ASSEMBLY: INDONESIA

This is how the session finished, with

A few days later, Lifepatch invited the entire assembly to their space located close to one of the Yogya canals in an almost rural, green location (kampung style). Inside, a small room full of computers, tools, batteries of neat plastic containers with bits and pieces, on the walls smartly designed posters of their workshops. In the bigger room, for workshops and other gatherings, we learn about the diversity of members involved in Lifepatch and the various activities they realize, in a quite breathtaking presentation.

Seemingly effortless and with lots of fun and coolness, a bunch of artists, biologists, programmers, engineers, teachers, architects, photographers collectively work on art and science education with and for the community (most of them continue to have a day job). When they speak of creating their own bits and pieces for technological application by designing them themselves and using 3D printing, the capital letters DIY, DIWO / DIT (Do It Yourself, Do It with Others, Do It Together) become plastic and you feel the power of change and innovation happening.

Speaking of plasticity. There it is: contemporary art. Interdisciplinary, connecting, collective; this is how we like to understand contemporary art today and in the future. 

And obviously Lifepatch also is outside, on the streets, in the public space. The one thing I regret about the Arts Collaboratory meeting is not coinciding with a critical mass in Yogyakarta. It was very inspiring and refreshing to see pictures of the bike movement cycling through Yogya and Lifepatch painting cycle lanes on the asphalt to reclaim space in the growing car traffic. Just looking at the presentation of the actions, I could feel the contagious power of the collective cycling, creating, changing. The critical mass, a growing movement attracting more and more participating people, is generating a chain reaction all over the globalized world. These practical, positive examples remind us, that all belongs together: education, health, traffic, energy, culture. Doing and sharing we find solutions on how to live in the cities, the countryside, our world.

 Arts Collaboratory is the Critical mass of the contemporary visual art world. The change already started and we are part of it.

 Life is good. Lifepatch is even better.

One human approach comes ‘Lifepatch’, Yogjakarta: Eyok explaines he works in the collective because he is good in programming only and not in design. So he works together with designers, scientists and other to make science more friendly and accessible. At the same time he simply states that he doesn’t like to sit alone at his computer.

This goes with what Ismael from ‘Jatiwangi art factory’ says about not liking to be alone and that there is no competition, just love.

Farid from ‘ruangrupa’ questions if this collective spirit and hence absence of ego could be a means to avoid responsibility. There is awareness about the lack of individuality. At Jatiwangi this year each member of the collective must also realize a personal project.

So most Indonesians seem to be in their comfort zone when working in a group. The organizations working in Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia agree that ego, competition, and maybe indifference are big factors in South America and it is difficult to work together in a group and among different groups. The question on how to build such a behavior and attitude that defines working together and working interdisciplinary as a joy remains unanswered.

With the common goal in mind to make collaborative projects happen between partners from Africa, Asia and Latin America, we continued to discuss how to make it happen and how to overcome the obstacles that may occur – both practically and culturally.

By Sina Ribak, Kiosko, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

-       Création d’un catalogue en ligne

Un site web qui présentera le travail de toutes les organisations, il s’agit là d’augmenter la visibilité des activités

-       Organisation de résidences institutionnelles

Un échange de staff pour une période déterminé, s’inspirer de la méthodologie  des autres

-       Organisation d’un programme curatorial

Conversation, performance collective, discuter des différentes positions et influence de l’histoire dans l’art moderne de chaque contexte

-       Création d’une cellule de critique de programme des institutions

-       Mise en place de groupes de recherche annuels, production de savoir

-       Organisation d’une exposition collective, première édition aux Pays Bas

-       Nomination d’un régional manager qui sera en charge de l’organisation des groupes de recherches annuels

-       Organisation d’événements divers avec possibilité de les présenter dans chaque pays (tent)

 Mis à part ces projets d’un commun intérêt, certaines organisations se sont mises de concert afin de réaliser des projets dans le futur. Les projets en question seront soumis à AC pour étude et éventuel octroi de financement pour réalisation durant l’année 2015.

