Monday 3 September 2007

• An ASEAN+++ Symposium and Performance Art Festival, December 2007








presents


ASEAN/Aksi
Performance Art Event 2007:
*
7-8-9 Desember [Jakarta]
14-15 Desember [Lombok]
*
“Occupying Space”

Pendahuluan

Performance art merupakan genre seni yang menempatkan dirinya pada irisan. Ia punya latar dari berbagai disiplin seni, sambil selalu menghindar dari konvensi-konvensi atau kategori-kategori yang sudah mapan. Dengan begitu ia berada dalam barisan seni-seni avant-garde (garda depan).

Ada istilah lain menyangkut pembaharuan dalam seni: kontemporer. Dalam dunia seni, istilah kontemporer tidak sekedar merujuk pada makna literer, yaitu kekinian. Kontemporer lebih merujuk pada prinsip-prinsip mengkritik, memperluas, bahkan menihilkan prinsip-prinsip yang sudah ada sebelumnya. Performance art juga bersesuaian dengan pengertian ini.

Membicarakan performance art adalah membicarakan semangat pembaharuan dalam seni. Satu semangat yang bisa membuat pemirsa tertantang berpetualang. Sebuah petualangan menonton. Pemirsa seperti halnya setiap seniman: selalu melakukan petualangan setiap kali berkarya.

Berikut adalah petikan rumusan definitif dari World Book Encyclopedia:


"Performance art adalah sebuah penampilan langsung yang mengkombinasikan elemen-elemen dari berbagai cabang seni. Seorang performance artist biasa menggunakan sastra, seni rupa, budaya populer, musik, tari, dan teater, juga video, slides, serta gambar-gambar dari komputer. Sebuah performance bisa terdiri dari satu atau beberapa orang dan mengambil tempat di mana saja dengan durasi sembarang. Performance art sering menggunakan tubuh si seniman sebagai medium utama. Performance itu mungkin bersifat autobiografis atau melontarkan pernyataan politis, terutama dalam kondisi radikal. Performance sering juga menggandeng kegiatan sehari-hari".

Dengan kata lain ia bukan hanya semata-mata penampilan, tapi juga sekaligus tindakan. Catatannya––seperti ditekankan oleh ahli sejarah Rose Lee Goldberg––persis karena sifat “alaminya”, performance art menolak definisi yang terlalu akurat atau gampangan, yang melampaui deklarasi sederhana bahwa ini merupakan jenis seni yang dihidupkan langsung oleh senimannya. Definisi yang lebih ketat lagi akan dengan segera dinegasi oleh ruang kemungkinan dari perfomance itu sendiri, tegas Goldberg.
[Rose Lee Goldberg, Performance ArtFrom Futurism to the Present , (London: Thames and Hudson, 1988)]

Rumusan inipun sudah harus dielaborasi lagi karena tuntutan jaman. Pengelaborasian ini yang hendak dilakukan dalam bingkai judul “Occupying Space”.

Latar

Di Eropa dan Amerika, perkembangan performance art dalam sejarahnya dikaitkan dengan rasa frustasi umum yang terakumulasi oleh Perang Dunia. Ternyata proyek besar mencerahkan umat manusia bernama modernisme itu, membawa manusia pada tindak destruktif. Seni, yang pada tataran paling mendasar selalu berujung pada suatu “keindahan” dan “menyenangkan”, dianggap tidak lagi relevan. Bagaimana mungkin kita menciptakan dan menikmati keindahan jika dunia begitu buruk?

Di Indonesia, muasal perkembangan performance art terbetik pada tahun 1970an, ketika istilah performance art mulai mapan di wilayah barat. Di Indonesia, saat itu istilahnya belum ada namun kecenderungannya sudah dimulai. Ada kondisi yang kurang-lebih sama, yaitu rasa frustasi umum. Tahun 1970an, sebagian kalangan terdidik Indonesia mulai menyadari bahwa fondasi pembangunan rejim Soeharto ternyata rapuh. Dinamika pembangunan terlalu sentralistik. Pola pergerakannya picik. Ketertataan ternyata mengandung pendogmaan. Dalam dunia seni mulai muncul konflik antargenerasi. Generasi tua hendak mempertahankan ketertataan yang diyakini benar, sementara generasi muda menghendaki pembaharuan. Pembaharuan selalu bermula dari eksperimen, suatu semangat bermain, mengurai diri dari ikatan, meluaskan penglihatan. Pemberontakan itu kreatif, kata Albert Camus.

