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Abstract

This study investigates the transformation of discarded motorcycle shock absorber material into an alternative material for producing pamor in traditional Javanese keris craftsmanship from the interdisciplinary perspectives of material culture, visual aesthetics, and sustainable craft practice. A practice-based research approach combined with descriptive qualitative methods was employed through material exploration, traditional forging experiments, pamor formation, keris production, visual observation, and cultural interpretation. The findings demonstrate that discarded motorcycle shock absorber material can be incorporated into the traditional forging process to produce stable, layered pamor patterns. The resulting pamor exhibited black, dark gray, and dull silvery-white tones, a layered surface structure, balanced visual composition, and characteristics resembling the traditional beras wutah motif. These visual qualities were consistent with established aesthetic principles of traditional Javanese keris craftsmanship, including pasikutan. The findings further indicate that the visual identity of pamor emerges through the interaction among material properties, traditional forging techniques, visual composition, and embodied craft knowledge rather than depending exclusively on conventional materials such as meteorite and nickel. From a material culture perspective, the transformation of a discarded industrial component into pamor demonstrates how recycled material can acquire new aesthetic and cultural significance through traditional craftsmanship. The study contributes to discussions of material innovation, cultural continuity, and sustainable craft by demonstrating the potential of recycled industrial materials to support contemporary experimentation while maintaining recognizable visual characteristics of traditional Javanese keris craftsmanship.

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