There were plenty moments with lack of sleep, anxiety, and even guilt, especially when unpleasant things had occured. As part of the organizing commitee, it’s another challenge to focus on the working group discussion. Especially, when it was being held in Jogja, part of schedule in which I was fully responsible for. In one of the working group session, I was joining the discussion in the last 10 minutes because I spent an hour for rearrange the bus schedule for Borobudur trip and together with Barto, we tried to find Patrick who had change his room without our knowledge.

So, the practice of organizing including hosting, facilitating and hospitality, are filled with discomforts. It is an act of giving, rather than getting. Although, copying Mrazek’s words, the experience of organizing also made me feel nostalgic. The nostalgia was produced not because of what I got during the assembly, but because of the possibilities that might had been happen to the participants and it was happened because of my role as one of the co-organizer. I’m longing for my constant act of giving which might enable others to gain something.

Why am I longing for this giving? Perhaps because through giving, I was gaining a sense of purpose and urgency as a person. Or perhaps because it’s an important act to form virtues? Can we use this practice of giving and nurturing as modalities in curatorialship?

Il était important et bien pensé de nous présenter la scène artistique indonésienne dans sa plus large forme. Grande a été notre surprise quand nous nous sommes rendus compte qu’en effet l’Indonésie regorge d’une dynamique artistique énorme aussi bien dans sa capitale que dans les autres régions.

Au programme, visites de site et échanges sur les thèmes phares de cette assemblée.

Les institutions visitées avaient toutes leur spécifité et leur richesse. Toutes oeuvrent pour l’art, moyen de changement social.

- le Cemeti Art House, fondé en 1988, est un espace qui présente le travail d’artistes indonésiens et internationaux. Ils facilitent les échanges entre artistes de différentes contrèes. Ce centre est composé d’un espace d’exposition, d’une résidence et d’une bibliothèque.

Le Cemeti Art House offre de la documentation, des expositions mais aussi la promotion des arts visuels sur le plan local et international.

Dans un souci de longévité, le Cemeti Art House créa un centre d’archives de la documentation IVAA (Indonesian Visual Art Archive). IVAA fonctionne de manière individuelle avec un focus sur la documentation des arts visuels indonésiens à une échelle plus élevée. L’archivage fut un grand challenge pour cette institution aussi bien sur le plan de la recherche mais aussi de la conservation des documents. IVAA nous a fait part de tout le processus d’archivage tant physique qu’électronique. Au fur et à mesure, IVAA est devenu le centre d’archivage artistique le plus visité de Yogyakarta.  

- le Ace House Collective, une collaboration d’artistes qui étend ses activités à d’autres disciplines. Malgré  leur vaste intérêt sur les arts visuels, les autres disciplines devraient aussi être évoqués et présentés au public. La musique constitue aussi une des activités du collectif.

- Ruang MES 56 a pour but principal de revigorer les activités artistiques dans la région indonésienne. Il s’agit pour eux de s’offrir plus de visibilité à travers la collaboration. Le Ruang MES 56 est une organisation à but non lucratif qui s’autofinance gracieusement par ses différents membres. Passion et engagement constituent la force de cette collaboration. Il est important de préciser que l’autofinancement s’est décidé à l’unanimité après que le collectif se soit rendu compte de l’altération des activités due à la recherche perpétuelle de financement et de l’élaboration de rapports.

- Lifepatch « initiative des citoyens pour les arts, la science et la technologie » est aussi un collectif assez spécial composé d’artistes et de scientifiques. Ils prônent la pratique artistique à travers des recherches scientifiques et la créativité. Lifepatch a réalisé plusieurs études et recherches ayant abouti à la création de procédés divers. Nous pouvons citer par expemple la création d’une cartographie des espaces d’art urbain de Jogja.

La visite à Jogja était aussi une continuité des débats et discussions des thèmes conçus par l’assemblée. La deuxième phase des groupes de travail portait sur :

- Difficultés organisationnelles et durabilité

- Programme curatorial

- Futur de Arts Collaboratory

- Intervention urbaine, Questionner l’espace public

- Open open : discussions sur d’autres sujets aussi important pour les organisations.

