Locals organize cultural festival

Boudewijn Brands, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Gejawan is a village off Jl. Wates, seven kilometers west of Yogyakarta, a bit away on the south of this busy, smoky road. It is a quiet village with sounds and noises coming from playing children, chicken and ducks and the mosque at the prescribed times.

The residents are mostly farmers producing rice and watermelons. A river flows slowly through the village. Do you expect the people here to visit art galleries in Yogyakarta?

A Yogyakarta artist, Ouda Teda Ena, has criticized the lack of public confrontation with art (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 22, 2002). As he said, "People read about exhibitions through publications".

If they do go to exhibitions, they might well be put off by the prices asked for the art works. This has been picked up by some inhabitants of Gejawan Wetan.

Not so many artists live in this village as for example Nitiprayan in another part of Yogyakarta. The resident artists, however, are also members of Ouda's Kelompok Sepi (Marginal Group) and they took the initiative to organize a cultural event in the village.

A proposal was made, including a budget and sent to the regent of Sleman. No reaction from that side. But the village head and many friends and art groups were enthusiastic and offered their help.

Some gave money and some donated in kind (the invitations). So on Sept. 15, a cultural week was opened with a full afternoon of activities and with activities for each remaining day of the week. All was unofficial but very effective.

The focus is certainly not on contemporary art alone. The committee of organizers has a list of 23 persons and institutions involved. For the artists, art and culture are important, for the village head classical Javanese culture combined with a curiosity of what artists can do and the wish to improve quality of life and behavior of his villagers.

This resulted in the theme Seni Penyadaran (wake-up art or awareness art).

The main local problem is the bad habit of throwing poison into the river to catch fish and throwing non-biodegradable waste at every corner, a lot of it ending up in the river as well.

Activities were defined and manpower organized. Gregg Susanto, a student at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI), coordinated the procession with the village head.

The procession held last Sunday, included a group of soldiers wearing the garb of the Mataram kingdom, Kuda Lumping (horse dancers), a group from Teater Bocah from Magelang, Reza Mime Club, Teater Anak Wayang Yogyakarta joined. During the rest of the week, each of these groups will perform separately in the evening followed by a discussion.

Fajaral Kurniadi, also an ISI student, became coordinator for art installations. He guided 20 local youngsters to make their own statues or installations based on locally available natural materials.

The other 21 also had specific tasks. To decorate the village, several artists made works on the spot and/or combined them with temporary exhibitions.

Waste products were thus transformed into a gallery open and free for all. To make the villagers aware, waste plastic was used in abundance in the artists installations. The accompanying message is that it spoils the river and blocks the flow of water hence causing floods in times of heavy rain.

Part of the procession was also a group solemnly carrying young fish, specially bought for the occasion that were ceremonially released into the river. There they will grow up healthily and become food for all the villagers. At the same time a fishing competition was organized.

Artist S. Teddy D. donated a life-sized statue that had an empty space for it's heart. This reminds us that the river has a heart too which should, as well as with men, not be taken out. The heart or spirit being the capacity to house and support life.

Artist Bob Yudhita Agung, villagers and friends, were allocated a fence lining the "main road" in the village. He made small statues of used wood and painted them. They look like funny, small creatures all lined up along the fence.

Jamalludin Malik made a paper installation and showed his surrealistic and abstract works. The villagers that participated in scare-crow making displayed their creations everywhere. The activities will last until Sept. 22. Teddy's statue is for keeps and the other installations will stay until they fade away.

The village is a good attraction for visitors who want to see a village. With about half the population Islam and the other half Catholic, it is an example of harmony and friendliness. A real positive place in contemporary Indonesia.

-- Farmers Cultural Festival will close on Sept. 22, 2002 at Gejawan Wetan, Bale Catur, km 7 south, Jl. Wates, Gamping, Sleman, Yogyakarta.