Saturday 27 July 2013

The Learning Wall at Kampoong Babakan

Tembok Belajar di Kampoong Babakan


"It is not what you see that is important but what takes place between people."-  Rirkrit Tiravanija

Kutipan diatas diambil dari seniman dunia berasal dari Thailand yang percaya bahwa seni mampu berkoneksi langsung dengan kehidupan bermasyarakat. Kata-kata Rikrit layak disandang oleh sejumlah individu dan kelompok seniman street art dari Bandung, Jakarta dan Tangerang yang beraktifitas di kampoong Babakan, kelurahan Binong, Tangerang.

Sejak Mei sampai Juli 2013, secara periodik, sekelompok-demi sekelompok mereka melabur, “men-tag”, melukis, dan “men-stencil” tembok rumah-rumah warga, yang pada tiga dekade ini menjadi situs pemukiman penduduk beretnis asli Sunda yang “terpinggirkan” karena  hadirnya kota-kota mandiri (clusters).

Poster The Learning Wall by Agenkultur

Mereka melakukan kegiatan street artnya dengan berempati pada tema yang dianggap urgen di kampoong itu, yakni menyoal kebutuhan pendidikan dasar bagi warganya. Mereka sebut proyek seni ini dengan Tembok Belajar.  

Tema awalnya disodorkan oleh dua kelompok komunitas seni sebagai penggagas utama project, yakni Agenkultur di Tangerang dan Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) di Jakarta.

Dengan membangun konsep lewat pertemuan-pertemuan intensif secara berkala antar dua komunitas sejak awal tahun. Kemudian, berdiskusi, memilah dan memilih kelompok-kelompok seniman dan menetapkan strategi bentuk seni serta membuat perencanaan untuk mengeksekusi di kemudian hari. Tentunya, dengan menimbang kondisi dan potensi di masyarakat kampoong lewat serangkaian survei. 

Artist: Ari Ardome
Photo: Indah Ariani

Proyek seni ini merupakah langkah pertama dari program berjangka panjang yang diniatkan bisa mewujudkan kampoong Babakan menjadi “Kampoong Edukasi”. Sebuah cita-cita tentang kampung yang tetap kreatif dan percaya diri, meski “terisolir” oleh tembok-tembok pembatas “fisik maupun psikis “.

Karena tepat berada ditengah-tengah pembangunan kota-kota mandiri di Tangerang yang berjejal, bertumbuh sampai hari ini—dalam bentuknya yang nyata adalah pembangunan perumahan-perumahan baru yang dibangun oleh para developer besar disekitar wilayah kampoong.   

Kampoong Babakan, Agenkultur dan JAM

One of housing clusters near the kampoong area
Photo: Agenkultur

Problem terbesar dari kota-kota di Asia, termasuk Jakarta adalah meledaknya jumlah populasi  dan pembangunan kota yang  tidak terkontrol. Menggelembungkan skala kota menjadi gigantik. Bertransformasi menjadi kota megacity dengan lebih 10 juta pemukim.

Yang akhirnya membentuk kota-kota satelit/ penyangga, seperti kota Tangerang dimana kampoong Babakan berlokasi—dengan masalah yang sama dengan Jakarta: berkembang tanpa kendali. Kota Tangerang, yang berjarak 25 km dari pusat kota Jakarta harus mengalami nasib serupa.

Penulis seperti Mike Davis dibukunya yang fenomenal Planet of Slum satu saat menyatakan "for the first time the urban population of the earth will outnumber the rural. Indeed, given the imprecisions of third world censuses, this epochal transition may already have occurred".

Transisi memang sedang terjadi, seperti kata Mike Davis, pemukim wilayah perkotaan jumlahnya membengkak. Dampak nyata adalah terdesaknya kampung-kampung asli yang memiliki tanah ulayat sebagai warisan, dan telah digadai serta “di- kota-kan”.

Mereka mengalami "segregasi budaya" dan proses "pengucilan ekonomi", setahap-demi setahap dari habitus aslinya di kampoong.

A wall separating the housing cluster with area of kampoong
Photo: Agenkultur

Salah seorang warga kampung Babakan, H. Nadji (70th) beretnis Sunda, pada sebuah wawancara mengatakan pada penulis bahwa pembangunan kota-kota mandiri telah terjadi sejak awal 80an.

