‘Motion/Sensation’: An exhibition of kinetic art

‘Motion/Sensation’: An exhibition of kinetic art

The Kinetic Art Exhibition titled “Motion/Sensation” organized by Edwin’s Gallery at the Jakarta Art District in Grand Indonesia reveals that Indonesian artists have been making kinetic art long before the term became an understanding in art creation.

Heri Dono, for instance, is known for the low-tech devices that he uses to attract viewers to his art installations. By the early 1980s when he thought painting was finished, Heri Dono — who had immersed himself in scientific reading about Gestaltung, design, form and Newton’s gravitational theory — began something that took him out of his lethargy; he made Aquarium with moving elements splashing in water “to heighten a sense of sensation”, he said.

Since then, motion through low-tech devices has appeared in almost all of his 3-D works and installations. His installation Flying Angels, with flapping wings generated by low-tech devices, has been shown in many parts of the world. The current show’s installation, Watching the Marginal People, which was made in 2000, features heads of monstrous creatures with moving beaks and sounds emerging from a transistor.

Handiwirman, for example, shows an interactive sewing machine with a sculpture of a woman’s head beside it. When you turn the handle of the sewing machine very fast, tears come out of the sculpture’s eyes. “Why the tears?” I asked the artist. “Ngga tega [I feel sorry]”, he said. 

Bagus Pandega’s Autism Spectrum is given a special dark space where it invites one to use the mike and shout. Immediately, the connected gramophone starts playing, the light ball erupts into a colored flicker and one can tap dance to the rhythm of a tone. This is a reflection of how technological advances have led to human’s self-gratification, an indulgence that has no need for living communication.

Rudi Hendriatno’s beautifully crafted Wood Engine must be manually generated. Others are just to look at.

Octora, an artist who engages with the female in her works, is represented with a wooden doll’s sculpture titled Laura in Paradise, putting the accent on a red silicone heart whose pumping heartbeat is made visual. She said at some point she realized how complicated life was, and being a doll or a puppet would make life easier. Yet, there are times that one must act like a human being, and that’s where the heart comes into play, she said.

Yani Mariani’s Soulmate sculpture, featuring two giant balls made of steel plates with little birds on top, starts trembling when a switch is pushed, and may be a metaphor for a partnership in which what happens to one affects the other. 

Hardiman Rajab’s use of suitcases as a metaphor is also apparent in this show. NATO (No Action Talk Only) is the title of the suitcase with lids featuring a mouth with a row of teeth that moves up and down.

Edwin Rahardjo, the owner of the 25-year-old Edwin’s Gallery, makes his entry as an artist with a work titled Floating Fleets, featuring an installation of six winged objects made of a mix of aluminum durl, carbon fiber, metal and a generating motor; it is a work to send one’s imagination meandering. Edwin said it is up to the viewer’s imagination to decide what the work features. It could be a fleet of planes, or angels flapping their wings and flying in the heavens or dragonflies roaming in nature. 

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But is everything moving kinetically? And what about the video? Why is Mella Jaarsma’s video titled Square Body in this kinetic show? 

Curator Agung Jennonghujanikka explained that not everything moving is a kinetic piece of art.
A train, for instance, has nothing to do with kinetic art.  As for Mella’s video, it is in fact a documentation of the performance, presented in the show titled “Beyond the Dutch” at the Utrecht Centraal Museum in 2009 and 2010. What is important is the moving of the actual dress in slow motion mimicking the Javanese bedoyo dance, the shadows playing a role like in wayang. Agung said Mella’s work is unique in its linking the kinetic with performance, theater (the shadow play) and dance (the slow motion of the bedoyo). 

The exhibition, which also includes works by Agus Suwage, Deden Sambas, Jompet Kuswidnanto, Septin Harriyoga, Wiyoga Muhardanto and Yuli Prayitno, provides a new perspective on Indonesian artistic practice, indicating a trend that visibly deviates from the early kinetic art created in the West.

And, it is a lot of fun.

‘Motion/sensation’
Indonesian Kinetic Art Exhibition
until August 21, 2011
at Jakarta Art District
Grand Indonesia East Mall, LG
(ex Harvey Nichols space)
Jakarta

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A passion for compassion

Members of world music ensemble Debu became quite a familiar sight for Indonesian television viewers during last fasting month. 

Nearing the breaking fast time, they would appear for around seven minutes to carry out a form of soliloquy accompanied by music.

