Art Summit to focus on social realism

Art Summit to focus on social realism

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): On Saturday night, Art Summit Indonesia II;
Performing Arts, a one-month international festival of
contemporary performing arts, is launched in Jakarta.

The event, which lasts until Oct. 19, is being held at the
Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center and Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.

A series of high-standard performances in the fields of music,
dance and theater will be presented by internationally acclaimed
artists from the eight participating countries: Indonesia, United
States, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland and
Japan. Egyptian representatives canceled at the last moment.

Holding such a festival at this critical time when the
majority of Indonesians are starving and the country's political
and economic conditions are crumbling might well offend many
parties.

Edi Sedyawati, director general of culture at the Ministry of
Education and Culture, argued that the festival was not aiming to
be a grand extravaganza.

"This second art summit can indeed be considered a first test
of its potential to survive as a periodic (three-yearly)
international festival held and hosted by Indonesia," said Edi,
who is also chairwoman of the event's advisory board, the
National Steering Committee.

The first festival, Art Summit Indonesia: Music and Dance, was
held in l995 to commemorate Indonesia's 50th anniversary of
independence and was considered a success.

"We have been arranging it for the last three years, before
the country was hit by serious economic and political upheavals.
If we cancel this event, Indonesia's name will be at risk in the
international art community," Edi commented.

Sal Murgiyanto, a noted scholar and dance critic, added that
this year's Art Summit will be far from glamourous. Instead, it
will provide local audiences with alternative and quality art
enriched with philosophical ideas and superb techniques.

"The majority of the performances to be staged at the coming
event are actually reflections of the current social conditions
in Indonesia and other countries," said Murgiyanto, a member of
the organizing committee's artistic board.

Citing an example, W.S. Rendra's Bengkel Teater's play Suku
Naga (Dragon Tribe) and Teater Mandiri's Ngeh (Understand) will
invite the audience to ponder a variety of social issues from
different perspectives.

"These theatrical works touch on everything from daily things
to sensitive social, economic and political issues many common
people are not aware of. The audience will be given an
opportunity for self-contemplation," he explained.

In the dance field, Indonesian choreographer Gusmiati Suid
presents her newest composition, Api Dalam Sekam (Fire in the
Chaffs), to warn people of the hidden threat of the collapse of
the country's social order that may possibly endanger their lives
and the nation.

Social realism

Germany's Bremer Tanztheater, led by famous choreographer
Susanne Linke, will also stage dance compositions rooted in
social realism. The birth of Tanztheater, a fusion of dance and
theater, was inspired by the country's social and political chaos
in the early l960s.

The turmoil inspired young and idealistic choreographers to
transmit their social and political thoughts through their works.

Japan's Butoh Dance has similar philosophical ideas. Yukio
Waguri, a Butoh dancer, said in his preliminary visit to Jakarta
last July that Butoh was created in the early l950s when Japan
was also hit by serious social, political and economic upheavals.

Waguri analogized the situation in Japan in the early l950s
with the present Indonesia's. "The spirit of Butoh is well suited
to the current situation in Indonesia," Waguri said, as quoted by
Inami Kazumi, assistant director of the Japan Foundation in
Jakarta.

In addition, the Art Summit Indonesia will show how
contemporary performing arts have united artists of different
cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.

According to Murgiyanto, the history of performing arts in the
20th century is a story of artists being inspired by and
incorporating the forms of other cultures, processes commonly
called interculturalism and intraculturalism.

Interculturalism deals with the process of interaction between
one culture and its foreign counterparts while intraculturalism
refers to the process of interaction within certain culture.

The collaboration of the Alvin Lucier Ensemble, led by one of
the most prominent American contemporary composers, with the
Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble chaired by Indonesian artists Sumarsam
and I.M Harjito will be one of the best examples of
interculturalism at the coming Art Summit. One of their works,
Music for Voices and Gamelan Instruments, (l998), was written
especially for the Art Summit in appreciation of its desire to
promote experimental music throughout the world.

Japanese contemporary music composer Toshi Tsuchitori of
Spiral Arms and some musicians from the Surakarta Arts Institutes
will also present joint projects.

Another important intercultural project is being created by
Indonesian composer Tony Prabowo and the New Jakarta Ensemble.

In his work, Tony involves local artists from the Yogyakarta
Arts Institute and international artists: conductor Josefino
Chino Toledo from the Philippines and Canadian violist Stephanie
Griffin.

Going global

While Indonesians are busy talking about going global, many of
the country's contemporary artists have already set up a strong
foothold in the international contemporary performing arts. To
name a few: composers Tony Prabowo, Paul Gutama and Franki Raden,
dancers/choreographers Sardono W. Kusumo, Sulistyo, Miroto, Linda
Hoemar, Gusmiati Suid and Ditta Miranda who works with the Bremer
Tanztheater.

Slamet Abdul Sjukur, chairman of the Indonesian Composers'
Association, said that they are almost "unknown" in their own
countries but are well respected in the international community.

"The Art Summit Indonesia will be a great moment for the local
audience to watch performances by their own nation's artists with
such high international reputations," commented Slamet, a member
of the artistic board.

Despite being less grandiose than the first Art Summit, this
year's event will be similar in term of artistic quality.

Saini K.M., chairman of the organizing committee, admitted
that many factors, including the political and economic
conditions in Indonesia, might have hampered the implementation
of this year's art summit.

"But this is the real challenge for us, to prove that art
activities still deserve attention despite the distressing
situation," Saini explained.

The foreign artists' participation is being supported by
foreign cultural centers and the embassies of the participating
countries.

"Some of the artists have sought their own sponsors to finance
their travel to Indonesia. We are only providing accommodation
here. We gratefully appreciate their enthusiasm," added Saini.

The Art Summit Indonesia's Rp 2 billion (US$185,000) to Rp 3
billion budget may be regarded as too much of a money-consuming
activity, according to Putu Wijaya.

"The shortage of basic commodities has dismayed society.
Spending money on other than basic needs is extravagant," said
Putu.

But now, he said, is the right time to prove that the arts is
one of the nation's valuable assets. A song, a poem, a novel, a
painting, film, theater performance and music recitals are not
created just for entertainment although they are entertaining.

The arts are meant to heal troubled souls and to enrich the
people's intellectual and emotional lives.

"The arts is a means to build the nation from the inside and
the Art Summit Indonesia could provide the ailing Indonesian
people with self-enrichment," said Putu.