Bharoto Yekti and Peng Liu Discuss Sensory Experience in The UMN Faculty of Arts & Design Guest Lecture

Group photo of the UMN Faculty of Arts & Design team with Peng Liu. (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang, (12/12/2025) – The Faculty of Arts and Design (Fakultas Seni & Desain/FSD) UMN held a guest lecture with Assoc. Prof. Peng Liu, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Macau University of Science & Technology, China, and Bharoto Yekti, S.Ds., M.A., Lecturer at FSD UMN. During this event, Peng Liu and Bharoto discussed “Sensory Experience, Embodied Knowledge,” examining how art is evaluated and created not only through visuals but also through how we engage with and interpret it.

The first session was presented by Bharoto, who discussed his research journey related to animation. However, in his research, Bharoto did not delve into purely visual animation, which we often see in the industry.

“During my journey, I gained a lot of knowledge from my advisor. According to my advisor, figurative animation is already quite common and not very interesting to research. Therefore, I researched abstract animation, where I not only researched the story but also explored many other aspects,” Bharoto explained.

During the research process, Bharoto understood that abstract animation can be derived from a range of sources, including music, dance, texture, rhythm, and purely abstract elements. For him, animation is not always about the story behind it, but about the artist exploring new things.

“I myself first tried with clay, and learned about textures, shapes, basic materials, and many other things. I discovered that animation is not only round, square, rectangular figurative shapes, but many other things,” Bharoto added.

Bharoto also presented his final project from his research, “Kinetic Apple.” In his work, Bharoto used tools to translate and record his daily activities. In his study, Bharoto recorded his traces by cutting apples and translating them into numbers. The results and numbers obtained were entered into a kinetic machine.

“For me, abstract animation gives me the freedom to explore new things without the constraints of a story behind it. The process is also more visible, and I myself feel an emotional connection to my work. This is what art is all about; we can see and find what we like and connect with our own work,” Bharoto concluded.

In response to this research, Peng Liu shares Bharoto’s view. Peng Liu also understands that art takes time and cannot be created and completed just like that. 

“I believe that research related to abstract animation requires a great deal of effort and time. However, behind it all, we make many wonderful and profound discoveries that may never have existed before. In creating art, each individual is different; some are quick, while others take longer. But back to the original point, as long as the individual is dedicated to their work, the results will be excellent,” Peng Liu said.

For Peng Liu, conducting research will undoubtedly take up a lot of time in our lives. However, with strong dedication, we will not regret it later, not only creating something new but also gaining new experiences in life.

“Besides time and perseverance, one important thing in conducting research is to use ourselves to really get into the research. Seeing and feeling what is there, this is also what I do when conducting research. I immerse myself in my research world, visiting places related to my work,” Peng Liu explained.

Peng Liu also emphasized that gaining direct experience is crucial in conducting research. Ultimately, research benefits us in expanding our knowledge and values, and it becomes part of our identity.

By Rachel Tiffany | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara.