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cmf2015 · 9 years ago

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PRAKATA

Seni adalah ekspresi. Ekspresi macam apa lagi yang bisa atau perlu disampaikan (kepada siapa lagi?) dalam era di mana selfie adalah makanan sehari-hari dan segala macam perasaan diartikulasikan dalam (kurang-lebih) 140 karakter atau emoticon? Mengulas ragam kegiatan dan perhelatan sepanjang 10 tahun berjalannya Jatiwangi art Factory, jawabannya sederhana. Ekspresi kemanusiaan. Tentu saja jawaban sederhana ini tidak serta-merta berarti ia sederhana juga untuk dilakukan.

Seni adalah pengalaman. Pengalaman sebagaimana lagi yang dibutuhkan di masa di mana bermain bagi balita adalah meluncurkan jari di atas bidang datar bergambar, bercahaya, bergetar dan berbunyi ketimbang belajar main sepeda dan jatuh, luka, sakit, menangis, dan mencoba lagi, dan lagi, dan lagi? Sebagai generasi yang lahir 1980-an, jawabannya adalah pengalaman otentik. Pengalaman fisik dalam ruang waktu tertentu yang menghasilkan bukan hanya pengetahuan intelektual tetapi juga membangun kebiasaan sekaligus pengetahuan tubuh. Sebab tubuh punya ingatannya sendiri dan (rasanya) tinggal inilah yang pribadi di era di mana bahkan jam tidur dan bangun saja diumumkan melalui Path (baca: media sosial).

Universalisme baru: Glocalities. Menjadi warga dunia dengan nilai kelokalan. Ah, masa? Apa itu lokal? Yang mana lokal? Apa bedanya dengan primordial? Apa perlu dibedakan? Apakah lokal berarti punya KTP di wilayah itu? ‘Ke-setempat-an’ jauh lebih menarik daripada kelokalan. Sebab yang pandai atau bijak tidak harus orang tua atau kebiasaan lama. Hal baru juga punya kesempatan yang sama untuk disikapi sebagai kebijaksanaan setempat. Misalnya, Niue, sebuah negara di kepulauan Pasifik yang tak sampai 260 km2 luasnya dengan populasi penduduk tak sampai 1.200 orang. Dulu, di sana, setiap keluarga menanam apa yang mereka makan. Tak ada Internet di sana sampai suatu ketika Amerika sibuk ingin mengatur penggunaan dua huruf untuk nama domain khusus tiap negara.

(dot)NU yang tadinya populer di kalangan open source dan hacker (karena namanya yang secara bunyi mirip dengan kata ‘new’) jadi milik Niue. Hak cipta setiap pembelian domain (dot)NU adalah milik negara itu. Hasilnya, pada 2003, Niue menjadi negara full WI-FI pertama di dunia. Sekarang, setiap anak Niue menginjak usia ke-6, ia berhak atas satu laptop. Dan Niue menjadi populer selaku negara full WI-FI. Sekarang, mana yang lokal? WI-FI atau cocok tanam? 30 tahun lagi, anak-anak yang mendapat laptop-nya sendiri setelah masa balita itu rasanya tidak lagi bisa menjawab cocok tanam… Dan, bagaimana glocalities mau menjawab tradisi bermain rugby di Niue yang pernah jadi sebagian dari Selandia Baru, khususnya pecahan dari Australia (yang konon isinya adalah kaum eksil dari Inggris)…

***

Bercocok tanam adalah istilah yang sudah jarang digunakan dalam konteks pertanian Indonesia. Apalagi semenjak penanaman padi ‘dipaksakan’ oleh rezim Orde Baru di seantero negri. Salah satu premis utama program transmigrasi Orde Baru adalah semacam mengimpor para petani Jawa yang sudah mahfum cara menanam padi ke tempat-tempat lain, terutama di luar Jawa. (Bahwa belakangan ini menjadi semacam gerakan Jawanisasi Indonesia, bisa jadi esai sendiri. Hehe.)

Padahal, kalau kita mau sedikit berpikir, pemikiran dibalik istilah lain bertani ini sangatlah praktis sekaligus filosofis. Menanam apa yang cocok di tanah di mana kita berada. Dengan ini, berarti yang dimakan juga apa yang bisa tumbuh dan berkembang biak sesuai dengan kontur tanah, cuaca, kadar kelembaban, air, dst. Menanam dan memakan apa yang sesuai dengan lingkungannya. Indah, bukan?