Pertumbuhan kota Tangerang kemudian merebak pesat, menjadikan kelompok kota-kota mandiri di dalamnya meraksasa. Yang menyediakan fasilitas internasional seperti rumah sakit, perumahan elit yang ekslusif, universitas, pusat perkantoran, hotel dan belanja super modern.

Ironisnya segala infrastruktur hebat tersebut, tak bisa terakses warga kampoong-kampoong kecil disekitarnya. Fenomena ini, menggeser keberadaan kampoong-kampoong asli. Selain Babakan yang sudah terancam, seperti di kampoong Kelapa Dua, Bencongan, Kerubung atau Curug, sebagian penduduknya telah “hijrah” ke tempat lain. 

Nadji mengaku bersama keluarganya, selama tiga generasi mendiami kampoong Babakan—sejak sebelum kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia dikumandangkan.

“Dulunya, kita menggarap lahan warisan, bertani dengan menanam padi atau singkong dan berangsur-angsur beralih profesi”ungkap Nadji. Ia dan penduduk kampoong yang lain, sekarang terpaksa menyesuaikan diri dengan menjadi buruh pabrik atau bekerja di kawasan kota mandiri tersebut.  

Nadji menyebut, sekitar 25%, warga kampoong sampai sekarang masih bertahan sebagai petani. Untuk tetap survival, Nadji mencoba berbagai profesi baru. “Saya sendiri sekarang bekerja sebagai petugas keamanan di kompleks perumahan Karawaci” ujarnya.

Artist: Duo Coblon, Propagrahic Movement
Photo: Agenkultur
Dari data di pusat informasi di kelurahan Binong tahun 2012, wilayah  seluas  461,28 Ha (461 Km) yang meliputi  kampoong  Babakan, Cijengir, Galuga, Binong dan Peusar, memiliki problem kemiskinan dan pengangguran.

Kendala utamanya adalah rendahnya tingkat pendidikan yang membuat mereka tidak memiliki akses ketrampilan dan terserap bursa tenaga kerja. Sebagai tolok ukur, pada tingkat pendidikan terendah saja, pada usia 7-15 tahun sejumlah 2965 orang telah putus sekolah. Dibandingkan jumlah total sekitar 40 ribuan lebih penduduk, jumlah putus sekolah yang disebut belum seberapa. Angka diatas, belum dihitung mereka yang putus sekolah sederajat tingkat sekolah lanjut (SMU).   

Dari sanalah, organisasi nirlaba dan komunitas Agenkultur yang tumbuh berakar dari kampoong Babakan mendedikasikan diri, membuka kelas-kelas pendidikan non formal. Membantu para pemuda putus sekolah.

Seperti yang dikatakan oleh pendiri komunitas sekaligus warga setempat, FW Pei “organisasi kita, yang bergerak di bidang sosial, pendidikan dan budaya yang dirintis dari 2003 telah membelajarkan lebih dari 1200 orang warga Kelurahan Binong yang putus sekolah dari beragam jenjang usia”. 

Ia menambahkan, Agenkultur mengembangkan program pendidikan non formal ini menjadi sebuah pusat pendidikan bermetode holistik yang disebut “Sekolah Perubahan” dengan menawarkan pula kerja dan praktik berkesenian, membuka ruang pendidikan lebih luas.

FW Pei lebih lanjut menerangkan bahwa ia membangun jejaring antar komunitas dan kerjasama yang intensif dengan institusi manapun,  dengan mempraktikkan metode berbeda seperti dijalankan pada proyek street art Tembok Belajar. Bersama komunitas Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) dan partisipan sejumlah kelompok dan individu-individu seniman street art.

One afternoon when young peoples gathered at the headquarters of Agenkultur
Photo: Indah Ariani

Sementara itu, JAM yang semenjak akhir tahun 2012 menginisiasi proyek seni di Kampoong urban, kerjasamanya dengan Agenkultur adalah aktifitas proyeknya yang kedua yang merupakan bagian dari proyek seni Kampoong Art Attack, yakni kerja seni di kampoong -kampoong di Jakarta dan daerah di sekitarnya.

