Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Struggle of Kraton’s Teenager in 18th Century

Discovered the human side of a teenager: guilty felt, sex adventured, and searched for the faith of God. This is the story
of a teenager in 18th century, Cebolang, the child of Kiai Syekh Akhadiat in Sokaya. His parents were religious persons.
Cebolang was ashamed for doing disgraceful things. He ran away from his home in the night of takbiran (the last day of fasting month). The adventure was begun.

He walked along the Serayu River with his four friends: Nurwitri, Saloka, Kartupla and Palakarti.

In this journey, he entered the dark side of life. He satisfied his desire of sex to different kind of women: maiden, widow, ronggeng (paid dancer), warog reog (masked dancer), even regent. Not only with women, he had a passion with a man and so was the man. He adventured of sex in various techniques and styles. He walked through Ngawi, Ponorogo and any forest in hinterland of Mataram just for finding the light of the life.

Cebolang described as the teenage boy who had the smooth body like the Ramayana’s dancer and his good-looking face reminded of the blooming girl. “No wonder, including man had passion to him,” said Ki Slamet Gundono. The performance, in the event of the Art Summit Indonesia 2010, titled Minggat Cebolang (Ceoblang Ran Away) which had been adapted from the Centhini’s Fibers and had translated-interpreted by a French Journalist, Elizabeth D Inandiak, as Centhini Kekasih yang Tersembunyi (Centhini, the Hidden Lover, 2008).

Slamet Gundono played the puppets and narrated by Elizabeth D Inandiak. Sometimes they both made dialogue such as wayang (traditional puppet). “This is the incredible script and very important for the present generation. It’s very rare that the ancient script told about the teenager life like Cebolang,” uttered Elizabeth. The scene located only in living room. The stage designed as in the room of Javanese house.

Cebolang was a grey person. He experienced the theology adventure. He respected and obeyed the Kiai, in the same time he ate pork and dog’s sate. “He penetrated life not only in its norms and dogmas, but also from nature. Isn’t the nature as well the God’s verse?” said Slamet Gundono, after the performance.

He also performed Bambang Kumbayana (Hanidawan) who wanted to go to Java Island, but he could not swim and no boat. Then, he made a contest – which is very cliché plot in the Javanese stories – anyone who could took him to Java Island, if a man, he would make him as a brother, if a woman, he would marry her. Therefore, Sembrani’s female horse (Ida Lala) which could swim appeared. Kumbaya succeed to across, but he did not marry her. “Person is easy to make promise, but a lot easier to break it,” uttered Slamet.

The strength of Slamet are in his words and stories, they could made the audience imagining another space and time construction. And it was right, the prayer in the night of takbiran reverberated. The drum in the mosque sounded. Cebolan came back to his parents.
READMORE.... The Struggle of Kraton’s Teenager in 18th Century

Champion expression from Solo

The idea of “champion” is visualized in the figure of rooster.

Twenty six paintings on the canvas describes a rooster in several poses and expressions. Sulistyo, 39 years old, an alumnus of Institut Kesenian Jakarta, exhibited his painting with theme driven by his concerned about Indonesian condition which is in his opinion ever be “champion” in South-East Asia, but now is drowning in bewilderment. Corruption and crisis make all dignities disappear.

According to curator, Sulistyo’s painting shows a clear image structure. Some of them are determined as foreground, figure or “subject matter. In other paintings, it shows an image of background in the making of showing firm relation on the “subject matter” supported

The painting of “cross The Limit” describes a white furry rooster in standing position. In front of the rooster, there is a yellow color like flaming ember and black and white stripe at the back. “Dance with the Dragon” describes a black-red furry roster in flying expression. Beside the rooster, there is a dragon in flying formation. The composition of both animal act as if they were chasing something before them.

In politic and business arena, we identify the cunning of actors. Sulistyo describes a tricky rooster using knife tightened on its foot in the “Secret Weapons”. Rooster is described in the position of flapping wings and foot ready to attack its enemy.

Even though all roosters are visualized in active pose, there is no fighting and bloodshed. Even there are several roosters visualized not fighting, only side by side on a canvas. Sulistyo’s imagination on champion who can fly like airplane is visualized in the painting of “Fight on The Sky”. This painting describes a rooster riding airplane to the sky

Sulityo does not show the enemy of the rooster. The philosophy is “the hardest fighting is to fight ourselves,” he replied. To paint this rooster in details and approaching to the real figure, Sulistyo makes an observation on his roosters raised in Surakarta. “I am interested in rooster since long time ago” he remarked.
READMORE.... Champion expression from Solo

Avoid Free Sex

This time the Coma Theatre did not lure laughter from the audience.