Nenek moyang kita jelas lebih sehat dan maju tanpa perlu sibuk bergaya hidup (makanan) organik macam kita sekarang. Jauh sebelum negara ini merdeka, wilayah Jatiwangi sudah menjadi industri genteng di Jawa, Nusantara, bahkan Asia Tenggara. Aturan, tata cara, dan etika mengolah tanah sebagai sumber daya alam telah ada bahkan sebelum Ismal memulai proses berpikir dan berkarya untuk pameran ini dengan kesadaran bahwa warga Jatiwangi (dan sekitarnya) telah membuat genteng selama 110 tahun lamanya.

Yogyakarta, 23 Desember 2015 Grace

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cmf2015 · 9 years ago

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Can You Hear the Owl Howl? - One Hour Music Session (JaF TV)

A selection by Grace Samboh & Ismal Muntaha Screened as part of Herding Islands, Rats and the Anthropocene—scenes of burden

When we conceptualized 2015 as The Earth Year, we fell in love with the harmony of howling owls, while we waited for the sun to set in front of us. We were hanging out behind the Government Junior High School #4, at the Pon Neighborhood, Jatisura Village, approximately 100 meters from the Cipali Highway. At that time, the highway was undergoing construction. We were sitting across a pile of soil, which was used to elevate the ground for the highway. We began to wonder, “Once the car and truck roars arrive, can we still hear the owl howl? Will the owls still live around here? Will they go?”

Can You Hear the Owl Howl? is a selection of videos done within Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF) in the recent five years. It is more like a bootleg rather than a mashup or remix. This selection consists of videos made by artists, citizens, laborers, government workers, and the village government. These videos were produced for different purposes--as artworks, documentations, advertising, news or music clips. Naturally, they were all made in different contexts and timing. Through this selection, a range of socio-political issues in relation to economy and culture in Jatiwangi District is presented in the format of an-hour television program—a music program to be exact. Like any other television programs, Can You Hear the Owl Howl? comes with ads and breaking news.

Compilation accessible here https://www.mediafire.com/folder/29h8fbevyx251/Can_You_Hear_the_Owl_Howl

ABOUT THE VIDEOS

Mars Jatiwangi (Jatiwangi Hymn) - Jatiwangi art Factory

In 2012, the Jatiwangi District Chief led 3000 people of Jatiwangi to state their love and respect towards the land—that they stand on, live in; and that is also the fertile soil that grows their plants, that is also the clay that they use to make roof tiles. District Chief Ono Haryono led the people to sing the hymn together for the first time during the launch of Ceramic Music Festival 2012.

Nyoy-nyoy - Yuliati Shalihat

It is true that Jatiwangi is a roof tile industry area. But don't be mistaken! The roof tile factories here are not clinical, robotic, or almost inhuman. Scale-wise, they are categorized as home industries. The workers are not attached to crazy working hours and stressful obligations. Amongst a whole team for each hand-pressing machine (11-17 persons/machine), there are at least three or four women. Their main job is to refine and make the forms of each roof tile consistent.

Bus Jemaat Karyawan (Mass Employee’s Bus) - Tarling Padi

It was in 2000s when this phenomenon occurred: Female-workers-go-international (TKW) look for a better income in a foreign country. When new massive changes started after 2007, the newly-built huge manufacturing industries and factories opened up opportunities for female workers rather than for men. Both trends directly influenced the roof tile industry, where most of the female workers left their job and their family in order to make a living for the whole family. This phenomenon resulted in unemployment among men, who had been freed from their obligation to make money.

Terima Kasih, Petani (Thank You, Farmer) - Pak Camat Band feat. Rizal Abdulhadi & Ahmad Thian Vultan

Amidst the fast changing landscape in Jatiwangi, the District Chief wants to encourage farming as an alternative activity for the jobless men who live off on their wives’ income.

Nitip Taneuh (Entrusting Earth) - Ismal Muntaha

Jatisura Village is now separated by a highway from Cikampek to Palimanan. Within several months, lands that used to be paddy fields become massive construction sites. Ismal took soil from the location of the newly built highway in Jatisura Village and conducted a ritual welcoming a new neighbour; prayers with indigenous haj and giving out something (traditionally food or souvenirs) to peoples' houses. The ritual is usually done by a newcomer in the area with the permission of Neighborhood Chief: Knocking on peoples' doors and giving something is a gesture to say hello and introduce the “new-coming” family member.

