Goethe's new venue to refresh cultural ties

Christina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta

East meets West: A German choreographer experiences new dance elements by cooperation with Javanese dancers. Music meets literature: An Indonesian composer creates solo music performances inspired by German poems. Modern meets tradition: Indonesian students perform a traditional German theater play - about corruption in a small town.

Intercultural exchanges -- not only in the meaning of bringing two cultures together, but also of mixing different disciplines of art -- might sometimes be a very difficult discipline. It needs a certain freedom of opinion and information as well as room for unrestrained artistic expression.

Therefore it is, if successfully carried out, a rarity to find in an advanced form. During the next few weeks, on the occasion of the opening of the new GoetheHaus on Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9-15 in Menteng, Central Jakarta, the public will be able to witness such expression.

This month, almost a hundred German and Indonesian artists will perform in the new 300-seat events hall at the recently moved Goethe-Institut Jakarta -- one of 128 German Cultural Centers worldwide, which has been an important part of the capital's cultural life for the past 41 years.

"Our principle is not only presenting cultural events, but also initiating a dialog with the artistic and intellectual community in our host country," the institute's director Peter J. Bumke said.

"Therefore we are very happy, that we are now able to offer, with our new facilities, a comfortable space, which is available as much to us as to our Indonesian and other European partners and their programs."

The opening ceremony on May 12 (by invitation only) will highlight two of the longtime cooperative efforts that exist between German and Indonesian artists.

Dancer and choreographer Henrietta Horn, still well-known from the Art Summit 2001, will perform an experimental modern dance together with 20 dancers from Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.

Two solos and a boisterous whistle study of the whole ensemble will represent, "the first severe endurance test for the new stage in GoetheHaus", as director Bumke puts it.

For the occasion, Indonesian composer Tony Prabowo created five new compositions, inspired by the poems of two German and two Indonesian poets: Else Lasker-Schueler, Eva Christina Zeller, Chairil Anwar and Goenawan Mohamad. The opening will show the setting of lyricist Eva's Requiem stanza Sister Time.

The music, partly pre-recorded in a studio, will be heard quadrophonically from four different sides, while singer Nyak Ina Raseuki (better known as Ubiet) will give a live performance together with Saxophonist Budi Winarto.

"There was no question to require Tony Prabowo's work for this special event, and we are very happy, that he granted our wish," says Detlef Gericke-Schoenhagen, head of the cultural department of the Goethe-Institut Jakarta.

"He's been a friend of our house for 20 years, and I dare to say that his art might be influenced by German literature, film and music history as he experienced it already as a student."

All of Tony's pieces will be played again on May 13 and May 14 at 7 p.m., and it will be open to the public with free entrance.

The performances this weekend will be followed by a series of other intercultural highlights - most notably, Heinrich von Kleist's classical German theater play The Broken Jug shown by the Teater Sastra theater group from the University of Indonesia on May 16 at 7 p.m., as well as the performance of the Gumarang Sakti Dance Company just before their depart for the international Transit-Festival in Berlin.

Young artists, modern themes as well as interactive events should help to focus on younger audiences and to attract them as much as their parents to cultural topics - such is the wish of the Institute's director Peter J. Bumke.

The concert by a German Jazz music ensemble, the Guenter Adler Quartet on May 23 at 7 p.m. and a multimedia performance by dancer Chris Haring on May 25 at 7 p.m. seem to underline this intention.

The courtyard with a cafeteria in the back of the new hall will certainly support the concept -- even if Peter has to admit, that their won't be German sausages or potato salad on the menu.

Last but not least, Indonesian film giant Garin Nugroho's moving images will round out the opening month's program. The subtitled films Surat Untuk Bidadari (A Letter to An Angel, May 27, 7 p.m.), Puisi tak terkuburkan (Undying Poem, May 28, 7 p.m.) and Rembulan Di Ujung Dahan (A Moon on the Tip of A Branch, May 29, 5 p.m.) will be accompanied by a photo exhibition in the foyer of the Goethe-Institut (from May 22 to May 29, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and the presentation of the book Reading Garin's Films.

"Thanks to the new facilities we now have the chance to combine several events covering one topic as we do now with Garin's art", Detlef said.

"I'm sure that our house will therefore become a newly refreshed, yet longtime meeting point for all kind of arts, young and old, East and West."

All programs at the Goethe-Institut are free of charge. For more information call (021) 2355-0208.