March - November 2005

Visual Art Project

SEPTEMBER SOMETHING

Seeing tragedy from the living room

Activities:

Workshop

(Maret - September 2006)

Visual Art Exhibition September Something Vol. 1

17th September – 7th Okctober 2005

Visual Art Exhibition September Something Vol. 2

12th October – 10th November, 2005

Artists:

Visual Art Exhibition September Something Vol. 1

Agus Adi, Ali Antoni, Anang Saptoto, Hendra harsono, Faturrohman “Indun”, Prihatmokky, DJ Putut, Sadat Laope, Sari Handayani & Pitra Ayu

Visual Art Exhibition September Something Vol. 2

H. Priyadani “Blangkon”, Janu Satmoko, Rudi “Aceh” Dharmawan, Edwin “Dolly” Ruseno, KSR. Racun Badak, Rahman “Tito” Harris, Uji Handoko, Iwan Effendi, Erfianto “Gurit” Wardhana, Gede Krisna, Anang Saptoto

Project Officer & Colaborator:

Agung Kurniawan

SEEING TRAGEDY FROM THE LIVING ROOM

The visual arts project is to see the issue of the “mass-killing/trauma of 1965 Affair from the point of view of the generation born in the era of the “golden peak of Orde Baru (the New Regime)”. It is a generation signified to be born in the period of the end of 70s or beginning of 80s. This generation practically lives a part of its life within the “cocoon” of propaganda machine under the New Regime; from elementary school until university students, watching local and foreign films selected by the state (may be only few of them watch films released without any selection from the state), getting used to with uniforms (school uniforms, Pramuka uniforms, Paskibraka uniforms, and so on), living in “luxury” of the second economic boom in the mid of 80s and beginning of 90s. How these generations see the trauma of 1965 Affair? What do they know about the affair instead of watching a film by Arifin C. Noor entitled “Pengkhianatan G 30 S/PKI” and rumors?
How can we trace an important affair scraped out from memory? How can we explain to a generation unheard of an important affair happened or in other words how to oppose that mass amnesia?


The repeated questions above will always raise when we talk about trauma of 1965 Affair. Those questions will keep annoying us since we really never want to answer. Let by-gones be by-gones is an apology we hear from time to time.

Tracing the Affair from the Artifacts of Pop Culture
Because of the massive propaganda during the New Regime’s rule, it seemed to be impossible to find some needed data from the first hands. Although the authority of the regime has been over, it is still having its residue (for instance a number of books considered being “left” have been kept in the locked room at Regional Library of Yogyakarta. Stories of the affair remain to be “silent histories” and will never be open as long as no political action challenges them.
The situation above shadows the project. Therefore, it needs a method to face it. Regarding the facts, the trauma of 1965 Affair should be seen in a “circle” way. It means that the analysis is not directly done to the core issue but through the pop culture living in the era with the media of magazines, popular songs, and fashions delighted in the era. So, it is assumed that the core issue might be seen in a different way and the outcomes are far from the stereotypes.