'Tracking Cloth' a success

'Tracking Cloth' a success

I am writing to publicly thank the many people who made the
June to September 2002 "Tracking Cloth" exhibition a great
success. This wonderfully creative exhibition of textile and
fiber art, which toured the Indonesian cities of Denpasar,
Yogyakarta and Jakarta, was the culmination of three years work
by the Wollongong Gallery.

The exhibition demonstrated that Australian artists have been
positively influenced by their experiences with Indonesia.
Symbolically this illustrated to a wide audience that Australians
respect the Indonesian people -- a message that was very well
accepted at all levels, including the political elite and the
press (including generous coverage by The Jakarta Post).

In fact, in an extraordinary expression of warmth, Indonesian
President Megawati Soekarnoputri stated that "the exhibition had
created a symbol of goodwill between our two neighboring
nations". This goodwill was also reflected in the caliber of
exhibition patrons, which included the governor of Bali, Dewa
Beratha, the Crown Princess of Yogyakarta, Sri Gusti Pembayun,
and in Jakarta former trade minister and Indonesian Ambassador to
Singapore, Gen. (ret) Luhut Panjaitan.

Within Indonesia the exhibition was interpreted as a
sophisticated means of bringing very different people together.
Major articles appeared in Indonesian's largest daily newspapers
discussing not only the cultural merits of the works, but perhaps
more importantly, the new language of mutual respect these works
conveyed.

Most journalists commented that "Tracking Cloth" was a way of
finding social and cultural similarities, rather than just
concentrating on and illuminating differences and disagreements.
In contrast to the differences that have so often defined the
Indonesia-Australia relationship, the exhibition created a safe
space in which issues could be raised. It was a starting point.
And from these relationships of trust and understanding local
opportunities in education, business and diplomacy are already
flowing.

ROB GOODFELLOW, Wollonging University, NSW, Australia