Reimagining hikayat Raja Pasai through a phenomenological inquiry using animated loops in new media art

This study used a practice-based research approach and hermeneutic phenomenology in new media art practice to reimagine the Hikayat Raja Pasai through animated loop artworks, where it is seen through the lens of methodological integration. The three main focuses of the study are the visual potential of the Hikayat Raja Pasai that is still underexplored, the absence of a methodological framework that connects reading of a classical text with the process of making art, and the lack of understanding about how audiences experience Malay mythological narratives in digital form, referring to the gaps this study addresses. The hermeneutic circle framework that combines reading, drawing, and writing was developed over two solo exhibition phases, and produced 15 animated loop artworks. Data from interviews with five expert participants was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings show that phenomenology helps practice-based reinterpretation through the concepts of the lived body, being in the world, and the hermeneutic circle. The animated loop acts as a methodology that connects tool, repetition, and time in the production of knowledge. The study participants saw mythology from various angles such as technology, spirituality, memory, and philosophy. These views pushed the researcher to shift the approach from visual illustration in Phase 1 artworks to more symbolic and personal artworks in Phase 2. This study contributes a new framework for practice-based research and shows that a classical narrative such as the Hikayat Raja Pasai can be brought back to life in digital art form without losing its cultural core. The essence of the story does not reside in its literal details but in the feelings, questions, and memories it awakens, allowing it to live on in new times and new mediums.