Podongono Group - Yopie Nugraha

Podongono is a playword for Podomoro, a huge Indonesian real estate company that occupies and expands land ownership in the form of luxurious or middle-upper class apartments. The new highway development and extreme land-sale surrounding Jatiwangi (and Majalengka in general) drives Yopie’s satiric side. Podongono is basically selling all the false dreams towards the turn ‘from village into a city’.

Hulu Hilir (Upstream, Downstream) – Arie Syarifuddin & Hanyaterra

The song is about how earth (soil, land, clay, mud) have always played a big role in Jatiwangi people’s lives from the beginning until the end. The clip shows glimpses of current development issues that threaten their earth.

Good Manners - Jatiwangi Kids

The lead rapper is Iyey, truly the epitome of a good boy around. The song is a declaration (a “self-promise”) to be good, self-aware, and learn how to say please and sorry for kids. Good Manners is initiated by Loranitha Theo for JaF playground kids.

Jajan yang Utama, Presiden Nomor Dua (Buying Snacks is Number One, President is Number Two) - The Nutrisi Besar

As the title suggest, the video is a consumerism (auto)critic towards the growth of convenient stores (that makes Jatiwangi and New York look alike) that kills small shops and local (non-franchised) products. The youth have no option but to consume. They happily do it yet they are conscious how sad this consumerism is. Launched during the campaign of Joko Widodo, the current Indonesian president who was well loved by the people before the election, the song can easily be translated into a campaign because Joko Widodo wasrunning with the number two.

The Eumeul-eumeul Frequency - Taneuh Beureum

Noise, experimental, earth-oriented music.

Makanan Lambat Saji (Slow [Serve] Food) - The Dangdans

Worrying that new changes towards global lifestyle and its cultural invasion will soon change a snacking tradition, the band gives tribute to a local snack ‘colam’, a slow-served cook that symbolizes spending more time in snacking, hanging out and speaking to random people in the places one usually hang out to eat colam. .

Urban Banyan - Ahmett-Salina (Irwan Ahmett & Tita Salina)

A public intervention at the Banyan Tree (a tree usually attached to urban legend and myths) of Jatisura Village Centre.

Tepung Tanah (Soil Flour) - Julian Abraham ‘Togar’

Dirt means dirty? That is so last year! Soil flour is a form of appreciation towards better life. Soil flour is gluten free and contains high level of calcium, zinc, and iron. Before Homo sapiens, eating earth (or geophagia) had been discovered, which is good for pregnant women and children during essential growth ages.

Ikrar Jatiwangi (Jatiwangi Decree) - Jatiwangi art Factory and the people of Jatiwangi

The Decree is a pledge towards appreciating earth for and by the people of Jatiwangi. Initiated during Ceramic Music Festival 2012, only a year later the decree got more attention from the Regency Government. It was when the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum invited JaF to participate in an exhibition with the theme art and (social) activism. Other than participating in the form of videoworks, JaF sent one of their members along with the Jatisura Village Chief and also the Jatiwangi District Chief to attend the exhibition opening in Japan. Of course, all expenses were covered by the museum. When the Majalengka Regency Chief learnt that some institution from another country had invited one of his District Chiefs, and even paid his expenses, he had to at least be curious. How is it possible that such thing could happen? So, the Majalengka Regency Chief later on invited JaF, Jatisura Village Chief and the Jatiwangi District Chief to come and tell him their stories and experiences. Since then, the Regency Government has grown more and more respect towards what is being done in Jatisura Village and Jatiwangi District in general. Their voices are now being heard. In continuation to such condition, the people of Jatiwangi and also the local government apparatus definitely become the main target audience of CMF 2015.

Mimpi Kecil (Little Dreams) - Jatiwangi Kids feat. Ahmett-Salina (Irwan Ahmett & Tita Salina)

Ahmett-Salina and Jatiwangi Kids articulating a dream of better life through a song.

ABOUT THE MAKERS

Jatiwangi art Factory. Founded in September 27, 2005, JaF is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on discourses of local rural life through arts and cultural activities such as festivals, performances, visual art, music, video, ceramics, exhibitions, artist in residencies, monthly discussion, radio broadcast and education. Since 2008 JaF collaborates with the Jatisura Village Government in doing research and experimentations to connect people using contemporary participatory techniques in the arts. In the Ceramic Music Festival 2012, Jatiwangi District Government officially announced their commitment to collaborate with JaF to be able to engage further with the individuals and communities in their district. Recently, JaF have been trying to influence the Majalengka Regency Government to become another collaborator.