Indonesia tahun 1980an, makin jelas, performance art sangat bersesuaian dengan aktivisme mahasiswa. Mahasiswa, sejalan dengan kaum terdidik lainnya mulai mengupayakan protes atas laju pembangunan yang timpang. Dalam soal seni, kembali, sumber perkaranya berupa ketertataan yang dipaksakan. Sebagian mahasiswa seni lebih menyukai berekspresi di luar ruang kelas. Di luar keharusan-keharusan yang digariskan institusi. Sementara di dalam kelas berkesenian harus disesuaikan dengan kebijakan resmi, di luar kelas, “panggung” yang tersedia merupakan ruang terbuka dan aksi demonstrasi. Faktor lain adalah kecenderungan mempertemukan berbagai disiplin dalam seni. Para seniman dan penyelenggara kegiatan seni menghasilkan karya dan kegiatan seni yang mempertemukan seni rupa, teater, tari, musik, juga sastra. Pertemuan antarseniman ini cenderung berisi perbincangan kritis tentang realitas, tentang ketidak-adilan, tentang seni itu sendiri. Misalnya seorang pelukis mengambarkan pengemis dengan begitu realistis dan menyentuh, lalu karyanya terjual mahal, apakah hal itu bisa dibilang “menjual kemiskinan”? Atau jika seseorang menggergaji kursi kayu di atas panggung, apakah itu bisa disebut seni?

Dalam performance art, sesungguhnya kekritisan tidak saja terarah pada realitas. Performance art juga kritis pada seni. Mengamati performance art kiranya akan memunculkan pertanyaan-pertanyaan semacam, apakah seni memang penting? Apa nilai penting seni? Di mana batas seni dan bukan seni? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan semacam ini adalah pertanyaan yang tidak akan tuntas dijawab. Upaya untuk bertanya dan terus mencari jauh lebih urgen daripada jawaban final. Upaya ini yang menjamin dinamika dalam seni. Jika mau diperluas, demikian juga dengan dinamika kebudayaan.

Mengkaji performance art dapat mengungkapkan hasrat umum dari para pelaku dan pemerhati seni terhadap kebaruan dan aktualitas. Mengkaji performance art dapat mengungkap bagaimana sesungguhnya posisi seni di hadapan publiknya. Bagi seniman, ini merupakan tantangan: apakah ia bisa membuat kehadiran dirinya penting? Sementara bagi pemirsa, tantangannya adalah apakah pemirsa mau menghadapi seni dengan cara yang sesensitif mungkin?

Paparan di atas lebih banyak menyangkut kondisi di Indonesia. Wilayah Asia Tenggara bisa diyakini berbagi kesamaan kondisi. Bukan hanya karena letak yang berdekatan melainkan karena kemiripan tatanan sosial-politik. Sebuah kegiatan yang merangkum wilayah Asia Tenggara dan melibatkan seni kritikal macam performance art diharapkan dapat mengemukakan penampang terbaru dari dinamika kultural.


Gagasan

Live art is especially ephemeral. Once performed, it tends to become myth and few photos and tapes.
(Laurie Anderson)

Orisinalitas dan aktualitas merupakan obsesi yang umum. Menyangkut seniman, orisinalitas mengandaikan keutuhan subjek penciptanya, dan aktualitas merujuk pada soal kesegeraan dan keutuhan presentasi. Performance art, dengan dihadirkan langsung oleh senimannya pada publik, melalui pengemukaan tubuh, dalam suatu peristiwa, menunjukan strategi paling jitu dalam mengejar orisinalitas dan aktualitas. Prasyaratnya, tentu saja, presentasi dalam ruang-waktu spesifik.