Setelah hampir setahun JAM ikut serta pada pemberdayaan masyarakat dengan seni dan aktivisme sosialnya di kampoong rawan konflik horisontal—antar warga, di kampoong Johar Baru, Jakarta Pusat, JAM sampai hari ini tetap membuka kelas-kelas kreatif tari kontemporer dan stencil art bersama Universitas Indonesia, Departemen Sosiologi. 

Tembok Belajar dan Kolaborasi Street Art

Artist: ROAR
Photo: Agenkultur

Tema Tembok Belajar mengadopsi pada konsep standar dinding pengajaran, yang sering dipakai untuk materi mengajar sekolah di tingkat dasar atau primary grade. Kita akan menemu tembok-tembok warga di kampoong Babakan dengan karya-karya dari seniman street art berupa  gambar-gambar atau angka, buah dan binatang jenaka untuk memudahkan berhitung,  membaca, dan pengenalan berbahasa Inggeris dasar pada nak-anak.

Karya-karya di tembok warga juga menampakkan gambar manusia, semisal tentang tokoh ilmuwan dunia dengan gestur dan kata-kata yang mengingatkan, menghubungkan anak dengan lingkungan sekitar. Atau, bentuk tertentu yang menjadi permainan, membuat anak-anak bisa melihat, kemudian meresponnya dengan gembira. 

A community center at kampoong Babakan painted by mural style
Photo: Agenkultur
Kita juga akan disapa kata-kata yang sifatnya memotivasi untuk bangun pagi atau semangat berolah raga, merangsang sikap sportif dan jujur.  Hari Anak Nasional, yang diperingati pada 23 Juli 2013 di Indonesia sepertinya momentum tepat dengan proyek seni Tembok Belajar ini.

Kelompok dan individu street art yang berpartisipasi seperti ISAD, Propagraphic Movement, RoboWobo, Garis Keras Feat. Spik Lala, Rewind Art, Andi Rharharha, TSAF, JAH, ROAR, GIMS, Kampret Syndicate, Ardome dan Sadrax Lima Smile, Kampung Segart, Sekolah Komunitas Johar Baru (SKJB), Agenkultur Art Activist (AAA) memiliki cara dan metode yang berbeda satu dan yang lainnya. Namun, dengan semangat yang sama, mereka dengan karya seninya telah membantu sesama.

Artist: TSAF
Photo: Agenkultur

Dengan menggunakan teknik mural, stencil art atau wheat paste sampai tape art,  Kampoong Babakan telah menjadi kampung yang memiliki beragam karakter visual jenis street art.

Koordinator program dari JAM, seniman stencil art sekaligus kurator untuk project di Tembok Belajar, Selo Riemulyadi menyatakan bahwa ia masih konsisten untuk terus-menerus  membuka kemungkinan pendekatan praktik berkenian yang terhubung secara sosial via street art.

“Misalnya, kita mengkoordinasikan kelompok-kelompok street art di berbagai kota yang diterapkan di kampoong-kampoong bermasalah seperti kampoong Babakan ini” kata Selo. Ia menambahkan  bahwa street art sebagai bagian ekspresi seni yang dihela oleh semangat  kolaboratif memiliki peran lebih nyata di masyarakat.

Artist: Andi Rharharha
Photo: Agenkultur

Cara seniman-seniman street art yang bekerja pada proyek Tembok Belajar, seperti yang dilakukan Selo dan kawan-kawannya,  dengan berkolaborasi bersama, kerap disebut para pengamat seni sebagai  laku community based art, socially engaged art, seni partisipatoris atau sebagian menyebutnya aktivisme seni sosial.

Upaya menanggalkan batas-batas seni yang otonom, yakni  semangat kemandirian ekspresi estetik individu yang “di belenggu kuat” di dada berangsur-angsur dilepas untuk merangkul seni yang heteronom. Yakni, jenis seni yang lebih menekankan sifat komunalitas dengan karakter bentuknya  yang berpihak pada persinggungan lingkungan sosialnya.   