Kumayl Mustafa Daood, the US-born lead vocalist, would tell tales of wisdom in fluent Indonesian before picking on his glama-a Turkish lute- and singing a song – in Indonesian, as well-with the rest of the band. 

Indeed, despite most of Debu members’ origins in the US, where they lived as part of a sufi community, they more or less consider Indonesia as their home, having lived in the country for over a decade.

Several of the US born members recently obtained Indonesian citizenship, Mustafa said. 

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‘Birds’ Inspires a Flight of Nostalgia

‘Birds’ Inspires a Flight of  Nostalgia

In 1963, filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock not only changed the way we look at movies, but also painted a not-so-tender picture of our feathered friends with his horror classic 'The Birds.'

“Birds,” a new solo exhibition by Eunice Nuh, the artist otherwise known as PinkGirlGoWild, is anything but a scary sight. In fact, the young artist clearly misses birds in the urban jungle of Jakarta. 

“In my last solo exhibition [in 2010], I launched a bird character named ‘Piyiko,’ based on my longing for the presence and songs of the birds that seem to have become increasingly rare nowadays due to rapid urban development,” the artist said.

 “It turns out that it has also become increasingly difficult to actually see and hear birds unless you keep them [or] have an adequately large garden.” 

 Piyiko is a friendly looking, lovable character, painted with a lot of swirling and forceful curves in many different colors. He’s the kind of fellow you would love to watch chirping in the trees of a park.

After creating a whole series of paintings revolving around the story of Piyiko, the artist has now taken her work to the next level. She has added more paintings of Piyiko, but used different materials than what she is traditionally known for.

For example, she made use of  ink instead of oil and acrylic or vinyl rather than canvas.

The story of Piyiko has also taken on a slightly different direction. The character is no longer simply a bird whose presence the artist misses. Instead, Piyiko stands for everything we have lost and only remember as faint remnants of the past. “Piyiko is not just a character anymore.

To me, birds eventually became a symbol representing my longing to see things that have disappeared,” the artist explained. “In this exhibition, the birds constitute faceless beauty, representing the identity that has disappeared and one that I miss.”

 The idea of diving deeper into the world of birds came to her when she stumbled upon a CD in a record store that contained nothing but the chirping of birds. It was being sold for just Rp 10,000 ($1.20).

“Picture that,” she said. “How such a natural process, such honesty and beauty, can be purchased and packaged in the form of a CD, while we know that nothing can take the place of birds.”

The incident made her realize that birds are something magical, even mythical — a metaphor for freedom.

Personally, she added, she sees birds as a symbol for values such as sincerity, honesty and simplicity.

“The things that are increasingly difficult to find, to have and to value today,” she said. “With the ‘Birds’ exhibition, I hope I am able to convey my restlessness regarding the things that I miss, the simple but beautiful things, [like] looking at a little sparrow, twittering and hopping around in the garden, even if only for five seconds.”

The exhibition seems to match the artist’s personality: rather small and humble, but at the same time enchanting and charming.

While some of her paintings perfectly convey the artist’s idea of longing for all things lost, radiating melancholy and a hidden sense of sadness, other works also speak of hope and cheerfulness, as if she wanted to remind the visitors to the exhibition that there is still beauty in life.

A series of three paintings called “Creation” is close to the artist’s heart and represents a phase in her life in which she struggled to overcome personal problems.

 “It’s my own story of personal loss and regaining hope again in the end,” she said. “Birds” gives visitors a rare glimpse into the artist’s sensitive soul. 

She is not afraid to lay bare her vulnerability, as long as we are still capable of hearing her bird song that tells of beauty, joy and hope. x xArtist PinkGirlGoWild uses birds to symbolize things that have been lost in her latest exhibition. 

Solo exhibition by PinkGirlGoWild  Until Sept. 11  Inkubator at Forme Building Jl. Wijaya 1 No. 39 South Jakarta  Tel: 021 7278 8242‘In this exhibition, the birds constitute faceless beauty’ PinkGirlGoWild, artist


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Japanese Culture, at Home in Indonesia

Japanese Culture

After a full week of touring schools across Jakarta and Yogyakarta, the Geiso cultural performance group is due to arrive back in Japan today. 

Based at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan, the group is made up of Japanese and Indonesian students committed to sharing their cultures and traditions at home and abroad. 