Ini era reproduksi mekanik kata Walter Benjamin, dan ia mengumandangkan hilangnya aura seni. Apakah benar-benar demikian? Karya seni ternyata tetap mempunyai daya pukau tersendiri. Ini suatu aura juga. Aura yang hilang adalah suatu aura dari era pra-teknologi reproduksi. Ketika itu karya seni bisa benar-benar tunggal, dan karenanya benar-benar unik. Tidak sembarang orang bisa punya pengalaman melihat karya seni. Lalu teknologi reproduksi menduplikasi karya seni dan membuatnya bisa dilihat oleh banyak orang. Yang jadi persoalan adalah hubungan karya reproduksi dan karya orisinal. Ketika kita memperbincangkan nilai satu karya dan merasa sudah memahaminya, walau belum pernah langsung melihat karya orisinal, saat itulah antara karya orisinal dan reproduksinya dianggap sejajar. Pengalaman melihat karya seni tereduksi keunikannya.

Diramalkan oleh Benjamin bahwa di era baru ini, seni mempunyai basis baru yang amat politis sifatnya. Kini semua karya seni yang dianggap baik pasti direproduksi seperti halnya semua peristiwa yang dianggap penting direkam dan digandakan rekamannya. Apakah yang menjadi pijakan dari keputusan untuk mereproduksi sesuatu? Pasar! Itulah basis baru bagi seni.

Bagi performance art, basis baru ini langsung memengaruhi kelebihannya yang berupa presentasi di ruang-waktu spesifik. Performance art lebih merupakan peristiwa daripada materi. Presentasi langsung merupakan karakter dasarnya. Karya sebenarnya adalah peristiwa yang hanya terjadi sekali, pada saat itu saja. “Sekali berarti sesudah itu mati”––syair dari Chairil Anwar ini kiranya bisa menyatakan karakter dasar dari peristiwa. Karya performance memang bisa dipresentasikan berkali-kali. Namun setiap presentasi selalu terikat pada ruang-waktu spesifik. Hingga presentasi kedua, ketiga, dst. merupakan karya yang tidak lagi sama, karena ruang-waktunya berbeda. Konteks sangatlah vital membentuk karya performance. Di sisi lain, bagaimana mungkin sebuah peristiwa bisa tersebar luas jika tidak didokumentasikan? Bahkan seluruh bangunan seni modern di Indonesia dimulai dari bacaan terhadap dokumen-dokumen seni. Pengetahuan tentang performance art pun didapat dari buku-buku dan kajian terhadap dokumen-dokumen.


Medium Meluaskan Ruang

Kita akan mulai dari pertanyaan dasar: di antara keragaman jenis seni, bisakah kita mengenali kelebihan satu jenis seni, benar-benar kelebihannya tanpa ada kelebihan serupa di jenis seni yang lain? Apakah kelebihan seni lukis, benar-benar kelebihan seni lukis yang tidak dimiliki jenis seni lain? Apakah kelebihan performance art, benar-benar kelebihan performance art?

Telah disebutkan bahwa performance art berbentuk peristiwa, artinya semua hal berpotensi menjadi seni dan ruang presentasinya bisa dimana saja. Dalam kehidupan, tidak ada peristiwa dan ruang yang unik. Semua mengalir begitu saja. Manusialah yang menandainya dan terus berupaya meninggalkan jejak-jejak. Menyaksikan peristiwa adalah upaya memaknai. Dengan begitu kelebihan performance art terletak pada keunikannya sebagai peristiwa.

Sesungguhnya ruang yang dipilih oleh performance artist untuk mempresentasikan karyanya akan menjelma menjadi “panggung”. Pada saat kegiatan berlangsung, ruang itu dihuni oleh pemirsa. Merekalah publik pada saat itu. Performance artist tampil menghadapi publik tersebut secara langsung. Performance artist selalu berstrategi menarik perhatian publik pada dirinya, membuat kehadirannya menjadi signifikan. Caranya, performance artist juga harus menyadari kehadiran publik. Masing-masing saling menyadari kehadiran. Dalam situasi seperti ini, dengan teknik tertentu, dapat terjadi peristiwa yang unik dan berkesan mendalam––dalam pengertian kesan yang bisa bergaung di masa datang.

Karya performance yang baik adalah karya yang berhasil memukau publik. Publik berhasil dipersuasi untuk mengamati tiap rinci. Sebaliknya, publik akan menuntut keunikan peristiwa yang membuatnya bersedia memperhatikan performance itu, rinci demi rinci.

