“My Ancestors were Seafarers!”: New Media Design to Restore Collective Memory of Maritime Cultural Heritage in Public Spaces

Abstract

Design plays a vital role in the process of knowledge production. To foster nationalism and national identity formation, the form uses design as means for public learning in museums and schools. However, history lessons are less desirable and often considered boring. The younger generation has new knowledge acquisition methods along with increasingly advanced technology. This research explores new media design in digital technology as a means of knowledge production. Taking the case of Indonesia, which in recent years has been trying to evoke collective memory as a maritime nation through its cultural heritage, learning about Austronesian speakers who are the maritime ancestors of the Indonesian archipelago in schools is developed as a preliminary study for further development into exhibition materials that can be utilized for community learnings in public spaces. This research uses a visual thinking map facility with a design thinking approach that puts forward ethnographic methods, including literature studies, group discussions, interviews, and participant observations. This study shows that digital technology can generate curiosity and excitement through gamification. Based on these findings, we conclude that the conceptual knowledge production process can be more effective if digital technology’s new media design approach also prioritizes aesthetic/sensory experiences.