“ ‘Geiso’ literally means a group of people who are concerned with their traditional culture,” said Tisya Andini Ahmad, an Indonesian student enrolled at Ritsumeikan APU and the group’s chairwoman. 

“It’s OK for young people to follow pop culture trends, like manga comics and cosplay dress-up events,” Tisya added. “But we shouldn’t forsake traditional culture either, because that’s where the soul of the nation is.” 

Since its inception in 2000, the Geiso group has been presenting traditional Japanese music and dance in cities across the Asia-Pacific, including Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan. 

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Desert Dreaming in Morocco

Desert Dreaming in Morocco

There are many opportunities to experience Berber culture in Morocco, which also has French and Arabic influences. JG Photos/Nadia Bintoro.

As a lone female traveler, making my way through the crowded alleys of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s imperial cities, turned out to be a real battle. 

I had to acrobatically twist my body to avoid getting hit by reckless motorcycles, while at the same time fighting off persistent vendors and shushing away catcalls by curious men — all under the sizzling heat of the Moroccan sun.

Like most days in the city, the sun was beating down and the temperature was hovering at around 40 degrees Celsius. I instantly felt overdressed in my coat and shawl — tell-tale signs of a tourist escaping the tail-end of a cool British summer.

The short bus ride from Marrakech’s Menara Airport ended at a park in the center of the city. I showed the driver the address of my riad (guesthouse) and he confidently assured me that I’d find it without hassle. Just follow the park and walk straight through the square, he said. It sounded easy enough.

But it wasn’t. Coming out of the park, I was greeted by the hectic Jemaa el-Fnaa, a large square in the middle of Marrakech’s old city where all the essences of Moroccan life are stirred together in a flurry of sights and smells.

Aside from being the first port of call for tourists visiting Marrakech, Jemaa el-Fnaa is also famous among locals for its large souk (market), selling everything from spices to couscous and high-quality souvenirs.

The square was alive with people and traffic. Beige-colored taxis and swarms of motorcycles crossed the square recklessly, oblivious to pedestrians. In one corner of the square, horse carriages were lined up, enticing tourists to try this exotic mode of transport.

Disoriented, I carefully made my way to the square, following the crowds spilling forward through the chaos. The air was thick with the smells of unfamiliar spices and horse manure baking under the sun. Everybody seemed to be moving and speaking at the same time.

Locals wearing the traditional djellaba (a hooded garment with long sleeves) passed by chattering among themselves in French and Arabic. Flocks of confused European tourists wearing sunglasses and hats argued in English, French and occasionally Spanish.

Lost among the throng, I spent an hour searching for my riad — without success. After being chased by a snake charmer, 

I decided it was time for a break. I found refuge among the orange juice vendors, selling fresh juice for 4 dirham (about 50 cents) a glass.

By immense luck, I eventually found my guest house a further hour later, hidden in a maze of nameless, tiny alleyways. It felt like I had found my oasis in the desert.

Later that night, I decided to once again face the streets and explore the Jemaa el-Fnaa souk, famous for its night market, where magicians, story-tellers and henna painters are said to emerge after dark.

Outside, I was again assaulted by a barrage of unfamiliar sights and sounds.

Jemaa el-Fnaa was just as lively at night as it was during the day, if not more so. The smell of mouth-watering, authentic Moroccan cuisine wafted out from the line of food stalls in the middle of the souk.

Under a cloud of steam, men in white chef coats shoved their menus into my face, trying to lure me into their stalls. I finally gave in to temptation, and was soon gratefully enjoying a dinner of couscous and spiced chicken tagine — all for just 40 dirham.

After all that, I still had to battle my way through the souk to return to my riad, past speeding motorcycles, pushy vendors and catcalls that worsened as the night went on. With tourists crowding the souk at night, speaking over each other in myriad languages, it became particularly difficult to bargain for the nice kaftan dress that caught my eye.

Once again, I lost my way in the souk, trying to find the guest house among the teeming crowds.

The next day, I sought peace in the solitude of the Sahara Desert. I signed up for a two-day excursion to the desert and took a 10-hour ride by minivan to the dunes of Erg Chigaga over the oasis town of Zagora.

The trip was certainly a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of life in Marrakech. Seated by the driver, my eyes wandered over the magnificent natural scenery of the countryside. 