An IV tube sticks in the arm of Galileo “Leo” Kastoebi. The role played by Budi Ros is laying helplessly. He is in pain on the bed. The oxygen mask covering his mouth isn’t helping much. He wishes all the ladies from his romantic encounters to come and visit, but none would. Fortunately, Wieska Gerung (Tuti Hartati), one of the said ladies, who is truly in love with him –not just for sex- comes. And the moment was tragic. In front of his lady friend, doctor, friends, and both his parents, Kastoebi laid out his last breath after tens on years fighting against the HIV/AIDS virus.

The scenes of “Sand Castle” performance done by the Coma Theatre at the Salihara Theatre is a serious long argument point on the spreading of the HIV/AIDS. The first hour of the show was filled with love ventures of Kastoebi, a wealthy businessman who enjoys switching intimate friends, enjoying the glitz and glam of the metropolitan night life, and was a heartthrob of the girls, including Wieske Gerung, an executive secretary of Kastoebi’s company, who fell in love with him. Wieske would surely do anything for Kastoebi.

Slowly but sure HIV sneaked into Kastoebi’s bloodlines, eating away his body immune system. His body defense collapsed and his soul became brittle. Bambang Nirwanto (Rangga Riantiarno) advised Kastoebi to take an HIV test. He strongly declined, but finally agreed. And it turned out that Kastoebi was HIV positive.

Doctor Tatyana Ridanda (Cornelia Agatha) who did the test for Kastoebi was in a heavy mind struggle. She felt as if she was the one who gives the verdict of someone being infected with HIV, and then she also suggested the patient to use Anti Retroviral Treatment (ATR). She unveils the day of death. “I’m like the angel of death. Why me?” cried doctor Tatyana.

After Kastoebi’s death, Wieske finds out she is pregnant. The world seems to end for her since the father of the unborn is now gone, and she is also infected with HIV from him. How will her baby be? Wieske never wished for an abortion for the unborn is her flesh and blood. The solution is for the baby to be born, but not nursed by the mother. This is because mother’s milk may infect the baby with the HIV virus it carries from the mother.

And so, as if giving hope, at the end of the story Weiske gives birth to her baby and it was declared negative from HIV. So was the performance that is filled with message for humanity, performed at a humbly set stage. And this time, the Coma Theatre did not lure laughter from the audience as it usually does. From the beginning to the end, messages are delivered

verbally: beware of free sex!
READMORE.... Avoid Free Sex

JYNX CAT

Dampens domestic tensions, but also becomes destroyer of peace.

Cats are much honorable than corruptors. Cats know stuff that is allowed to take. They don’t take what doesn’t belong to them, while the corruptors think that everything is their rights. They take everything,” said Butet Kartaredjasa, the monologue actor.

But a second after the sky high praises, the cat stole the baked spicy meal that was meant to be the fast breaking menu for the role of the Husband, played by Butet. The food put on the shelf was scattered all over the place. Butet was outraged and chased the cat with a broom, finally limping one of the cat’s legs. Ever since then the cat becomes Butet’s family enemy. He even teaches his son to throw on any cat he sees in front of their house.

This time Butet’s monologue has no political and social critic theme as he had always been performing. Cats, Butet claimed, is a neutral theme. “I wish to bring back the monologue as an acting art game. Monologue to be brought back as an acting process with high values for the acting art,” he said.

Cats is one of the short stories done by Putu Wijaya published by Tempo Newspaper last year. Agus Noor adapted it to a stage script. The stage was set with a rural family home setting. There is the dining table, shelves, drying stack, and bedroom. The door and windows of the house became essential elements to separate the outdoor and indoor scenes. Through both, the audience are asked to picture a vivid partition of the two spaces/ Butet plays the Husband, Wife, Mickel, and the Head of Neighborhood simultaneously.

The story of the cat tells of the distant marriage relationship caused by intimate problems, involving a cat belonging to a neighbor. The stealing of the baked spicy meal conducted by the cat, turned to be the peacemaker for the quarreling husband and wife. Both found “mutual enemy” that threatens the security of food in the family.

