Marketing art and culture to help end crisis

By Franki Raden

JAKARTA (JP): At the time when the gamelan, as an Indonesian product of art and culture, is becoming part of the global music culture and the export of gamelan instruments is a source of foreign exchange that brings in billions of rupiah, here gamelan makers are becoming increasingly rare.

There was certainly something odd in the culture of politics run by Soeharto during his regime. Art and culture was apparently only seen as a lifeless symbol or a heritage that had to be conserved.

The importance of gamelan music was glorified by officials who stated that we were a civilized nation which had inherited a supreme culture, although the community that brought life to it never received any attention. It is not rare that art, mainly traditional art, is manipulated in such a way as to become a propaganda tool.

The concept of conservation itself is static and artificial, besides it is very costly. Furthermore, the cultural diversity of Indonesia is immense. In the final instance the programs of conservation often become a source of manipulation by the related government officials.

Billions, perhaps even trillions, of rupiah were wasted during 32 years of the Soeharto regime to "conserve" Indonesian art and culture. The reality shows that we are witnessing the dissolution of the tradition of gamelan making which is capable of generating huge amounts of foreign exchange and has contributed significantly to the development of world music culture since the 19th century.

Besides, the concept of conservation is actually only suitable to be applied to extinct art and culture. The Japanese government, for example, does this especially for the art of the Kabuki theater and Gagaku music which indeed are no longer part of the country's daily life.

Cultural traditions in Indonesia still live on in the community, from the cultural tradition of communities living in the interior of the country, like the Dayak in Kalimantan and the Dani in Irian Jaya, to the cultural tradition of the Betawi community which lives in metropolitan Jakarta.

Therefore, the concept of conservation is a concept that is not suitable for implementation in the cultural life of our society. If we really intend to "conserve" the artistic-cultural life of our traditional communities, the way to do it is to enable the community to carry on with their cultural livelihood amid the changes that herald the modern era.

In other words, the government must have the right concepts in place in order that the transformation process of the traditional community to a modern community can occur without destroying the foundation of livelihood which have become a tradition for hundreds of years.

Toward the fall of the New Order, Soeharto's regime made a small breakthrough in its cultural policies. Art and culture were given some prominence by placing them in the tourism ministry in addition to the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The implication was art and culture were no longer seen as an heirloom that had to be merely conserved, but as a source that could be relied on to improve on the people's welfare through economic growth that was being pushed by the development of the tourism sector and the culture industry as earners of foreign exchange.

In this context it was surely expected that art and culture would become saleable commodities. If so, it is logical that they must be produced continuously. Capital would certainly be required. In other words, the government was apparently prepared to disburse funds to push the art and culture production sector in Indonesia so as to market its commodities in the context of the development of the industry of culture and tourism.

That is what was being done by Malaysia and Singapore. To implement this program the Malaysian government established a body named Panggung Negara that is responsible for the production of the works of theater directors, choreographers and composers, through a very strict selection of quality.

The government and Petronas (Malaysia's state-owned oil company) have also built a theater of international standard, the National Theater, and a concert hall to host these high-quality works.

Furthermore, for potential artists who fall short of qualifying for the national theater or the concert hall, there is the Panggung Eksperimental to accommodate them. The programs there are run by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Art.

It can be imagined that with this serious program and investment Malaysia will be ready to sell its cultural products abroad in the free trade era that begins in 2003. Singapore too has stated that it will be an international art and culture marketing center.

Therefore, in the context of facing the problems of the culture industry in the future, it is the right decision to give the highest position in the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture to somebody with a business or economic background like Abdul Latief or Marzuki Usman.

The minister does not need to get deeply involved in matters of art and culture to make them a source of foreign exchange earnings. However, he must be assisted by a director general of art and culture and a staff who fully understand the norms and ethics in artistic and cultural life so that when the products must be sold, both domestically and internationally, it will not be detrimental to the existence of the resource itself. The key to the problems is the ability of the ministry to combine market logic and art logic.

Commodities

Basically the concept of art and culture as a commodity is far more productive and realistic than treating them as political rhetoric, a lifeless symbol or an heirloom needing conservation. In the cultural global environment of capitalism, there is hardly any artistic product that cannot be turned into a commodity. Even experimental art products initially meant to combat the current malaise are finally turned into commodities.

One example is the works of the Dada artists of the 1920s which at the time were considered radical. Now, one of them, a work by Marcel Duchamp, has become a very precious work of art.

Another example, Soho and East Village in New York, known as centers of experimental art, have become extremely attractive tourism areas. The 24-hour life in these localities draws many tourists.

In this case, the role and capability of the artists to change Soho and East Village, depressed areas in the 1970s, into dynamic and unique centers popular among professionals, yuppies and tourists, cannot be considered lightly. Their presence injects life into avant garde music concerts, alternative galleries and off-off Broadway theaters.

In other words, experimental art is a highly saleable asset in the tourism world. Artists need not worry about presenting their products according to market taste. The market needs to be introduced to the nature and logic of the life of the art world which they buy. The art and culture industry needs an economist who is able to attract the market to buy the artists' works using the market's language, not the artists' language.

In the current critical economic situation the tourism sector can clearly play a greater role in supporting the continuity of the life of art and culture in this country. Through the revenues of the tourism sector the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture can channel its funds to artists, both traditional and modern, to continue with their creative work and conserve cultural traditions in this country.

Without an established tradition of art and culture, when the Free Trade Era starts in 2003, this country will not only lose out in competition to other countries, it will also be very fragile vis-a-vis the penetration of culture from outside.

Maybe we all could learn from the Dayak community in the interior of East Kalimantan. My research a few years ago concluded that even in the worst economic situation they still had a high capacity for survival because they could incorporate art and cultural activities in their daily lives.

They did not prioritize only the search for basic foodstuffs. At the same time they constructed lamin (longhouses) which were the center for all their art and cultural activities.