At the very beginning the local community met this creative impulse with great skepticism. That is not surprising, especially given the religuesness of people and conservatism respectively.  4. Then Ismal asked people to be very hospitable to foreign artists and guests from other towns, which was also part of the strategy to engage. 5. However they needed to involve more people. That was the time when Jatiwangi artists thought about the festival of video art, where every citizen could present the results of their work, which in itself would serve as a great motivation for the participants. The first two years - 2006 and 2008 - they did not have time to think about the conceptual content of videos, it was important to just keep moving forward. Train people to work with the camera, how to use the basic of the Internet and youtube. In 2010, they tried to invite seven other villages in the area, establishing a media center in each of them, holding local exhibitions, fairs of national kitchen. As a result, the third festival consisted of seven smaller festivals. The number of participants continued to grow every year. The team of local artists invited artists from other cities to work with people, and one day the locals themselves arranged lunch together without any requests from Ismal. Eventually, when the festival has expanded, and people have learned the basic skills, the time came to reflect on the conceptual component of videos. Besides now everybody must participate, even the police and the administration of Jatiwangi. Amazing place. However, the it's future can rapidly change - there will be a new airport and transport links. Jatiwangi residents do not know what awaits them in the future, but are very willing to keep their dreams, to sustain in front of the sudden changes. Ismal's own work on the last festival was about the future highway. He asked different people bring chairs and put them where the highway will be built. And made a video - as they sit together in the sunset where they will never be able to sit again together in the future.

Malika, Art Group 705 _________________________________________________________

Jatiwangi Art Factory - одна из самых ярких вещей, которые встретились нам в Индонезии. Долгое время хотелось написать пост, но все не удавалось в связи с насыщенностью программы. И все же, эта информация достойна вашего внимания, как никакая другая.

По дороге из Джакарты в Джокьякарту мы остановились в Джативанги - сельской местности. Мы пришли на фабрику, где люди работают с глиной, в основном используют ее для производства черепицы. Крыши многих индонезийских домов черепичные, оранжевого цвета, и смотрятся довольно весело сквозь сочную зеленую листву множества самых разнообразных и необычных растений, произрастающих на этой благодатной почве.

 Местному арт-сообществу удалось выстроить нечто совершенно необычайное, творческий образ жизни, к которому они шли целенаправленно, однако не имея на то никаких дополнительных денежных вливаний. Для меня это еще одно доказательство того, что забота о деньгах не является обязательным условием успеха.

Местные жители делают из глины самые разнообразные музыкальные инструменты, которые не существовали прежде. Даже играют на них в музыкальных группах. Помимо этого здесь проходят фестивали видео-арта, в которых сельские жители принимают активное участие. А на последнем фестивале у них даже было условие, что участвовать должен каждый, и административные структуры, в том числе глава селения.

Исмал, один из основателей и сторонников местного творческого движения, поделился с нами историей и стратегией "заражения" людей творчеством. Кратко излагаем ее здесь:

1.      Сначала нужно привлечь внимание людей. Как? Шокировать. Для этого в Джативанги были приглашены иностранные художники, которые делали что-то необычное, непривычное.

2.      Развлечь людей, дать им что-то интересное (любопытно то, что это несколько схоже с подходом Хамы из Мали). В Джативанги проходили музыкальные концерты, развлекательные события

3.      Начать с вовлечения самого ближайшего окружения. Позвать членов семьи поучаствовать в концертах, мероприятиях, ближайших соседей и друзей.

 Поначалу местное общество встретило этот творческий порыв с большим скепсисом. Что не удивительно, особенно учитывая религиозность людей и соответственно консерватизм.

 4.      Тогда Исмал объяснил людям, что приглашает друзей-художников и хотелось бы быть очень гостеприимными по отношению к ним, что тоже было частью его стратегии по вовлечению.