Dari seniman manca negara, sebagai misal,  kita bisa berkaca pada  praktik seni partisipatoris dengan seni kolaboratif, seperti misal kerja artistik kelompok Oda Projesi. Kelompok tiga perempuan seniman dari Turki, yakni Özge Acıkkol, Günes Savas dan Secil Yersel.

Pada salah satu proyek seninya, Oda Projesi meyewa tiga ruang di apartemen di daerah Galata, Istanbul. Mengadakan workshop bersama anak-anak dengan para tetangga, mengundang  seniman patung untuk berpiknik bersama sampai mengorganisasikan karnaval anak-anak dengan kelompok seniman teater. Gejala yang seperti ini, diteruskan selama puluhan tahun, dipentaskan dalam event-event penting Biennale dunia, seperti Venice Biennale.

Artist: JAH
Photo: Agenkultur
Sementara, dari perspektif para aktivis street art, sudah jamak bahwa era sekarang mereka membebaskan diri untuk merespon kemungkinan apa saja, dari daya artistik mereka di jalanan. Tak lagi berkutat membawa dan mengharuskan narasi-narasi besar sebagai arah kendali untuk berekspresi.

Beberapa tahun lalu, sebagai contoh, seniman street art Jace,  dari Perancis, melakukan kegiatan sederhana namun menyentuh:  mengadakan perjalanan ke kepulauan Madagascar dan tinggal disana selama beberapa bulan dengan orang-orang suku Anakao. Ia melakukan eksperimen seni bersama nelayan tradisionil setempat dengan perahu-perahunya.

Proyek ini disebut Jace sebagai pengalaman berbagi dan bergerak untuk warga lokal. Bekerjasama berkarya di tempat-tempat yang  dianggap Jace di daerah yang “tak tersentuh seni” dan tidak layak huni. Jace kemudian menuliskan pengalamannya di sebuah buku.

Menimbang pengalaman Jace, seni jalanan, telah membuka diri seluas-luasnya hari ini, dengan kemungkinan-kemungkinan  anyar. Bahkan, menjadi medium untuk mendorong semangat belajar bagi anak-anak sekolah dasar, seperti di Kampoong Babakan, Tangerang dengan proyek seni Tembok Belajar.  

Ini sebenarnya tidak mengherankan, karena sifat komunalitas, dari akar budaya di Indonesia yang karib dijuluki: gotong royong/ saling tolong antar warga telah hadir semenjak lama. Jauh sebelum “kesakralan seni modern dunia” yang bercorak individualis tiba.

Kita juga telah menyaksikan sejak satu dekade lalu, seniman-seniman individu maupun kelompok seni yang secara geografis disebut merespon budaya urban,  di Indonesia dan kota-kota besar seperti Jogjakarta, Bandung dan Jakarta makin marak melakukan kerja-kerja kolaboratif artistik serupa yang berdimensi sosial.


Bambang Asrini Widjanarko


Ketua Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) untuk proyek seni Kampoong Art Attack 2012-2013



The Learning Wall at Kampoong Babakan


A community center at kampoong Babakan before and after painted by mural style
Photo: Agenkultur
"It is not what you see that is important but what takes place between people."-  Rirkrit Tiravanija

Statement by world-renowned artist from Thailand seemed appropriate to give to a number of individuals and groups of street artists from the cities like Bandung, Jakarta and Tangerang who did the art work at kampoong Babakan, subdistrict Binong, Tangerang.

Tangerang is a city in the Province of Banten, Indonesia located about 25 km west of Jakarta. It is the third largest urban center in the Jabotabek region after Jakarta and Bekasi.

From May to July 2013 on a periodic basis, group after group, those artists have been working on the walls of local houses. Kampoong Babakan is an urban village area in the last three decades inhabited by indigenous ethnic Sundanese and it has been "marginalized" by the establishment of “city clusters”.


Southeast Asian Population by geographic news


Jakarta and Jabotabek region by geographic news
They had been doing street art activity by showing empathy on the themes that are considered urgent needs related to basic education for  the residents of kampoong. They call this art project The Learning Wall. The main theme of the project comes from the idea of ​​the two groups originated from the arts community as initiators, Agenkultur in Tangerang and Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) in Jakarta.