As if the scenery was not stimulating enough, I also had the best vantage point for watching our skillful driver, Rasyid, navigate the van through every blind mountain turn, one hand on the steering wheel and the other busy answering calls on his cellphone — it seems he didn’t have a spare hand, or moment, to fasten his seat belt.

As we drove, the view outside switched from dusty fields with palm trees to small villages and finally the stunning panorama of the Atlas Mountains.

It was a mysterious and surreal feeling to watch the gray mountain range unfold as the van climbed higher and higher, right to the top where the landscape plateaued to reveal an area called Col du Tichka — the highest point in the Atlas Mountains at 2,260 meters above sea level.

By the time we reached Zagora, it was almost sunset. Our connecting transport was awaiting us — a herd of camels.

An indigenous Berber man was waiting with a dozen tethered camels ready for us to hop onto their humps.

At first, the ride was uncomfortable and awkward. It was bumpy and hard to tell where you were supposed to put your legs on top of the creature. But after a while, as I relaxed into the rhythm of my camel’s footsteps, it began to feel like a calm and meditative experience.

Soon, no sound could be heard except the plodding of the camels in the desert sand. The sun began to set and the camels’ shadows were elongated on the sand like a painting of a dream.

By the time we reached our Bedouin tents in the middle of the desert, the sun had completely disappeared. The only light came from our tents.

When I looked up, I couldn’t help but gasp at the vast, clear sky filled with millions of bright stars. Every couple of seconds, a shooting star could be seen firing through the sky.

A sense of powerlessness overcame me in the face of such a mighty scene.

But the night was still young and the Berbers were ready with their own entertainment. 

Seated by the open fire, the group formed a circle with five Berber men in the middle. There, in their colorful costumes and turbans, the nomad tribesmen sang, accompanied by an infectious rhythm from a tabl (a traditional double-sided drum). A couple of tourists joined in and soon the desert air was filled with joy and laughter.

Despite our many languages, the group was united through the music and kindness we shared for that moment.

I walked back to the tent to go to sleep on a modest blanket. Away from civilization, with the only sound being sand swept by desert wind, I had the best sleep of my life.

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Time Travelers: Web Sites of Vintage Photos Recapture History

Jason Powell went to the US Capitol recently to photograph not the politicians, the architecture or the tourists. He went to photograph a photograph. 

The scene taking a second turn in front of the lens was one worth revisiting 70 years later: a bevy of beautiful California girls dressed to represent the state’s fruit crops. They smiled from the Capitol steps in a photo discovered in the recesses of the Library of Congress online photo archive. The caption identified them as a “cornucopia” participating in a 1939 publicity event with Senator Sheridan Downey to spur the construction of a highway from San Diego. Powell printed it, took it to the Capitol and stood there amid the tourist commotion, trying to figure out exactly where those California beauties posed. 

Powell’s photo in a photo is also a moment within a moment. It’s his way of briefly connecting what was captured in the milliseconds of a camera’s aperture opening decades ago with the place it happened in the present day. 

For his Web photo series “Looking Into the Past,” Powell takes his photographs of photographs with a wide-angle lens so that when he holds up a photo from years ago, his camera takes in the present-day setting as well. When he’s able to perfectly align the image with the contemporary scene, it’s either a neat parlor trick, a portal through time or both. His work has gone viral on Reddit, Digg and other social media sites. 

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Jakarta's One-Stop Shops for Coffee and Culture

In recent years, art exhibitions in Jakarta have not been limited to galleries. This effort to bring art closer to the masses has seen exhibitions held in all manner of public places, most prominently in shopping malls. 

While this approach has certainly helped artists reach a wider audience, old-school art connoisseurs have cringed at what they see as a process of commercialization. They bemoan the fact that art in shopping malls tends to get lost among the outlets selling luxury goods from Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. 

Those who never warmed to the idea of art exhibitions in shopping malls can now let out a sigh of relief, as an even newer trend seems to have taken over Jakarta’s art scene: Rather than moving paintings, sculptures and installations out of the galleries and into the malls, the owners of art venues have decided to lure visitors by integrating cafes and restaurants into their exhibition spaces. 

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New Cafe Lets You Hang Out And Still Eat Well

When it comes to cafes, most young people in Jakarta are just looking for a place to kick back, plug into the net and hang out with friends. 

Young Society, a new cafe and grill in Kebayoran, South Jakarta, knows this market and goes further by providing a great menu to boot. 

