Performing: More than just for show<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Performing good quality art is no longer enough.
\nThe most important thing is that the artists should be able to
\nreach audiences through their work, even collaborative pieces
\nmade with foreign counterparts -- a common phenomenon in the
\nperforming arts.<\/p>\n
This opinion was expressed by dance critic and member of the
\nThird Art Summit Indonesia 2001 artistic board Sal Murgiyanto
\nduring a media conference on Tuesday regarding the upcoming
\ninternational seminar on contemporary performing arts to be held
\nfrom Sept. 14 to Sept. 16 at Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The dean of the Jakarta Arts Institute's School of Performing
\nArts urged Indonesian artists to improve their communication and
\nexpression skills to prevent the exploitation of local arts when
\nperforming collaborative works. He also insisted that good
\ncollaborative works show equality among the artists' involved.<\/p>\n
\"If there's no equality then there will be exploitation of one
\nanother. Such situations might happen due to the lack of
\ncommunication skills among those involved. And most Indonesian
\nartists, although they stage good quality performances, are so
\npoor in the skill (of communicating),\" Sal said.<\/p>\n
Citing an example of Indonesian artists' lack of communication
\nskills, he said that during the season of a certain collaborative
\nshow in Australia, it was always the foreign counterparts who
\ntalked to members of the press. \"In this case, there could be
\nmisinterpretation,\" Sal said.<\/p>\n
Besides equality, he also expressed the need to share
\nexpertise and knowledge among the artists involved in
\ncollaborative processes.<\/p>\n
Intensive collaborative processes between Indonesian artists
\nand foreign counterparts, according to artist Rahayu Supanggah,
\nare still rare.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, a long time is needed to create a good collaborative
\npiece. The process might take about three to five years since it
\nis not only about working together, but also respect for each
\nother's cultures,\" Rahayu said.<\/p>\n
He also lamented the existence of attitudes asserting
\ninferiority toward anything from the West within the art world.
\n\"In this case, sometimes we do not have enough information about
\nthe groups that are more suitable to work with,\" Rahayu said.<\/p>\n
Collaborations do not necessarily mean an east-meets-west kind
\nof thing. In fact, it can also be east-meets-east, as Japanese
\nartists have undertaken with their Asian counterparts.<\/p>\n
Indonesian artists, according to the seminar's chair Saini
\nK.M, should enrich themselves by following current theoretical
\ndiscourses.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, we have lots of art forms, but there's a lack of
\ntheoretical discourse about them. Once a Japanese person
\nresearching Indonesian arts faced problems finding any theory
\ndespite the presence of an abundance of art forms,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Saini believes that discourse plays an important role,
\nparticularly with the challenges of multiculturalism. Without
\ndiscussion and debate, he said, there would be less reflection on
\nwhat was happening within society.<\/p>\n
The upcoming seminar, he said, was expected to bridge the gap
\nbetween theory and art forms. The event is also expected to
\nconceptually map situations, problems and challenges created by
\nmulticultural encounters and collaborations.<\/p>\n
Local experts and international speakers from Australia,
\nItaly, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States will
\npresent their views during the seminar.<\/p>\n
The seminar is expected to enhance awareness and understanding
\namong the nations involved, including their respective artists
\nand audience. (ind)<\/p>",
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