City captured world of four ages in 'Catur Yuga'

City captured world of four ages in 'Catur Yuga'

JAKARTA (JP): The circle of time versus the linear lines of
it.

With this as its concept, the Swiss Embassy, The Goethe
Institute in Jakarta and the Jakarta Playhouse are presenting an
arts exhibition and a contemporary music and dance performance
called Catur Yuga.

The dance and musical performance is scheduled for July 22 at
the playhouse in Central Jakarta at 8 p.m., while the nine-day
arts exhibition will open on the same day at the Regent Hotel in
South Jakarta.

The Hindu concept of the cyclical emergence, destruction,
reemergence of life and the cosmos, as opposed to the Western
"linear" understanding of the cosmic process -- with a beginning
and an end -- forms the primary background for the Catur Yuga
project.

Catur Yuga is Sanskrit for the four world ages -- Kreta Yuga
(golden age of holy times), Treta Yuga (a time for sacrifice to
make up for the quarterly decline in truth and righteousness),
Dvaparaya Yuga (the Age of Realism without Contemplation) and
Kali Yuga (the current "World Age" characterized by low morality,
materialism, individualism and war). The Catur Yuga performance
here will portray the infusion of "linear" influences into
cyclical times.

The musical program consists of three interesting
compositions. While I Ketut Cater of Bali rewrote his composition
Kreta Masa, Thomas Kessler of Switzerland and Dieter Mack of
Germany will make use of 24-member gamelan orchestra Anggur Jaya
as a means to express their individual Western compositions with
Parabel (Kessler) and Catur (Mack).

Having learned the gamelan for 20 years, Mack said the
performance would be more of a "confrontation" than a compromise
between two factors: traditional and contemporary music.

"You will not see a compromise; that would mean getting a mesh
of a half of something and another half of something," Mack said.

"What we have here is a question-and-answer thing going on
between traditional and contemporary music, it's like a healthy
debate."

Swiss choreographer Esther Sutter spoke of her choreography, A
Break in Time, which is one of two choreographies to be presented
tonight. Her choreography will be performed by the Sonia
Carioni/Daniel Almada Ensemble for Dance and Electronic Music.

"A Break In Time is about nature's four elements, namely air,
fire, earth and water (representing cyclical times; Catur Yuga)
moving in time to gamelan music. All of this represents
traditionalism," Esther said about her four-dancer choreography.

"The break-in comes with electronic music, composed by
Balinese musician I Nyoman Windha, and theatrics to enforce its
significance comes with shadow play of wayang kulit (shadow
leather puppets).

"I use the shadow play to portray fear; to make changes seem
bigger-than-life; like danger breaking in."

She said she saw the "break-in" as a representation of the
lifestyle of today as well.

"Now, there is just too much traffic and pollution, not like
in the old days."

The art exhibition comprises original works by Balinese artist
Made Wianta and Swiss artist Andreas Straub. It shows an
installation of different artistic media, including drawings in
black and white. The Swiss artist recorded them in Bali while the
Balinese recorded his in Switzerland.

In conjunction with the concept of Catur Yuga, a composers and
musicians' workshop organized in collaboration with the
Association of Indonesian Composers (AKI), will be held at The
Goethe Institute Jakarta, Jl. Matraman Raya 23, East Jakarta,
July 23, at 7 p.m.

The Swiss Embassy is celebrating 150 years of the modern Swiss
state this year. (ylt)