Akankah peristiwa unik tersebut berakhir hanya dalam ingatan orang-orang yang hadir saat itu? Bagaimana halnya dengan mereka yang tidak hadir pada saat itu? Pertanyaan dari sisi lain: ketika pengalaman melihat karya seni sudah terlucuti keunikannya, bagaimana pula sebuah performance art bisa dianggap penting? Sisi lain lagi: ketika seseorang bertindak tanpa ada yang menyaksikan apakah tindakannya bisa ditandai sebagai peristiwa penting?

Pertama, sekarang adalah masa pencitraan. Ketika suatu peristiwa direkam dan citra dari peristiwa tersebut disiarkan, citraan menjadi punya kekuatan jauh lebih besar daripada peristiwa orisinalnya. Kedua, teknologi informasi memampatkan ruang dan waktu. Real time, real space jadi nisbi.

Maka ide “Occupying Space” mengundang performance artist yang mampu memukau publik. Kemampuan memukau publik adalah kemampuan menguasai ruang. Publik yang dibidik bukan hanya pemirsa yang hadir langsung pada saat presentasi, melainkan juga “pemirsa di masa datang”. Dalam kegiatan ini kamera hendak diperlakukan bukan sebagai alat perekam. Kamera diposisikan untuk membawa pemirsa di masa datang hadir di masa sekarang. Kamera dimanfaatkan untuk meluaskan “panggung” dari performance art, yaitu ruang-ruang yang ditempati. Kamera meluaskan ruang hingga melampaui batasan dunia nyata: ia bisa meraih ruang maya dan menyentuh persepsi pemirsa. Kemampuan memukau menjamin penyerapan simpul-simpul perenungan, kamera menjamin ketersebarannya.
[hh]

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Kurator : Heru Hikayat




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ASEAN/Action
Performance Art
Event 2007:

Occupying Space



7-8-9 December [Jakarta]
14-15 December [Lombok]



Preface

Performance art is a genre of art that placed itself at the edges. It has background from various art disciplines, while it always avoids established conventions or categories. So that it is an avant-garde art.

There is another word that related to renewal in arts: contemporary. In art world, the world contemporary is not only reconciling to literary meaning, nowadays. Contemporary is more reconciling to critical principles that are expanding and even annihilate prior principles. Performance art is also appropriate with this.

Talking about performance art is talking about the renewal spirits in art. A spirit that could make the audiences is being challenged to roam around, an adventure of spectacle. Audience is just like the artist: always having an adventure every time they making art.

These are quotation of definition from World Book Encyclopedia:

Performance art is a live performance that combines elements from many branches of art. A performance artist typically uses literature, the visual arts, popular culture, music, dance, and theater, as well as video, slides, and computer-generated images. A performance can consist of one person or several and may take place anywhere and last for any length of time. Performance art often uses the performer's body as the primary art medium. The performance may be autobiographical or make a political statement, especially of a radical nature. It often merges art with daily activities”.

In other word, it is not a mere performance. It is also about an action. Then we have to underline the note that had been stated by the historian, Rose Lee Goldberg.
By its very nature, performance defies precise or easy definition beyond the simple declaration that it is live art by artists. Any stricter definition would immediately negate the possibility of performance itself”. [Rose Lee Goldberg, Performance Art – From Futurism to the Present, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1988) page 9.]

This formula also has to elaborate again due to epoch demands. This elaboration will be held in the frame of “Occupying Space”.

Background

In Europe and America, the development of performance art in art history is being related by common frustration feelings that had been accumulated by the World War. The reality is the project to enlighten human beings that was called modernism has taken humanity to a destructive process. Art that always related to “beauty” and “pleasure”, is believed are not relevant anymore. How it is possible to us to create and enjoy beauty if the world is in such terrible condition?

