`Middle Mountain' showcases one's journey

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Middle-Earth, according to the author J.R.R. Tolkien, is "the ancient world, the quiet of the world, when there was less noise and more green".

Then what is Middle Mountain?

Middle mountain is the top view of a mountain, where the space gets smaller and smaller, shrinking to a point where it is most crucial as the sharpest and most energetic power provider, but at the same time the most dangerous and most vulnerable.

It is a space where one exiles her or himself from what's surrounding her or him, except for the natural environment -- wind, light, soil, sky and the spirit within.

While Middle-Earth is inhabited by creatures like hobbits, elves and humans, Middle Mountain is occupied by several artists, Indonesians and foreigners, who gathered and created a performance called Middle Mountain: Mirror Mirror.

Scheduled to be held this Friday on 8 p.m. at the Taksu Gallery in Kemang, Middle Mountain is a theatrical installation of dance, text, visuals and sound, produced by Arts Exchange Asia and the Gallery.

Although some people may associate Taksu with the little gallery in Ubud, Bali, or the Taksu Studio Community in Surakarta, Central Java, Taksu Gallery in Kemang is actually related to the one in Kuala Lumpur, which was set up over five years ago.

The artists who will perform on Friday are Elly Luthan, Chendra Effendy & Naui.Indonesia.com, Maria Bernadeth, Zulkifli Mohamad, Agus M. Bendul, Renjani, Ade Darmawan, Alex Supartono, John Arata, Ann Wizer, Bidhu, and Anisah Korchack & Miss X.

The theme of Middle Mountain itself represents the process and journey of a person, and a meeting point where things exist, according to a press release. The journey is a journey of reflecting oneself, like seeing oneself in the mirror, so that is where the title of the performance comes from.

The reflections of self, the release says, might come as phrases of text, stories from the past; like a child being read a story before going to sleep and the story fades away; like glimpses of light passing before us, or trains of old black and white photos; like the sound of mosquitoes circling around your head and going away.

In each journey, however, one will decide what to choose, when to start and when to stop. One might go back to what he was reflecting, but the reflection might not always be the same each time he visits that frame of mind.

Each artist will perform or exhibit his or her work in the closed and open spaces of the gallery. The gallery will have the concept of a traveling audience by using two entry points: the so-called front and back entrance/exit, which creates fluidity and a spiral effect.

The two audience groups might come across the so-called tunnel of visual images, which connects the various parts of the artists' works.

Middle Mountain: Mirror Mirror; Taksu Gallery, Jl. Kemang Barat No. 5-7, South Jakarta; Friday, 8 p.m.