Art Temple Art unites multicultural artists

Art Temple Art unites multicultural artists

By Putu Wirata

TEJAKULA, Buleleng, Bali (JP): Dozens of national and overseas artists gathered at Pura Teja Amerta in a remote village of Tejakula, Buleleng, North Bali, taking part in a unique multicultural festival called Sharing Time l999 Art Temple Art, held earlier this month.

For more than a week, distinguished artists from Indonesia, Britain, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, Italy, the United States and other countries displayed their artistic expressions to pursue spiritual fulfillment.

Balinese artists performed traditional arts like wayang wong (Balinese puppet theater), wayang kulit (leather puppet) and a large variety of Balinese dances and other entertainment which attracted the foreign artists and visitors at the festival.

An artist from Padepokan Lemah Putih in Surakarta, Central Java, Suprapto Suryodarmo, said the event was a forum to unite artists from different cultural and religious background in a harmonious way.

Chosen as the event's venue was a pura (temple) originally built for cultural events.

"The Tejakula villagers wanted us to purify Pura Teja Amerta as a place of worship," said Suprapto, who organized the event.

For Suprapto and other artists at the festival, the Tejakula villagers' acceptance was a manifestation of religious and cultural tolerance.

Pura Teja Amerta has been used for several art and cultural activities which brought together local and overseas artists who are not all believers of Hinduism.

During the event, Suprapto performed a spiritual dance called Alang-Alang Kumitir which explored the "inner act" movements.

"It is a ritual to enrich our souls," he said.

Artists from Makassar (formerly Ujungpandang), South Sulawesi, presented Pakarena, performed by a female dancer.

The Pakarena dance contains high philosophical values for the seafaring Makassar community.

The Pakarena dance was accompanied by traditional instruments like drums, cymbals and bamboo flutes.

The dance was followed by a special ritual called Apanaung, which was dedicated to honor the god of fish.

A Tejakula dancer, Nyoman Tusna, said, "It is similar to the mapakelem ritual performed by Balinese fishermen to worship Baruna, the god of the sea."

The Pakarena dance and Apanaung rituals are pre-Islamic arts which are still preserved by the Makassarese Islamic society.

The rituals have similar origins to those performed in Bali, Java and other regions in Indonesia.

"Although the Makassarese are mostly Muslims, culture and arts inherited from ancestors and the Hindu period still flourish," said Suprapto.

This was an indication of the strong link between the past and the present. It was also made clear that Indonesians are actually tolerant people.

Most of the Western artists involved in the event were looking to the philosophical wisdom of the East. The Yoga practice, inner force and martial arts fascinated foreign artists.

For artists and professionals like Harada from Japan and Sarah from Britain, the event brought new spiritual enlightenment.

In addition to performing arts and various contemplative activities, the event also exhibited installation arts by artist Firman Djamil from Makassar and Harada from Japan.

Firman built a stage based on Lagagilo cosmology adopted by the Bugis-Makassar community. The Lagagilo is a legendary story of the origin of the Bugis people.

Firman put together heaps of clay potteries, banana trees, sarongs, plants, stones, sand and other natural items to create his installation.

Together with other artists from Makassar, Firman performed a ritual dance taken from the Lagagilo, an oral tradition estimated to have existed since the 11th century and 12th century.

While preparing his installation, Firman was warned by Tejakula villagers to be alert because the venue was surrounded by forested areas filled with shady trees believed to be the home of the invisible inhabitants, spirits and demons.

"We didn't intend to disturb the village's activities and the surrounding environment, therefore, we held a ritual to get permission from the village and the 'inhabitants' of the forest," said Firman.

Japanese artist Harada constructed a circle made of used boards and wood spiraling up to form a stupa-like structure.

Concurrently, Harada's circle matched with Firman's installation.

Firman's work reminds art lover of the work of Balinese artist Nyoman Erawan, who is famous for blending performing arts and religious ceremonial elements.

Through his installation, the smiling Japanese artist wanted to tell a story of environmental damage caused by logging activities in world's forests.

The pieces of used boards and wood in his work symbolize an environmental nightmare. In Japan and other countries, Harada has displayed installation works presenting trigonometric statues, as well as other forms of installations in coastal areas, on mountainsides and even in offices and public parks.

In Bali, he had to display his work at a scared temple with a Hindu atmosphere. Although he was quite surprised, he admitted he had a remarkable spiritual journey into another cultural world.

The venue incorporated Islam and Hindu (represented by Firman's work), Buddhism-Sinto-Zenism (Harada's) and the Balinese artists' Hindu background.

Religious and cultural differences could become sources of conflict for many people, especially narrow-minded politicians. The artists, however, regard them as an oasis for harmony as clearly shown during their close collaboration during the Art Temple Art festival.