In Indonesia, the beginning of development of performance art was held on 1970 when the word ‘performance art’ was begin established in the west. In Indonesia, at that time, there was not any term for it, but the leaning was begun. There was an approximately same condition that is common frustration. In 1970s, some of Indonesian educated people had been realized that the foundation of the development under Soeharto regime was brittle. The dynamics of development was too centralized. The movement pattern was narrow, the order consists of dogmas. In art world, there was conflict between different generations. Old generation was meaning to defend the order that they believed it was true while young generation demand renewal. A renewal always begins from an experiment, a spirit to play, to disentangle self from strong bond, to expand vision. Rebellion is creative, said Albert Camus.

In 1980, performance art in Indonesia is mutual accord activism of the students. University students with other educated people began to effort a protest for unbalanced development speed. On art matters, the source problem was from the order that had been forced. Some art students were more loving to express their thoughts outside class, outside necessities that have been constructed by institution. While inside class, art must be adjusted with official policies, outside class the available “stage” is an opened space and demonstration action. Another factor is tendency to meet various art disciplines. Artists and art organizers provide creation and art activities that assemble visual art, theater, dance, music and also literature. Gathering between artists have lean contents about critical conversation about realities, about injustice, about art itself. Such example is an artist draw a beggar with so realistic and touching, and then the work was sold in an expensive price, could that thing be called “selling poorness”? Or if someone saw wooden chair on the stage, could it be called art?

On performance art, criticisms are not only pointed to reality. Performance art is also critical to art. Watching performance art will emerge kind of questions, does art really important? What is the value of art? Kind of these questions are questions that could not fully answer. An effort to ask and to search more will be more urgent than a final answer. This effort will guarantee dynamics in art. If we want to expand it, it will also guarantee dynamics of culture.

Learning about performance art can reveal common passion from the doers and art lovers to progress and actuality. Learning about performance art can reveal how does the art exist in front of its publics? For some artists, this is a challenge: could he/she make his/her present significant? And for audiences, the challenge is do they want to face art with a sensitive way?

Those explanations are based on condition in Indonesia. South East Asia region could be believed that they share same conditions. It is not only due to narrow distance but is caused by same social politics condition. An event that includes South East Asia region and involve in critical art such as performance art, was pleased it could utter new surface from cultural dynamics.

Ideas

Live art is especially ephemeral. Once performed, it tends to become myth and few photos and tapes.
(Laurie Anderson)

Originality and actuality are common obsession. Related to the artist, originality refers to the integrity of the subject, and actuality reconcile to immediate presentation as a whole. Performance art that is presented live by the artist, by the body, in an event, shows the most exact strategy to pursue originality and actuality. Pre-condition is the presentation on specific space and time.

This is mechanical reproduction era said Walter Benjamin. He declared the lost of aura of art. Does it really happen? Art work is still having its own power to attract people. It is also an aura. The lost aura is an aura from pre-reproduction technology era. An art work could only be seen by certain people at that time. Then technology duplicates the art work and make it could be seen by a anybody. The problem is relation between reproduction and original work. When we talk about value of one work and we feel that we understand it, even when we have not seen the original work, at that time original work and its reproduction are equal. Such experience to see the art was reduced its unique.

Predicted by Benjamin that in this new era, art has new basic that more political. Now all of art works that were assumed valuable must be reproduced like all of events that were assumed important recorded and then the images being duplicated. What has been a common ground from a decision to reproduce something? The market! That is new basic for art.

To performance art, this new basic directly impact its particularity that take place on specific time and space. Performance art is more like an event than a material. Direct presentation is the basic character. The actual work is an event that happens just one time, at that time. “Once mean something and then die”—this poem from Chairil Anwar could express a basic character of an event. A performance work could be presented more than one time. But until the second time, third time, etc. these work is not same anymore due to different space and time. Context is really vital to form a performance work. On the other side, how could an event be possible could wide spread out if it is not documented? Even whole of modern art in Indonesia is begun from reading of art documents. Knowledge about performance art could be gotten from books and studies of documents.

A Medium to Expand Spaces

We will begin from a basic question: among various arts, could we recognize the particularity of one art, its true particularity that shares nothing in common with other kind of arts? What is the true particularity of painting that is not belong to another kind of arts? What is the particularity of performance art?

It has been mentioned that performance art is an event, that means everything has potential to become art and the presentation space could be anywhere. In life, there is no unique event and space. Everything just flows. Human always tries to mark it and keep try to leave milestones. Seeing an event is an effort to signifying. Then the particularity of performance art is in its unique as an event.

