BackRe-Environmental Arts: Collaboration, Seminar, Bedog Art Event
Submitted by Banjarmili Dance Studio / Martinus Miroto
BACKGROUND
Yogyakarta is a cultural city where many visual artists and performing artists actively explore new art approach possibilities. For example, the exploration of environmental art which their exhibitions or performances are at the nature environment or public spaces. Some visual artists have been provocatively creating environmental arts since 1980s (Heri Dono, Dadang Kristianto, Entang Wiharso, etc) and continued from generation to generation until now. In other side, production of environmental performing arts like “Meta Ekologi” (Sardono W Kusuma, 1970s) or “Kembali ke alam” (Bagong Kussudiardja, 1980s) did not followed by younger generation. Nevertheless, some young performing artists recently work on the environment spaces with cross-discipline approach.
It was an important momentum when Angela Liong, site specific choreographer from Singapore working with visual artist Han Sai Por, created and performed a new piece “Borrowed Scenery” at Bedog river Yogyakarta in 2002 based on their exploration at this river (part of Yogyakarta Arts Festival). Her unique choreographic staging with organic environmental installation art was a new performance approach for Yogyakarta audience. In 2004, another environmental performance “Totem” happened at Parangtritis beach Yogyakarta directed by Sri Hanjati who collaborate with some visual artists. Then, a big step recently was made by Garin Nugroho through his new film “Opera Jawa”. In the process of making this film, he encouraged very naturally the collaboration between visual artists and performing artists in the environment spaces which he then organically filmed. Liong, Hanjati, and Nugroho’s work are the current significant examples toward contemporary cross-discipline environmental arts approach.
CONCEPT
Based on the observation above, it is a time now to create a cross-disciplinary arts forum where performing artists and visual artists could share their creative ideas toward environmental arts. It is one of the reasons why Banjarmili Dance Studio, through ANA grant would like to host: “Re-Environmental Arts: Collaboration, Seminar, Bedog Art Event”. This forum focuses on the power of cross-disciplinary approach in the arts which is not only important for the environmental arts exploration possibilities and to strengthen its function in society, but also much important to bring life environmental issues when, in fact, our life environmental condition has been seriously damaged which caused so many disasters and global warming.
The goals of this project are:
1. Creating opportunity for visual artists and performing artists to meet, dialog, share, express, and do collaboration work.
2. Discussing the power and challenge of the environmental arts and relating to its function in society and life environment.
3. Raising issues of life environment care and rebuild human relationship with the life environment through a cross-disciplinary approach in the arts.
4. Investigating environmental arts platform possibilities.
PROGRAM
(Collaboration, Film Screening, Seminar, Events)
Collaboration, August 2nd to 8th
The collaboration between the performing artists and visual artist is a cross-disciplinary approach in the arts where performing artists and visual artist would share their creative ideas, to explore artistic possibilities and its meaning to the society and the life environment. Collaborators are artists from Jakarta, Surabaya, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, and international artists/students currently staying in Yogyakarta or Solo (total 12 artists). There will be a collaboration moderator (Melati Suryodarmo or Prapto Suryodarmo) who presides the collaborator meetings. The process of the collaboration work would be accompanied by the artistic team who assisting the artistic needs.
Opera Jawa Film Screening, August 6th 19:30
Although Opara Jawa film has been screened in Yogyakarta, only some artists have chance to watch it. It is important to screen the film again to give chance more artists to watch this successful cross-discipline approach in arts followed with discussion to examine audience (artists) respond on this experiment film that many Yogyakarta artists involved in the movie.
Seminar, August 7th. 09:00-13:00
The seminar would focus on “The power and challenge of cross-disciplinary approach in the arts” with the keynote: “The experiment in film Opera Jawa” Seminar attendance 50 persons: visual artists, performing artists, journalists, teachers, students, persons links to Departments of: culture and environment, community, international students, etc.
Cross-discipline Environmental Arts Events, August 8th
The environmental art events would exhibit the result of the collaboration work and perform the artist participant artworks (including international artists / students currently staying in Yogyakarta). The detail schedule of the collaboration work exhibition will be arranged according to the coming collaborator ideas. Technical rehearsal would be in August 7th after the seminar time and the environmental art events would be on the August 8th. There would be a ceremony on August 8th, 2008 at 8 pm, where the village leader will set fishes free in the water at Bedog river with Islamic religious traditional music (Syalawatan) by the village community followed with performances.
