Contest: The importance of being different

Contest: The importance of being different

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): "It's a pity that progress in photography in
Indonesia did not feature in Rana Citra 1994 as it did in the
previous Rana Citra competitions," the chairman of the team of
judges, Wisaksono Noeradi, remarked in a speech prior to the
revelation of contest winners.

"It is also a pity that Rana Citra 1994, the exhibition of
which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Republic of
Indonesia, cannot be used to gauge the progress of women in an
independent environment," he said on May 26.

The Rana Citra 1994 photo exhibit with the theme "Life of
Indonesian Women", which ran from May 27 to June 1, consisted
predominantly of images of rural life: picking tea leaves,
transporting goods to trade, and finally selling them in the
market. But as a whole, the exhibition illustrated the
significance of women in the village economy.

Boediardjo, a member of the team of judges, concluded that
"human interest is prominent. Village women seems to be in
trend."

It seemed that many photographers saw in rural life an exotic
potential for spectacle. Therefore, they used the rural landscape
as their hunting ground.

Other judges also conveyed their concerns. Muchtar Lubis
remarked that the works "stressed the life of the lower strata of
the society, as if emancipation had not occurred. Social change
should also be reflected".

Ami Priyono saw that "Indonesian women of the present times
are very dynamic", but found that "this is not yet apparent" in
the photo contest. Astari Rasjid commented that, "Most perceived
Indonesian women as old women, who live in hardship, whereas the
activities of our women are tremendously varied."

While the judges expressed their opinions in different ways,
it was clear that they were disappointed with the photographs
submitted by participants.

Niniek L. Kariem addressed the problem directly. She thought
that "the participants of the contest feel that the only
Indonesian women who are suitable to be the subjects of their
photography are those who are old, ugly, and live in hardship.
Hence, Indonesian women are portrayed as if they do not face life
with optimism, but rather with passivity and apathy".

The trend toward the depiction of village women worked to the
disadvantage of some talented photographers, because although
their work might have been quite sound artistically, their
subject matter was not popular among the contest judges.

However, frankly, none of the works are outstanding. Although
many paid a great deal of attention to lighting, most used it
conventionally. The use of streaking light entering kitchens or
other enclosed spaces, for example, was clearly a photographic
clich. Most of the entries appeared to be snapshots taken
without much attention to timing and framing.

None seemed to use time exposure, an effective means of
portraying movement and dynamism. Even the photograph of a
disabled Javelin sportswoman, which won second prize, failed to
capture the dynamic thrust of the spear. Nonetheless, it did show
the high-spirited determination of the woman clearly.

The comments of another judge, noted photographer Alain
Compost, was suggestive of the expectations of the jury.

"In fact, Indonesian women are able to quickly become
independent, but among the submitted photographs only a few show
this. Now the roles of Indonesian women have expanded into every
field of technology and modernized life."

The winning photograph seemed to be chosen because of this
need to show progress. The photograph by Rasdi portrayed a woman
in the traditional Moslem headdress working on a component of an
aircraft at Bandung's IPTN factory. Indeed, the photographer
deserves commendation for his insightful choice of depicting the
role of women in technological progress. This certainly
distinguished his work from the rest of the entries.

However, to be frank, there is nothing technically or
artistically special about the photograph. At first glance, it
seemed to be taken with a pocket camera and direct flash. The
reflection on the woman's fingers indicated this use of flash.

The photographer's explanation that he used more complicated
lighting, including two high powered flashes, further diminishes
the merit of the depiction. If he had that kind of equipment, he
should have been able to create a better image. He could have
eliminated disturbing shadows in front of the subject and on her
lower jaw and chin. He also could have focused more lighting on
the device she was manipulating, enhancing the image. It is hard
to say that the winning photograph, despite its distinct subject
matter, is the best work of photography in the exhibit.

It is clear that because it was different, Rasdi's photograph
was on the cutting edge in the competition.

However, the choice of the jurors should not have been based
merely on the selection of subject matter. Artistic and
photographic merit should have been considered as well.

The practice of limiting prizes to commendations, without
selecting winners due to the lack of outstanding photographs --
common a few years ago -- might have been a wiser decision.

The submissions to the Rana Citra 1994 photo contest are
evidence that many photographers still seek out exotic objects in
their approach to photography. Hence, the contest failed to
provide a comprehensive view of the life of Indonesian women.

However, all of this does serve to remind us that far too many
Indonesians, men and women alike, still live in poverty. The fact
that people still face such hardship paints an ugly portrait of
this nation's harshest reality.