think archipelago, Volume 9, May 2015

International edition

Volume 9 May 2015

Nasib Orang Utan. Bisque. 2012. Lim Keng Sien.

Contents

Page I 3

Quarterly review Page I 4

Penangkapan Diponegoro restoration The essence of tap water Bogor Heritage Run 2015

Archipelago section Page I 5

Siti Fatimah tragic romance

Page I 9

The sum of Stefano Bollani’s tenacity

Page I 13

When Betawi meets jazz

Page I 17

University of rest and relax, Lim Keng Sien in retrospective

Page I 27

BRI towers at twilight

World section Page I 33

The cliff settlement

The road least traveled Page I 39

The dwindling farm land

Depth Anger. M Yunizar Mursyidi.

Quarterly review

Page I 4

February April

March

Clockwise from top: The forty grand dollars worth of restoration overview of Raden Saleh’s three paintings. The 1857 realistic painting Penangkapan Diponegoro implies pejorative meaning towards the Dutch colonials. It is now the most celebrated Indonesian historical artwork, but repairing the damage done after being displayed for several decades in State Palace suggests a mistreatment at the hands of our own; The latest data on national water consumption showed a huge supply gap between the national tap water company PAM and the private bottled water companies operating in Indonesia. PAM provided 3.2 billion litres of tap waters in 2013, whereas the bottled water sales in that year reached 20.3 billion litres. The sales number rose to 23.9 billion litres the following year. This indicates that the government still fall short of meeting the demand for water, an essential human needs. Hence it implicates to human rights issues. Indonesia established PAM on ground of securing water access for national consumption; The 6-kilometer Bogor Heritage Run, which saw over 1500 participants on Sunday, 19 April, promotes cultural heritage sites in Bogor, West Java, and raises awareness to preserve such priceless city assets, said the host Panorama Events. Not only the residents benefitted specifically, but also the tourism sector in general, Bima Arya Sugiarto, who despite having admitted some shortcomings in running the first-held running event, planned to increase its prestige to international level.

Siti Fatimah tragic romance

Page I 5 Archipelago section

After From Benteng With Love in Taman Anggrek Mal, Jakarta, three months later at Galeri Indonesia Kaya the Operet Babah Encim staged another love-theme work Legenda Cinta Pulau Kemaro, which is based on a folktale from South Sumatra about interracial tragic romance between king of Palembang’s daughter Siti Fatimah and a Chinese merchant Tan Bun An, a fortune and love seeker.

Established in 2007, they were initially known as a group of musicians Nanfeng Nusantara who promoted Chinese-Indonesian culture in and outside the country, as far as to Shanghai World Expo in 2010. Furthermore, when undertaking theater performance, the members were multitasked with both playing music and acting.

They carried out a multitude of musical genres, albeit with a strong tendencies to pop, or the creativity to synthesize distinctive styles from many continents. While their musical versatility is out of question, the quality of acting, besides the two leading roles, received general assessment due to loose dialogue, for which it weakens the structure in the script.

Nevertheless, the witty Operet Babah Encim accomplished their cultural presentation in ways of enjoyment in getting to know one of the fictional tales in the archipelago, and a celebration to the diversity we all live in now.

Auditorium Galeri Indonesia Kaya, Grand Indonesia West Mall Lt.8, Jakarta

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The sum of Stefano Bollani’s tenacity

Page I 9 Archipelago section

In 1996 Stefano Bollani chose to drop all he has worked for in pop since he first took a professional path at his teenage years, and in his solo concert at Usmar Ismail Hall, Jakarta, 28 April, the Italian pianist showed his aptitude, more of nurtured than inherent, after over 15 years of dedication in jazz. He left traces of his childhood aspiration to become a singer by singing a couple of songs in melancholy for Jakarta audience, meanwhile he was sure not to let them miss the anticipation having him played out one of his best talents: swing, especially after his last performance in Jakarta seven years ago.

He played an American instrumental tune Out of Nowhere, besides several other, most notably was the Frank Zappa’s Bobby Brown, an amusing way to keep the audience stay up throughout the the second half of the one and a half hour concert.

Bollani’s entertaining skill besides the impeccable stage play proved to be a crucial part in making his Asian tour successful. Taking a direct flight from Hong Kong, Bollani did not show any breakdown in a tight schedule. From blues, tango, to two of his own classic-influenced compositions, and supported by Boston grand piano while often utilizing a keyboard beside, Bollani took solo jazz piano concert to a new presedence.

