosophical characteristics of the photogram as an interpretive framework rather than a technical imaging procedure. In the Nusantara perspective, ancient space is understood as a living cultural entity that preserves collective memory, spiritual practices, and local symbols shaping the community’s identity. To interpret this multilayered spatial complexity, the study integrates Clifford Geertz’s theory of cultural interpretation and Roland Barthes’s concept of that-has-been. Through Geertz, Selomangleng is treated as a cultural text that can only be understood through thick description, which attends to the network of meanings, myths, and socio-historical experiences embedded within Javanese culture. Meanwhile, Barthes’s that-has-been provides an ontological basis for understanding that every space contains a residue of presence—traces of the past that persist through atmosphere, light, and visual remnants that may not appear explicitly. The photogram, with its emphasis on traces, shadows, and the unpredictability of light, is employed as a conceptual metaphor for reading ancient space whose meanings lie beneath its physical form. The combination of Barthes’s and Geertz’s frameworks demonstrates that ancient space is not only accessible through representational analysis but also through interpretive engagement with its symbolic layers and historical residues. This study asserts that a photogram-inspired conceptual approach offers an alternative mode of reading Nusantara cultural space, positioning Selomangleng as a site where past presence and symbolic meaning continue to coexist within local tradition.