Word has spread about the cafe since it opened just four months ago, and on a recent visit I found out why. The interior is modern and minimalist without losing any of the cafe coziness that makes for a comfortable place to hang out. 

Glass walls lining the front of the two-story cafe make it a great spot for people-watching. The space is filled with a variety of uniquely designed but comfortable chairs. There’s also a free Wi-Fi Internet connection for customers and a variety of hot and cold drinks. 

However, the food is what sets Young Society apart from other cafes in the same league. The range of starters includes nachos,

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Fashion World Honors Sept. 11 as Shows Go On

New York. The fashion world stood still when the World Trade Centers came down in the middle of New York Fashion Week a decade ago, but the shows went on Sunday with moments of reflection and remembrance from the tents at Lincoln Center to venues within distance of ground zero.

"On a day like this, we're all American," U2's Bono said after the spring preview downtown for Edun, the African-inspired brand he founded with his wife, Ali Hewson.

In an intimate hall at the New York Public Library's flagship, guests at Victoria Beckham's show twice stopped in their tracks on the way to their seats for moments of silence — one for each tower — as scheduled by the designer.

All Fashion Week events are proceeding as planned through Thursday, in contrast to the jarring halt of the September previews after the terrorist attacks, said Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Lincoln Center's fashion director.

On the front row at Lela Rose, she described the conflicting mood on the tragedy's anniversary:

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One Last Tango in Paris for Doomed Lovers

Based on Bernardo Bertolucci’s legendary film from 1972, “Last Tango in Paris: A Novel,” by Robert Alley, tells of the disturbing relationship between an American widower and a young, sensuous Parisian bride-to-be. 

The movie, which starred Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, was one of the most controversial films ever released, earning both an X rating and international condemnation. The film was heavily censored in Italy, where Bertolucci was put on trial for public obscenity. 

Brando and Schneider were said to have been considerably affected by the shoot. Schneider once told reporters that making the movie was the only regret of her life, while Brando did not speak to Bertolucci for 15 years after the film was released. 

The novel, which was first published in 1973 but was released in Indonesian for the first time this year, explores the consequences of an anonymous physical relationship, and clos

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Indonesian Artists Shine in Paris

A pillar of the historical axis in Paris and bordered by the Arc de Triomphe, the Avenue des Champs-Elysee is one of the most famous streets in the world, and a vibrant center for high-end fashion and art galleries, from the massive Grand Palais to a new hidden art space by Louis Vuitton. 

The Louis Vuitton Culturel Espace, located on the seventh floor of the fashion brand’s flagship Paris store, is hosting the exhibition “Transfiguration: Indonesian Mythologies,” curated by Herve Mikaeloff. The show opened in June and runs through the end of October. 

“Transfiguration” features 11 upcoming and promising Indonesian artists, instead of simply promoting already-established ones. The works featured in the show not only show a wide variety of forms and styles, but also highlight the different backgrounds of the participating artists. The works tell the complex story of Indonesian social history, from the tension of post-colonialism and feudalism to statements of individuality and Indonesia’s place in a globalized world. 

The exhibition features mostly visual artists, including Eko Nugroho and Mella Jaarsma. One of the most familiar names in the show is the film director Garin Nugroho, who has recently expanded into performance and visual arts. 

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Yogya Puppets Put Focus on Singapore’s Elder Workers

Most people travel quickly through the unremarkable corridor leading from the Esplanade Theatre on the Bay in Singapore to the MRT station and Raffles City shopping center. But since mid-August, pedestrians have been stopped in their tracks by a puffy, colorful collection of moving dolls, artworks and video installations nestled under the highway.  

A  titled “Circus of Life,” focusing on the working elderly in big cities, is the result of the second collaboration between the Esplanade Theatre on the Bay and Indonesia’s Papermoon Puppet Theatre. Founded in Yogyakarta in 2006, Papermoon is the brainchild of visual artist Iwan Effendi and Maria Tri Sulistyani, a writer, illustrator and former stage actress commonly referred to as Ria. 

What started as a regular puppet theater performance for children in Ria’s neighborhood later developed into a mission to use experimental art to reach a wider audience through the medium of puppetry.  

“Not content with only working in performance spaces, I decided to expand to site-specific performances, like in markets and trains,” Ria said.  

She plans to perform at hospitals and nursing homes in the near future and, along with Iwan, also hopes to conduct workshops for people of all ages. 

“For Papermoon, the puppet theater is a medium to bring a message to

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