The City Choreography Performance

February, 21 – 27 2008
(Zone of Understanding - Jakarta Biennale 2009)

The dance performances is a permanent program of The Jakarta Arts Council. Every year, amount of choreographers are invited to perform, showing their artworks based on their respond about the theme that is different in every year.

This year, 4 choreographer were invited to involve in this event. They will perform a dance in a public spaces as a result of their respond to the city conditions. The choreographer Boby Ary Setiawan for example, will bring a dance artwork titled ‘Z.C (Zebra Cross)’. The dance will be located in Zebra Cross at the street intersection. The performance will be started while the cars, motorcyces and other vehicle are stopped by the traffic light.

List of performance :

Choregrapher : Boby Ari Setiawan (SOLO)
Titled :‘Z.C (Zebra Cross)’
Description : The Z.C will be performed at along the zebra cross around the street intersection. The artist will show their performances while the cars, motorcycles, or other vehicles are stopped by the traffic light. (30 sec/perform)
Location : Sarinah, Thamrin – Jakarta Pusat
Schedule : Jumat, 27 Februari 2009


Yola Yulfianti (JAKARTA)
‘Kopi ( The Coffee)’
‘Kopi’ will presented in a coffe shop at Cikini, Jakarta Pusat. It will be divided into three scene menus that are mutually interrelated : Caffe latte, Hot choc' latte with free hot spot, Tubruk latte (35 minutes / perform)
Bakoel Kofi, Jl. Cikini Raya – Jakarta Pusat, Sabtu, 21 Februari 2009


Retno Sulistyorini (SOLO)
‘Dumb of Body (Tubuh Bisu)’
The Dumb of Body will presents a thing and instalative artworks which are translated into imagination. The things would be presented into settings and property and also human body as a media movement. Dancers as a moderator, will provides a meaning of those things with a choreography technics as well as movement exploration. (30 minutes / perform)
Plaza Taman Ismail Marzuki – Jakarta Pusat, Kamis, 26 Februari 2009


Fitra / Yusril (PADANG)
‘Tari Tiang (the Pole dance)’

The Pole Dance will presents a body intallation as it’s artworks. A petrified bodies that mutually collide as a fixed thing. This artworks provides 3 parts; A routine body and a body in a day; a trained body and the ill ones; a mechanical body; get into the body, pole, and the process becoming to stone and iron. (45 minutes / perform)
Plaza Taman Ismail Marzuki – Jakarta Pusat, Rabu, 25 Februari'09

Remembering the City Spaces

By : Irma Chantily


Time brings change. It's the rapid changes since the 70's until now , that makes Jakarta a metropolitan city, with its tall buildings and various public facilities emerging everywhere.

However those changes happen so quickly, and it's as if we can't keep up with all the latest developments around us. Unoccupied land has been transformed into office buildings, old houses into malls and city parks have now become new housing settlements. The places that we once knew have vanished over a short period of time. Time is not the culprit, as it is constant. It's the city's developments that has gone so swiftly.

Digging up the public's memories and redefining what a city is; these are the basic ideas behind the Specific Sites Project Workshop, one of the programs of the Jakarta Biennale 2009.

According to the Jakarta Biennale 2009 Program Director, Ade Darmawan, the project started off from a workshop, that emphasizes on the interaction and collaboration of the participants that come from various different backgrounds. As a Jakartan, they all had to look for certain places that they can still remember but no longer exists??. Throughout the workshop they explored what kind of artwork would be possible for public spaces, also discussed and debated their ideas so they can produce their work based on there different ideas and social backgrounds.

The workshop was held from November 2008 until January 2009. Ardi Yunanto the coordinator for the Battle Zone and the Specific Sites Project says , the workshop was held intensively for a week at Ruang Rupa, a contemporary arts community. After six meetings, each participant held their routine gatherings to discuss the technical issues and permission to display their work.

After the workshop comes to a close, their works will be placed in several public places. You can see them in 11 locations across Jakarta at the : Grand Senen Theater, Jakarta Kota Train Station, the place below the underpass in front of Tebet Station, the Transjakarta sky walk shelter at Dukuh Atas, economy class train en route Tanah Abang - Serpong, and Tanah Abang Station, National Monument, three nail prone areas in East Jakarta, toll road walls in front of Cilandsk Town Square, texts at the Sarinah Intersection, and four motor theft prone areas along TB Simatupang Road.

What have these young artists created? What memories are they trying to revive and how do they redefine city and public spaces? We'll soon find out and enjoy their work in mid January 2009. Come and appreciate them!

Chamber for Women. Notes from Women's Chamber Jakarta Biennale 2009

By : Irma Chantily

Photo exhibitions is a means of communication between photographers and the public. These photos portray the stories of restlessness, social and psychological realities, happiness and just about anything. It's these kinds of experiences that are shared with the public, to widen their horizons or even arouse controversy and curiosity.

The Chamber for Women Exhibition was officially closed on January 9th 2009. The all women photographers, attempted to show the social problems in Jakarta. Around 25 photography works using various approaches, were displayed at the Cipta III Gallery and Oktagon Gallery from December 2nd until January 9th 2009.

The exhibition was carried out by Mata Perempuan a group of women photographers, who have exhibited their work twice before. Though both were themeless, they focused on a much more women's approach. This time around they were challenged to portray the subjectivity of women and the problems of the city through photography.