Yuliati Shalihat. Currently teaching in Annur Playgroup, Kasokandel, Yuliati is also the lady behind the scene of Hanyaterra and all the young bands of Jatiwangi art Factory.

Tarling Padi. A spontaneus conceptual collective that is birthed by contexts that each members bring. Wok the Rock is a music producer and online label owner Yes No Wave; Ismal Muntaha is a videomaker that co-founded Sunday Screen; Tedi Nurmanto is the co-founder of Konsorsium Musik Keramik, Jatiwangi art Factory’s ceramic music exploration division.

Ismal Muntaha. Born in Bandung, West Java, 1987, Ismal co-founded Sunday Screen, a videomaking group that does workshop and screenings with local communities in West Java. For sometime during 2013-2014, he become the director of Jatiwangi art Factory (a collective based in rural/sub-urban area in Majalengka). His works question social design and the architecture of society. He is interested in the layers of relationships and its qualities amongst neighborhood. He believes that these relationships are the basis of change and movement.

Pak Camat Band feat. Rizal Abdulhadi & Ahmad Thian Vultan. Camat is governmental position that translates to District Chief. Ono Haryono (Jatiwangi District Chief 2009-2014) is a very humble and understanding person. He is a big supporter of his people and a very good facilitator. He is also a very good singer that provokes people to want to have a band with him.

Yopie Nugraha. Co-founder of Sunday Screen, a video collective that mobile screenings, initiate video-making training, and train people for community television set up.

Hanyaterra. Hanyaterra means SOLELY ABOUT soil, ground, land, earth, clay, mud (which in Indonesian bahasa is contained in one word: Tanah). Being a band of three people, the members are Jatiwangi village youths who are interested in looking back to the relationship between their society and clay, as their district is well known as the center for roof tile home industry in Southeast Asia. Hanyaterra create and play music with ceramic-based instruments to encourage a movement towards a new culture in Jatiwangi, a new culture that provokes its people to be proud of their soil/earth/mud/clay/ground/land.

Arie Syarifuddin. Known as Alghorie, Arie studies economics at the University of Majalenka and is affiliated as an artist to the Jatiwangi art Factory. Arie’s main interest is the dynamics of community behaviour in a rural-urban context with design as approach, method and goal.

Jatiwangi Kids. Jatiwangi art Factory’s co-founder Loranitha Theo (Yumma) is the one with a particular interest towards (informal) education for kids. Since its establishment, there have always been space for parents to leave their kids in JaF during their working hours. Yumma have always been the one that takes care of programming the playground. Jatiwangi Kids is a performative platform for the kids to be part of a variety of events (village bazaar, district anniversary, festivals, etc).

Taneuh Beureum. Masterminded by Ahmad Thian Vultan (percussionist of Hanyaterra), Taneuh Beureum explore music from a noise and experimental perspective. As a collective, Taneuh Beurum consists of many of the younger generation bands and musicians in Jatiwangi.

The Dangdans. The Dangdans is Jatiwangi pop boy band with personnels coming form government-related professions. They want to prove that government officials can be cool and can actually function within the society for their people.

Ahmet-Salina (Irwan Ahmett & Tita Salina). Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina are Indonesian artists live and work in Jakarta. Both of them graduated from Graphic Design, Institut Kesenian Jakarta. Their artworks are series of interventions in public space using found objects and situational experiments, specifically designed to respond to the problems of the specific city they live in temporarily. It may involve public in a specific urban area, using ‘play’ as the main platform. Produce a complex artwork that could transform problems to irony, and change the citizen’s perspectives on their cities. In deeper level, the aim is to change the behavior of the participants and/or the audience. This duo has participated in some art recidencies. They have also hold many art projects in Indonesia, Japan and many other countries in Europe.

Julian Abraham ‘Togar’. Based in Medan, North Sumatra, Togar is an artist whose interested in repetition, modularity, connectivity, and continuity within social life systems. With a musical background, he developed particular interest towards technology and science. Three main keywords within his practice is generative, manipulative and problematic. In 2014, with a group of enthusiastic friends, he co-founded Gedegap, a space for artistic exploration.

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