5.      Однако требовалось вовлекать больше людей. Команда художников Джативанги подумала о фестивале видео-арта, на котором каждый житель мог бы представить результат своей работы, что само по себе послужило бы отличной мотивацией для участников. Первые два года - 2006 и 2008 - не было времени думать над идейным содержанием видеоработ, важно было просто продолжать двигаться вперед. Обучать людей работе с камерой, как пользоваться базовыми возможностями интернета и ютуба. В 2010 году они попытались пригласить семь других сел в округе, основав медиа-центр в каждом из них, проводя местные выставки, ярмарки национальной кухни. В результате третий фестиваль состоялся в виде семи более маленьких фестивалей. Количество участников продолжало расти с каждым годом. Команда местных художников пригласила художников из других городов для работы с людьми, и в один прекрасный день местные жители сами устроили совместный обед без всяких просьб со стороны Исмала. Это его очень удивило и обрадовало, конечно. Со временем, когда фестиваль расширился, и люди научились базовым навыкам, пришло время подумать над концептуальным составляющим видеоработ участников. К тому же теперь участие должны принять все, даже полиция и администрация Джативанги.

Удивительное место. Однако будущее его может стремительно поменяться - здесь построят новый аэропорт и транспортные соединения. Жители Джативанги не знают, что именно их ждет в будущем, но очень желают сохранить свое "я", свои мечты, в условиях резких изменений.

А собственная работа Исмала на последнем фестивале посвящена будущему шоссе. Он попросил разных людей принести с собой стулья и поставить их туда, где в будущем будет проложено шоссе. И снял их на видео - как они сидят все вместе там, где никогда уже не смогут больше.

It was after the opening of the exhibition at ruangrupa, the drinks were flowing and the chat was going, everyone was doing what one supposed to do at openings, chit chat with the others while drinking a cold beer in the Jakartian heat…. so the friendship unfolded to let us see the comedic potential of one of us, Marat is his name and his friend is Masllanto (phonetically it sounds as if it was spanish language, it would mean: more crying). 

Mas llanto is a dead man and Marat carried him person to person to say hi from the other side. There were laughs I remember but mostly I think there was confusion on how to relate to what was going on. Black humor I suppose and a clear awareness of commodity crawling. 

On Marat own words 

- Marat, could you tell us something more about Masllanto?

- He´s Good, he´s married, he woke form the dead because he wanted more friends for drink a lot. He didn't like conceptual art. Maybe he’s a visual artist, maybe. Maybe he wanted to do a popular film but what he did was all seen as conceptual films so his films were no popular at all. They hated the pop films he did. He ran away because his angry of his life.

So we followed the story around the assemblies and here´s what they said:

Barto - Jajajajajajaja… He´s not dead, he´s alive!!! But just few people can see that.

Indra (very convinced)- Good security guard.

Binna - Mmmmmm that´s a very complicated question. Mmmmmmm I think it is frightening, a mix of humor and death, tragedy and comedy…

Master Hamma said referring to Marat not Másllanto - My first impression was that he was someone with egalité (Equiality). My second impression was love, someone carrying another.

Odile - Crazy! Put him back!

Jason - Gangster rapper

Waysatta - I like when people play, like when Jason shook the hand of Masllanto. Jajaajaja

I appreciate Marat´s questioning along our journey through Indonesian collectives and also his humor that unfolded as the days passed on. 

1. Arief, the eldest son of the owner of the factory we visited in Jatiwangi, came back from Bandung and told his brother Gingi, who at the time was a kind of godfather of Jatiwangi, which at that moment was to Indonesia what the Bronx to the US, streetfighting and the law of the jungle ruled and Gingi it´s leader.

So Arief, who was coming from Bandung where we studied arts and where he also had several working groups and art-oriented communities, told Gingi "Let´s make something in Jatiwangi!!!".

2. It´s a simple strategy, Gingi prepared the landing field, Arief brought the airplanes from all over.

3. Where do these images come from? How do you imagine all these things? How have you been able to have these visions? How or where did you learn to speak about yourselves in that way?

It´s the atmosphere in Jatiwangi, How could you not write like these with this going on in here. This is a movie for me.

4. We may not have a curator, we may not have a big collector but we have sparkling eyes with which we can se the future. There is a Temple of hope in the future, and these are their forecasts.