Art exhibition explores myths about water
Art exhibition explores myths about water
By Ahmad Solikhan
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The melodies of traditional Javanese music
were faintly audible in the dark, and then there appeared the
shadow of a young girl wrapped in a batik cloth stepping toward a
fountain.
She took a in from her hair bun, letting her hair flow freely
to her shoulders, and then she slowly took off the pieces of
cloth wrapped around her body, one piece at a time. Then she took
a water dipper made from a coconut shell and placed it in a large
earthenware bowl of water. She took some water to bathe her
genitals.
The girl's wish to cleanse her mind and her spiritual eyes
with water was granted. She broke the earthenware bowl with the
water dipper. The water spilled out and soaked through the pores
of the earth. It is her hope, too, that this water may later also
cleanse the mind and spiritual eyes of the community and free
them of their mundane affairs.
While this sacred bathing ritual was going on, one could hear
sounds emanating from a number of toy boats, like those usually
seen during a sekaten (a traditional fair in Yogyakarta). The
sound of these children's toys accompanied the bathing ritual,
indicating that fishermen hope the South Sea will always be kind
to them and bestow upon them good fortune.
A piece of coarsely woven white fabric was intentionally hung
to provide a translucent screen so as not to reveal too much
during the performance. In this way, one may wonder about the
real meaning of water. The cleansing of the rural girl is a rite
of offering, a token of gratitude to the ruler of the South Sea
for the welfare enjoyed by the Yogyakarta community.
This is the contemplations of a unique artist about "water" as
the source of life for all living creatures in the universe. This
is the sequel to Land of Merapi, exhibited last year, which was
taken up as a symbol of prosperity by the community around the
Yogyakarta sultan's palace.
The performance of this offering served to complement the
opening of an installation exhibition called Tirtara, by Heri
Dono, at the Indonesian-French Institute (LIP) in Yogyakarta.
The exhibition began on July 15 and will end on Aug. 6. Dono,
who has repeatedly traveled round the world, has not only come up
with the idea for the installation using cement beams, statue
heads and cardboard pictures as the media to reflect the present
sociopolitical condition, but has begun to work on traditional
themes related to Javanese myths and culture.
"Water is found in both the microcosm and the macrocosm,
including in earth, fire, air, ether and also in the bodies of
living creatures. Unless air is well-utilized, it will enrage
nature and bring harm to living creatures," said Dono.
The 80-square-meter exhibition room is full of splashes of
sandy soil from Mt. Merapi. Tiny magnetic pieces in glass bottles
are found in a row on the sand and with the help of some
electrical power, these tiny pieces of magnet will touch the
glass of the bottles, producing, therefore, a splattering sound
like the sand on the beach splashing when hit by breaking waves.
The cows, tended by farmers, all made of galvanized iron, move
slowly with the help of a dynamo. This situation is a
reconstruction of rural farming activities, to which water is a
necessity.
Tending cows is a job that has been passed down from one
generation to another, and this shows that unemployment is
actually alien in rural areas. This is in stark comparison to
life in urban areas, where people are willing to live in highly
crowded places and vie with one another just to survive.
In the meantime, a number of pails, made from the same iron,
have some bamboo pipes coming out of them. Water flows
continuously out of these bamboo pipes and seeps into the sandy
soil as a source of life.
Two characters from Javanese shadow puppet plays, Dewa Ruci
(the ruler of the sea) and Petruk (a royal servant), both made of
bronze, are implanted in the bamboo pipes. These two characters
symbolize rulers taking the sides of the people. Tirtara, which
is a water spirit from the South Sea, is offered as a prayer with
hope that it will serve as an antidote to the physical poison now
threatening everybody's lives.
Heri Dono's aim with this installation exhibition seems to be
to make the community aware that water should not be polluted, as
otherwise it will lead to disaster. Unless water is utilized in
the best possible manner, it will put life to an end as it will
turn into inundation or protracted drought.
However, the South Sea water as a source of life for the
Yogyakarta community, as communicated by Dono in this exhibition,
is difficult for the modern community to understand. All living
creatures under the sun need water. Water is, therefore, not
intended only for certain groups of people. Water does not
originate in the South Sea alone but rather in mountain springs
running through the roots of large trees.
It may be true to think that Mt. Merapi, a volcano, and the
South Sea, are regarded as symbols of fertility and prosperity by
some Yogyakarta residents. In the old days, all kings of Java
came up with their own myths to secure power.
In this way the common people would continue to be fearful,
utilize water properly and have a sense of belonging regarding
the surrounding nature. These myths were intentionally introduced
to the people to ensure that they would not damage the
environment and would fear the king. In this way the king could
rule over his kingdom practically without any social upheaval.
Just look at what the Yogyakarta sultans have done. To draw
sympathy and demonstrate his great attention to the agricultural
needs of rural people, an irrigation canal, known as Selokan
Mataram (Mataram Canal) has been constructed in the Progo River.
The longest in South-East Asia, this irrigation canal divides the
Yogyakarta city in two.
So, when giving his thoughts to Tirtara, Dono fails to link
the position of Mt. Merapi, the palace and the South Sea, which
are all on the same axis.
Fertility and prosperity do not depend solely on the factor of
nature. Rather, they depend on the human resources to manage
nature. In fact, there are many poor people without their own
farmland or regular jobs. Many of these poor people abandon their
villages and try their fortunes in urban areas.
Artists should be familiar with myths in order to be well-
acquainted with their cultural roots. However, they must always
be on their guard to ensure that they will not be carried away by
myths and treat them as sacred. Otherwise, they will remain
distanced from reality.
To keep up with the development of circumstances, modern
artists must be able to introduce to a pluralistic community the
vision and mission of knowledge in their exhibitions.
In this way, the real Tirtara will be found, just like Bima
looking for permitasari water in the middle of an ocean, staking
his life in his fight against the dragon, which is god incarnate.