He summed it in the tenacity of playing a spontaenous repertoire after fulfilling ten favorite songs from the audience, made up in majority of Italian tunes, such as Nino Rota’s grandiose composition Love Theme for Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Godfather. but Bollani seemed unhesitant picking up other songs, singing the Brazillian bossa-nova Desafinado in articulate Portuegese, and the original version of Cuban song Quizas in Spanish. Stefano Bollani released his first solo album in 2006, adding up around 30 albums throughout his career, including those he recorded with Enrico Rava, one of the Italian jazz most popular jazz players who is also a big source of influence in Bollani’s career in jazz.

In Indonesia Jazz Review, not only you can enjoy reviews of local jazz releases, but also stories circulating around the country's jazz scene, including live stages, regular events, profile of the musicians and many more. Send inquiries to purnadi@thinkarchipelago.com.

Contributors are also welcome to share their stories on this site.

Usmar Ismail Hall, Gedung Pusat Perfilman Haji Usmar Ismail, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. C22, Jakarta Selatan

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When Betawi Meets jazz

Page I 13 Archipelago section

From swing to bebop, acid, and the further rapid evolution of jazz when the western world brought it on board of the trade ships to meet Indonesian vernacular music in the 20s, Lantun Orchestra played their repertoire based on a timeline that tells about each period of the constantly-altering musical genre. Their live performance When Betawi Meets Jazz in @america, Jakarta, 30 April, started with the 1929 song Ain’t Misbehavin by Fats Waller, before moving to another era of bebop which was popularized by the 30s era trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. But the real deal, as the concert title suggests, is when after a number of songs used to create a sense of time journey in the introduction to jazz history, they presented a discourse about local jazz development by doing some unique experiment in their segmentation, the Betawi music. Long established as a culture of amalgamated foreign influences, from West Europe, Middle East, China, and Java which shared the same island, Lantun Orchestra rearranged jazz songs in a way that all the differing instruments each of the member plays have a significant role in creating a unique musical style.

The band’s stage improvisation gets its shape thanks to the vocalist Nesia Ardi, who not only sings Betawi songs with heart, but also applies the social behavior of Betawi culture, and brought laughters for the amused audience due to the-

expressive and outspoken verbal culture. Having begun recording in 2010, Lantun Orchestra gets its creativity from the Chaka Priambudi, the cofounder besides Nesia Ardi and also songwriter who plays bass and recently writes Kutunggu Kau di Salemba, a 50s-style cool jazz that certainly gives perspective to local audience just how it looks like to thrive in the less mainstream project like this, and how grateful to have them keep doing it.

In Indonesia Jazz Review, not only you can enjoy reviews of local jazz releases, but also stories circulating around the country's jazz scene, including live stages, regular events, profile of the musicians and many more. Send inquiries to purnadi@thinkarchipelago.com.

Contributors are also welcome to share their stories on this site.

@america, Pacific Place, SCBD Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 52-53, Jakarta Selatan

indonesiajazzreview.blogspot.com

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University of rest and relax Lim Keng Sien in retrospective

Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa. Raku. 2011.

Page I 17 Archipelago section

Agraria. Raku. 2010-2012.

Berhasil Lagi. Stoneware. 2012.

Liem Keng Sien (1954 – 2014) called his home cum studio the university of rest and relax, a creative place that goes unsupported by government, and unrecognized by public. Less serious in nature, perhaps it is this aphorism “Art is long, life is short” where Keng Sien took an inspiration to create his final art series, interestingly, in the shape of many laughing expressions based on earth material, a notable shift of base materials from ceramics he was so well-known of. And it is this back-to-nature pure art that the curator Nukila Amal and Hanafi tried to reconstruct the Salihara Gallery to the closest condition with the artist’s studio. Keng Sien’s works of faces, some disfigured, laid on sands, hanged on bricks, and stood in front of giant scribbles on the wall, a mockup of evidence found in Keng Sien’s studio.

The Jakarta-born Liem Keng Sien studied architecture in Brussels, Belgium in 1976 – 1980, during which he came across ceramics art, and moved to art faculty in ceramics in Leuven. Returning to Indonesia, he immediately set up ceramics workshop, and made his first exhibition with Indonesia Earthenware Union in 1983.

Since then, not only he exhibited craftmanship, but also a personal quest to understand the base material he use to make his art. Keng Sien actively went on excursion to geological sites across Indonesia to study the nature of earth materials.

His first solo exhibition was entitled Bibit Untuk di Tengah (1997). He last made a clay joint-exhibition in 2012.

