Transmigration
The performance comments on the themes “History and Today”, the topic of the performance festival by outlining Indonesia’s colonial past and the history of Indonesian Nation building to the present situation in Indonesia marked by foreign debt, multinational corporations draining local economy, the deforestation of the rainforest, and inter-ethnic conflicts. A historic event leading directly to these problems was “The Indonesian Transmigration Project”. The project was initiated by Dutch colonizers and continued by the dictatorial regime after Indonesia gained independence, supported by the World Bank The program resettled more than 7 million people from the Island of Java to less populated areas.
The history of transmigration is put in relation to the concept of flight as it on one hand signifies domination through warfare and territorial conquest, while also being a symbol of freedom and human aspiration as well a symbol of displacement and forced migration. Through live performance, audio, and video projection, these stories are inter-related. A multinational Wing Corporation moves its mass production unit from Amsterdam to Jakarta in 2006 to produce wings for their spring collection branded “Transmigration”. The audience is asked to participate and become factory workers. During the performance, they produce a series of wings and test them in the end, thus creating an uncomfortable farce of how economic domination as a form of neo colonialism is branded through promoting wings as a fashion accessory, becoming symbols of dreams, freedom, and privilege.

Performed at:
“Birds Migration: Indonesia International Performance Art Event[ IIPAE ] 2006”
An International Performance Art Forum Festival

Activities :
Seminar, Artist Talk, Workshop, Exhibition and Performances

Date :
7th – 9th December 2006

Theme :
History & Today (Sejarah & Kini )

Participants:
Performers/ art critiques/ researcher/ observers/ organizers (local or international)

Ade/Asep Deni [Indonesia] Agnes Yit [Singapore] Angie Seah [Singapore] Angga Wedhaswara [Indonesia] Arai Sin-Ichi [Japan] Ari Suryadi Nata [Indonesia] Arief Dharmawan [Indonesia] B+PAC/ Bandung Performance Art Community [Indonesia] Cheng Guangfeng [China] Deden Sambas [Indonesia] Dian Mulyanto & his gank [Indonesia] Emily White [USA] Feriawan [Indonesia] Heru Hikayat [Indonesia] Hong O-bong [Korea] Ilham J. Baday [Indonesia] Inari Virmakoski [Finland] Iswanto GH [Indonesia] Jacques van Poppel [Netherlands] Jane Jin Kaisen [Denmark] Jennifer Nelson [Greece] Jeremy Hiah [Singapore] Juliana Yasin [Singapore] Khairuddin Hori [Singapore] Krisna Murti [Indonesia] Lee Wen [Singapore] Lina Adam [Singapore] Melati Suryodarmo [Indonesia/ Germany] Mukmin Soge Ahmad [Indonesia] Nani Kahar [ Malaysia] Nezaket Ekici [Germany/ Turkey] Performance Art Jakarta Collectivo-Jakarta 32º [Indonesia] Peter Grzybowski [Poland] Prilla Tania [Indonesia] Rahmat Haron [Malaysia] Ray Langenbach [USA/ Malaysia] Razif [Malaysia] Rebecca Conro [Australia] Rizman Putra [Singapore] Roi Vaara [Finland] Saiful Razman [Malaysia] Santo Klingon [Indonesia] Slamet Gaprax & Sallabi [Indonesia] Sophia Natasha Wei [Singapore] S S Listyowati [Indonesia] Teguh Ostenrik [Indonesia] Tiarma D Sirait [Indonesia] Tang Da Wu [Singapore] Yoyoyogasmana [Indonesia/ USA] Yustoni Volunteero [Indonesia] Zane Trow [Australia] etc.

Venue :
Indonesian National Gallery/ Galeri Nasional Indonesia
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14
Jakarta 10110 – INDONESIA
H. www.galeri-nasional.or.id

Program Description :
Performance Art in Indonesia is considered a new genre. Despite the pro and contra’s in society, even in art community, the genre is growing and developing, even though in sporadic ways. To some of the people or groups, they already took serious process in every stage, both in researches as well as event organizing and discourse development. Some individuals have already honored in some international forums.

Further, taking the account of some observations* done previously, it is found some basic discourse gaps in Performance Art. It is well-known, that even in art community and performance art community we would find facts that the study discourse of performance art history have not been acknowledge. This gap has lead into an instant or ‘just do it’ mode compare to ‘think first’ before proceeding with your ideas. Later it resulted on stagnation within the process. The concept presented has thin layer of argumentation, because people tends to rely on impulsion compare to rationalization descriptive chain, and or even deny the critiques after all. This influence the richness of performance shapes. Some of the performers in the community even declared they resign due to lack of fresh ideas.

Like or not, understandable or not, the genre is a reality and need to be acknowledge in their own space as one of the science, no bargain.

Looking at the metaphor of birds migrating [Birds Migration]. These can not be obstructed. The metaphor pictures thousands of birds migrating from one continent to the other, reproduction, assimilating, create new species based on their continent specification or even preferred to keep their origin, daring the epidemic faced today, bringing hundreds of dead toll from the avian flu. It’s unstoppable.

Even so, following the migrating birds which runs their ecosystem as the nature law, parallel with the wind, soaring high up into the wide sky, wings glaring and open gracefully, sailing a new frontier, seedlings other life, seeds, plants, rice, yeats, flowers, pioneering the blossoms of flowers and the ripe of fruits, dazzling trees, endemic species surviving to find their food, in a harmony, in a restless livelihood or stability, always moving from one phase of life towards another, designing new cells and oasis.

Birds Migration : Indonesia International Performance Art Event [ IIPAE ] 2006 aimed to self-analog with the above description. The event held variety of spirits within numbers of event with special theme ’Bird Migration" located within several venues. The main spirit is to gather networking between the activists in various events and programs, based on common awareness of the importance in history study of the performance art spreading as a genre in involving actors and many messages in raising awareness towards the political, social, individual, cultural and more. These need further understanding and new strategy in dealing with “current” form, later creating the “present” creations.

The event hopefully could give aspirations for many people related, at least in the knowledge aspect. Together with the Indonesian National Gallery (Galeri Nasional Indonesia ) as the national leading arts institution, it is hope that the event could become one of the main support in art and science, not for Indonesia, but also for the world.