Ever since then the family has no problems. Issues precisely came from the Head of Neighborhood that delivered a receipt for treatment costs for the limped cat. His neighbor who owns the cat, Mickel, protest to the Husband’s conduct of beating up his cat. After a lengthy argument, the Husband is forced to pay the treatment costs through the Head of Neighborhood. In reality, paying it only cost Rp 100 thousand, but the Head of Neighborhood forged the receipt into Rp 200 thousand.

The drama ended by the role of the Husband who still had to pay “fines” over three other cats owned by other neighbors. He felt blackmailed, but helpless. Here is the portrait of common people in various corners of the country.
READMORE.... JYNX CAT

Banjar Arts in Tune with Nature

Banjar is Malayan. The custom traditions of Banjar cannot be separated with the overall Malayan culture. In general, the traditional arts of Banjar can be comprehended as part of the overall living dynamics of the Banjar tribe, spread across Kalimantan, particularly in Southern and Eastern Kalimantan.

In its progress, Banjar custom art undergoes assimilation process with various elements of other cultures, be it within the Kalimantan island, or others such as the Sulunese culture of the Northern. In accordance with the geographic and natural conditions, the Banjar custom art is directly and also indirectly connected with the traditions of the people who are in tune with the rivers, lakes, swamps, and also valleys. They directly interact with nature and also their physical environment.

Thus, the Banjar custom art moves along with the development of human’s interaction with nature, that grows amongst others in various faiths and believes. All the way from those animistic, dynamistic, polytheistic, to religious. Moreover, as the religiosity of the Banjar culture that is dominantly Malayan is being influenced heavily by the Islamic culture, the interactions with local belief continues to evolve, to then transpire into culture syncretism.

It is this religiosity dimension that later causes the Banjar tradition to influence the lives of the people in developing agrarian culture set. The development of science and technology, and the dynamics of trade-based economy, has pushed the custom art of the Banjar people to become the energizer in the process of shaping its people’s characteristics.

The matter can be seen in the variety of arts, starting from dance art, fine art, and literature which integrate into one and others in the daily social habits of the people. Included within it is the domestic system that is the concrete manifestation of the social relation and correlation: traditional authority relationship.

Urang Banjar or the people of Banjar, grows and evolves in the said social relation-corelation system. Cultural syncretism is very much seen in various rituals in their rich art, such as the architectural and fine arts, in particular the art of engraving, whether it be wooden engraving applied to the houses, boats, mosque, tombstone, and others. There is also the art of engraving or brass inlay (for metal containers, “abuns”, “pakucuran”, kettles, and “lisnar”), silver and gold (for bracelets and necklaces) with the motive of hayat tree.

It can also be seen from the dance art of Urang Banjar, in the Baksa dance familiar amongst the royalties with its softness of choreography movements, like the dances in the Javanese “Kraton, and also in the outfits worn. And it is more obvious, for instance, in the Baksa Kembang dance which is danced to greet the royal guests, and also the Baksa Panah, Baksa Dadap, Baksa Lilin, and Baksa Rahayu dances.

The living dynamics of Urang Banjar that is relatively more open to acculturation and assimilation, can be seen in the much more populist dances, dominated by the Malayan and even Javanese elements. Among others is the Kuda Kepang dance, Jepen dance (heavily influenced by the Zapin), Gandut dance, Tirik dance, and Banjar dance. The performance of the custom arts is also visible in the Banjar Gamelan, both the Kraton Gamelan and also Rakyatan Gamelan.

In music arts, the charm of custom art harmony is seen in various everlasting populat folksongs, such as Ampar-ampar Pisang, Paris Berantai, and Sapu Tangan Babuncu Ampat, thick with Malayan lyrics. It is in harmony with the verbal literature that has been evolving since ol times, especially pantun and madihin.

The artistic simplicity of Urang Banjar nevertheless is very much sown in the craftsmen and architectural arts as the sub custom fine art. We find it in the rattan, purun, and bamboo weaving art. Also in the glass paint art, such as those progressing in Cirebon, that is still consistent in style-imaging the story of Prophet Muhammad PBUH’s Isra’ Mi’raj journey by riding on a bouraq, visualized in the form of a horse with human head and wings. Here and there, accessorized in various decorations that expresses the influence of the people’s multi-cultural character, from their flora, fauna, “tumpal”, and swastika. It can also be seen in the Sasirangan, the art of weavedecorative much like batik.

For me, the custom art of Banjar is the artistic charm of religious people who are in tune with nature and environment.
READMORE.... Banjar Arts in Tune with Nature