Ostrich is a fine art photography medium by think archipelago that specifies contemporary photographs for the use of journalism presentation. It explores a variety of new approaches to visual reportage, experimenting on possibilities which are counter-intuitive to the convention. Its deliberate consideration on shapes, patterns, and artificial colors aims to reconstruct the seamless transformation from image-making to story-telling.

Komunitas Salihara, Jl. Salihara No. 16, Pasar Minggu, Jakarta Selatan

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Visit Ostrich online gallery and see many series of fine art photography in thinkarchipelago.tumblr.com.

BRI Towers at twilight

Page I 27 Archipelago section

When dusk fell, workers swarmed the lobbies of BRI 1 and the adjacent BRI 2 Tower, and went out through multiple exit doors which lead to restaurants alley, the famous BRI garden complex, or simply to Sudirman street. Amid falling office occupancy rate, currency rate, exports, economy figures, and all the uncertainties in the Q1 of 2015, white collar workers rushes in and out of high-rise workplace in the CBD with hopes and fears. Dull expressions after relieved from the day’s work came altogether as the sun coming down the horizon. Artificial outdoor lights soon came as replacement, which lasted from dusk until dawn.

Ostrich is a fine art photography medium by think archipelago that specifies contemporary photographs for the use of journalism presentation. It explores a variety of new approaches to visual reportage, experimenting on possibilities which are counter-intuitive to the convention. Its deliberate consideration on shapes, patterns, and artificial colors aims to reconstruct the seamless transformation from image-making to story-telling.

BRI 1 & 2 Tower, Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 44-46, Jakarta

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The cliff settlement Photograph I Yenny Wongso

Page I 33 World section

The celebrity islands of Santorini, a group of small archipelago 200 kilometers off Greek mainland, displays a unique view of its capital cliff city, Fira, whose name derives from the ancient Greek name of the island, Thira. The ubiquitous whitewashed structures emanates the city’s charm in color uniformity. Not only it offers indulging caldera view to visitors, the city makes a presentation about the sociohistorical aspect of an existing two-millenia-old human settlement.

The centuries-held local wisdom ensures the survival of this ancient civilization to this day. The white, cubic-shaped structures that were virtually built at a very close distance, similar to multi-storey public housings today, is an adaptation of the less than twenty thousand population to their surrounding nature which poses high wind currents during winter and heat during summer. Winter sees low activity in its main industry, tourism. Eateries closes in 6PM. Meanwhile summer tourists often outnumber the local population, as cruises make this island a regular destination.

Yenny Wongso is a bachelor of Chinese Language in Beijing who now pursues another degree in English Education. In her recent tour to Western Europe and Italy, she captured many remarkable pictures. She now works and studies in Jakarta.

Santorini (Thira), South Aegean, Greece

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The dwindling farm land

Page I 39 The road least traveled

Bekasi is the fastest-developing satellite city of Jakarta. Since 2010 it has taken the fourth place in Indonesia’s most populated cities, as an impact of Jakarta’s ceaseless economic magnate power.

In international scale, it contributes to the Greater Jakarta area being the second largest urban sprawls iin the world. Previously known as a thriving industrial area of Karawang, or Jababeka, it has now spread to, if not all, new concentrated zones. Land availability in close proximity to the capital as the country;s center of economy attracts manufacture and facilities, while it also brings affordability for the home seekers in Jakarta who find themselves locked out of their city amid the astronomical housing price.

This expansion brings consequences in the changing land condition with concern to sociological aspect.The rural area in Hurip Jaya village, Babelan district, is an instant. A stretch of road was laid out through the farm that makes up the major proportion of land there. Sporadic houses stood on the roadside, the soil surface on the most part of the road left giant dusty air and carried into the houses as vehicles pass through, although scarcely. At the other end of the road, concrete surface replaces the soil when a newly-built liquefied natural gas processing plant is located nearby. This bare infrastructure serves the onset of the modern energy production. The recent path to industrialization takes shape at a dramatic scale. And it remains to be seen how fast and active the residents will react to social changes when this road eventually gets crowded.

Hurip Jaya village, Babelan district, Bekasi regency

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think!archipelago is a quarterly publication owned and run by Purnadi Phan Photography. The content is entitled to Purnadi Phan Photography’s intellectual property, including but not limited to text, photographs, graphics, design and arrangement. Contributors retain copyright interest in their respective stories, photographs and other proprietary contents. Regardless having verified and published articles of utmost accountability, neither owner nor contributors can accept responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on any of the information written in this publication.

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