A space that has been chosen by a performance artist to present his/her work will turn into a “stage”. When the event begins, space will be fulfilled by audiences. They are the publics at that time. Performance artist performs to face publics directly. Performance artist always has strategy to attract public’s attention, make his/her present become significant. The method is performance artist must realize public’s presence. Each of them must realize their presence. In this situation, with such techniques, it could be a unique event and has a deep impression—in a meaning of an impression that could echo in the future.

A good performance is a work that has succeeded to impress publics. Publics are succeeding being persuaded to watch every detail. On the contrary, publics will prosecute the unique of that event that make them willing to pay their attention to that performance, details by details.

Will that unique event meet it end on memory of people who watch it directly? How about the people who had not come that time? In other word: when an experience to watch art work had been lost its unique, how could a performance art is considered a significant thing? In other word: when someone acts with no one witness the act, will the action be mark as a significant event?

First, today is an image era. When an event is recorded and the image from that event is broadcasted, the image will gain more power than the original event. Second, information technology can press space and time. Real time and real space will become relative.

The idea of “Occupying Space” is inviting performance artists that could mesmerize the audiences. An ability to mesmerize publics is the ability to occupy the spaces. The public that we are talking about is not only those who had come to the presentation, but they are also ‘future audiences’. In this event, camera will not be treated as a recording tool. The camera is being positioned to carry the future audiences to present now. The camera is used to expand the “stage” of the performance. The camera will carry it beyond the actual spaces. The camera expands space so that it passes the border of the real world: it can reach the virtual space and touch the perception of audiences. The ability to attract publics guarantee absorption of the values and the camera guarantee its spreading.


[hh]

Curator : Heru Hikayat


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Time Frame :


December 7th – 9th, 2007 [National Gallery, JakartaJava Island]

December 14th – 15th, 2007 [Lombok Island, Nusa Tenggara Barat/ NTB]




Schedule:

Jakarta [National Gallery]

Asean/Aksi Performance Art Event

OCCUPYING SPACE”



Jakarta, 7|8|9 December 2007- National Gallery

7th Opening Ceremony

o 19.00: Speech by Mr. Tubagus 'Andre' Sukmana; Project Manager, Ms. Atieq S S Listyowati; Curator, Mr. Heru Hikayat

· Performance & Artist Talk

o 20.00: Performance

  • · Yoyoyogasmana

  • · Isabelle Young Sook Park



8th Symposium, Performance

o 14.30-18.00: Symposium

· Presenter

  • Chumpon Apisuk

  • Arahmaiani

  • Reza ’Asung’ Afisina

o 19.00-finish: Performance

  • Reza ’Asung’ Afisina

  • Seiji Shimoda

  • Han Tao

  • Ilham J Baday

· 9th Performance & Artist Talk

o 14.30-18.00: Performance

  • RewindArt

  • Ronald Apriyan

  • Sakitkuningcollectivo

  • Chumpon Apisuk

  • Armand Jamparing

o 19.0 – finish: Artist Talk

  • All Participant




Lombok [Sembalun - Taman Budaya NTB ]

10th : Arrival

11th : Taman Budaya NTB [Art Centre of Nusa Tenggara Barat]

  • Introduction/ Press Conference [all artists/participants]

11th – 13th

  • Short Residence in Sembalun Village

14th

  • Performance in Sembalun Village by:
    • Iwan Wijono
    • Ilham J Baday
    • Isabelle Young Sook Park

16th : Taman Budaya NTB

  • Artist Talk
  • Video Performance by Cheng Guang Feng
  • Performance by Han Tao
  • Closing


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Venue

  • Jakarta [Galeri Nasional Indonesia / National Gallery]

Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14
Jakarta 10110

INDONESIA

Email: galnas@indosat.or.id

Website : www.galeri-nasional.or.id

Tel.: [+62 21] 34833954/ 34833955/ 3813021

Fax : [+62 21] 3813021

  • Lombok Island [Mataram & Sembalun]





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AppreRoom

http://appreroom-artspace.blogspot.com

E.: appreroom@yahoo.com