VENUE
Banjarmili Dance Studio is located at Kradenan village, Jalan Godean 5 km west of central city of Yogyakarta, 15 minutes by car from city or central station or 25 minutes from Adisucipto airport. The studio is at Bedog riversides with a big Loh tree, fresh spring water, and surrounded with bamboo trees. It was established in 2001 and has been actively used for dance training / rehearsals (Miroto dance co, Teater Garasi, ISI students), workshops / Master class: Mimi Rasinah (Cirebon), Janis Brenner (New York), Damiet Van Dalsum (Holland), Suprapto Suryodarmo (Solo), and hosted some performances: Angela Liong (Singapore), Ason Dance (Medan), Veronique (France), Sapto Raharjo (Yogyakarta), Miroto Dance (Yogyakarta), Dolalak (Purworejo), Wayang Thengul (Ki Sukarno, Kulonprogo), ISI Yogyakarta students. Yogyakarta Arts Festival 2002, Bedog Arts Night (2007) featuring artists from: Jepang, Kamboja, Spanyol, USA, Indonesia. Also out-door sculpture exhibition by Thoni Tarigan dan Syahrizal. The land is about 3000m2 with indoor and outdoor spaces, far from traffic noise but the sound of river and spring water. It is perfect for artistic activities purpose. At the same time the village community has been supporting artistic activities at the studio and involve as stage crews, parking arrangement, and security for the big events such as a performance event. This project will be held by Banjarmili community, a group of people (artists, farmers, lawyer, etc) who has been loyally volunteering toward the artistic activities at this studio.
Studio Facilities
Indoor Studio
Stage size : 12m x 12m
Side wing space 2m, back stage 16m x 4m
Hard floor Black vinyl
Rest rooms and simple dressing room
Outdoor Plataran
Batako (konblok) floor 20m x 10m
Outdoor Bedog Riversides
Loh old big tree, stony soils, bamboo trees
Hard floor under the Loh tree 4m x 12m
Bridge: iron construction with wooden floor 4m x 10m
Fresh spring water 2.5m x 3m deep 1m
Audience Capacity with chairs 700 – 1,000 audience
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project manager
Martinus Miroto
Artistic team (and biography)
Thoni Tarigan / sculpture artist: environment manager
Agung Gunawan / choreographer: Stage manager
Memet Chairul Slamet / music composer: Musical director
Very Andriawan: lighting designer
Thoni Tarigan: Study sculpture art at ASRI / Indonesia Visual Arts Academy (1981-91). Since 1982, he has been actively exhibiting his “figurative-bronze” style work at many galleries in Indonesia. Some of his works are collected by Indonesian, Holland, China collectors. He has been active at API (Indonesian sculpture artists Association).
Agung Gunawan: Graduated from High School of Arts Yogyakarta (1990). Dancer of Suryo Kencono Classical Dance (1990-now). Dancer of Bagong Dance Theater (1989-2000) , dancer of Miroto Dance Co. (1999-now). He also experienced as a costume designer for dance and stage manager for performing arts performances.
Memet Chairul Slamet: Music instructor at Indonesia Institute of Arts Yogyakarta. Graduated from ISI Surakarta (graduate program) in 2005. Founder, manager and composer of Gangsa Dewa Music which recently performed at Perth Royal Show (Australia). MURI record for the 1700 musicians for his performance. He also a music composer for dance, theater, and TV movie.
Very Adrian : Graduated from Dance department, ISI Yogyakarta in 2004. Has been 7 years to working as a lighting designer and stage manager including working with for Miroto Dance co. and Sawung Jabo music concerts, etc.
Secretary
Haposan Gilbert Manurung (lawyer)
Treasures
Tri Yuli Setyasari (art manager)
Sumadi (farmer)
Program coordinators / stage manager
Sudiharto (performer)
Anter Asmarateja (performer)
Assistants
(Hospitality, consumption, L.O., First aid)
Fifi Dwiyani (art manager)
Yeni Krismaria (dancer)
Elizabeth Nila (dance student)
Stage crews
Aji Purwantyo (dancer)
Cakil Widyatmoko (dancer)
Enceng (farmer)
Sumaryono (farmer)
Parjimin (farmer)
Sunarto (electric technician)
Parking and security
Kradenan village community