As one of the events of the Zone of Understanding Jakarta Biennale 2009, the Chamber for Women Exhibition attempted to address the problems that emerged during the first stages of the city's development - that undermined the humanistic elements. That when people adjust to the city structures and not vice versa, spatial problems were bound to arise. Through the exhibition, Mata Perempuan tried to emphasize these concerns – that later were under debate, and perhaps different compared to the the problems faced by men..

The eight photographers involved in this exhibition include : Aiko Urfia Rakhmi, Christina Phan, Evelyn Pritt, Ruth Hesti Utami, Julia Sarisetiati, Keke Tumbuan, Malahayati, dan Stephany Yaya Sungkharisma. Each come from various backgrounds, making the exhibition dynamic. For instance Yaya with her surreal style who captured a hand coming out of a noodle bowl or a mouth that become one with a shower. Or Evelyne Pritt's city report – that emphasized the rising land prices and unoccupied land in the city. Hesti also used her own approach playing with symbols – bandages as a sign of sickness, attached to three faces overlooking the cold sea of concrete buildings.


Apart from the these works, 20 other photos were on display for 300 visitors. Many stories were shared along with questions, suggestions, and comments from the public. Although for now, stories about women and the city through this photo exhibition may have have come to an end, there are still many more to be revealed the next time around.

Buble up the city with literature

By: Annisa Desmiati R

There is an impression that belleslettres could only be enjoyed by a limited few. It’s because literature has been mainly presented in text books that are not easily accessible. While we all know, that reading habbit of Indonesian people is still low, and the high price of books makes it unaffordable for many. So it needs a way out to bring belleslettres closer to it’s devotee.

‘Literature in the City’ is expected to answer that challenge. As a part of the Jakarta Biennale 2009, presented by The Jakarta Arts Council, ‘Literature in the City’ presents literature in a simple way. It’s presented in three different media ; stickers, t-shirts and murals in 10 main spots in Jakarta.

Quotations from poems and proses about Jakarta, by Chairil Anwar, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Sitor Situmorang, Arifin C. Noer, Ajip Rosidi, Yudhistira ANM Massardi, Toeti Heraty Noerhadi, F. Rahardi, Toto Soedarto Bachtiar, Eka Budianta, Pramoedya Ananta Toer etc, will adorn and will became a gaud in the city. ‘Literature in the city’ also quotes old news about Jakarta in the past. They are taken from old newspapers such as Keng Po, Bintang Betawi and Neratja.

The Program Launching

Literature in the City was launched on Saturday, January 10, 2009 at Taman Menteng sites. Marco Kusumawijaya, chair of The Jakarta Arts Council , and Arie Budhiman, Head of DKI Jakarta Tourism and Culture Department were present to officially announced it. Sitor Situmorang and Goenawan Mohamad were among many literati attending the launch.

At least 300 t-shirts and thousand stickers were given out. Hundreds of people circled some poets reading several poems by Yudhistira ANM Massardi, Goenawan Muhammad and Chairil Anwar .

The event sweetly closed with a musical poem presented by Nova Ruth. This young poet presented a poem by Arifin C Noor titled ‘Jakarta’ and another poem ‘Dikawinkan Alam’ by Sitok Srengenge. Nova not only read the poems, but also mixed it up with hip hop rhythm.

Literary in The City

Launching :
January 10th ,2008
Starting at 16.00 WIB
Taman Menteng - Jakarta Pusat

Agenda :
Murals poetry presentation
Poetry Battle (Nova Ruth)
Poetry and prose reading
Literary t-shirts distribution for the 300 first guests
Literary stickers distribution

Sastra di Ruang Kota (Literary in Public Space) is part of the Jakarta Biennale 2009 held by Jakarta Arts Council. A program in effort to bring the Indonesian literary nearer to its public. Poetry, prose about Jakarta are spread out using three different media ; stickers, t-shirts and murals. The materials of these work are taken from poetry or prose by Ajip Rosidi, Sitor Situmorang, Arifin C. Noer, Chairil Anwar, Goenawan Mohamad, Hamsad Rangkuti, Misbah Yusa Biran, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Toto Sudarto Bachtiar and Yudhistira ANM Massardi. In this opportunity , besides poetry and prose, quotation from printed newspapers about Jakarta during 1900 – 1960, will also be used.

Stickers:
12000 stickers will be distributed at several main public activity since December 31th 2008 until January 10th 2009. Stickers will also be shared at the launching day.

Murals:
Production of 10 murals at 10 main point of Jakarta, starting 24th December up until 6th January 2009 by:

Kudaponi (Jln.Sultan Agung, Dukuh Atas dan Stasiun Cikini)
Ale Antiponi (Jln Pintu Kecil, Pasar Pagi Kota dan Cikini Train Station)
Propagraphic (Jln Pierre Tendean, front of Trans TV dan Semanggi)
Kuas N’Roll (Cakung dan Kwitang, )
Bujangan Urban (Jln TB. Simatupang, Tanjung Barat dan Depan Kebon Binatang Ragunan)

T-shirts :
500 t-shirts will be distributed before and during the launching of the program

For further information,call Mirwan Andan or Shinta Aseani at 021-3193 7639 / 316 2780