Concept of The Learning Wall has been agreed through a process of intensive meetings on a regular basis between the two art communities since the beginning of the year. Subsequently held a discussion, sorting and selecting groups of artists. In addition, making a strategy on how to create a form of art with a plan to execute by considering the conditions in kampoong society via a series of surveys.


Artist: Garis Keras feat. Speak Lala and Rewind Art
Photo: Agen Kultur
This art project is the first step of a long-term program that is intended to achieve so-called "Kampoong Education". A dream about a future that their kampooong remain creative and confident even though it was "isolated" with boundary wall "physically and psychologically" because its location right in the middle of the construction of a new exclusive housing clusters.

Kampoong Babakan, Agenkultur and JAM


one house of resident kampoong Babakan



One house at housing clusters
The biggest problem of the cities in Asia, including Jakarta is an uncontrolled urban development and population explosion. It was developed into gigantic scale town and turn  into a city that is known as the megacity with more than 10 million people.

In the end, a giant city like Jakarta have established satellite towns, one of which is Tangerang. However, Tangerang area which is Kampoong Babakan located apparently had the same problem with the Jakarta with an uncontrolled development.

Writer such as Mike Davis on his phenomenal book entitled Planet of Slum one time stating "for the first time the urban population of the earth will outnumber the rural. Indeed, given the imprecisions of third world censuses, this Epochal transition may already have Occurred" .

A transition like Mike Davis said really happened. The real impact is experienced as Kampoong Babakan being pressed today. Those who inherit the land from generation to generation has been sold to developers of the new cluster. They have experienced "cultural  segregation" and "economic alienation", a process of exclusion that going step by step to break their original habitus at kampoong.

A new housing cluster development near kampoong Babakan
Photo: Agenkultur


A wall (on the left) that separates the new housing cluster with kampoong's houses (on the right)
Photo: Agenkultur
One resident of kampoong Babakan, H. Nadji (70 years old) ethnic Sundanese, in an interview told to writer that the development of clusters, especially new housing clusters have occurred since early 80s. Tangerang city growth then spread rapidly, making groups of its “economic clusters” into a large-scale that offers international facilities such as hospitals, hotel, real estate, universities, shopping centers and office.

Ironically all the great economic infrastructure can not be accessed by residents of surrounding small kampoongs. Besides Kampoong Babakan already “threatened” as in kampoong Kelapa Dua, Bencongan, Kerubung or Curug, some of the population has been moved to another place.  As we all know that a big economic clusters also lead to disparities; on the one hand, more and more people suffer from poverty, on the other hand, rich people are getting richer.

Nadji admitted with his family for three generations inhabiting kampoong Babakan--since before the independence of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Previously, we work on heritage land, farming with rice plants or cassava and we gradually switched our professions" Nadji said. He and other residents of kampoong now forced to adjust to be a factory worker or working in the new housing cluster. According to Nadji, approximately 25% of the population of kampoong still survive as farmers.

Meanwhile, to maintain viability, Nadji tried various new profession. "I am now working as a security guard in a housing complex called Karawaci" he said. According data from the information center in the chief office of subdistrict of Binong in 2012, an area of ​​461.28 hectares (461 Km) which includes kampoong Babakan, Cijengir, Galuga, Binong and Peusar has problems of poverty and unemployment.


Land inherited from generation to generation owned by kampoong residents have been sold to developers of housing cluster
Photo: Agenkultur
The main obstacle is the lack of education that makes them do not have access to skills and in the end can not be absorbed by labor market. Still according to the data, as a comparison, the lowest level of education in a number of 2,965 people aged 7-15 have dropped out of school compared to the amount of about 40 thousand over population. The number of dropouts was not counted those who had dropped out of high school.

By looking at those conditions, a non-profit community organization called Agenkultur has been established by responding to the urgent needs of kampoong Babakan related education issues.  They dedicate themselves to open non-formal education classes that focus on young people who drop out of school.

As said by the founder of the organization as well as local residents, FW Pei "Our organization, which is engaged in the social, education and culture established from 2003 has been educating via a specific curriculum of more than 1200 peoples dropping out of school at subdistricts Binong (mainly peoples comes from Kampoong Babakan) in various age level”.

He added, Agenkultur was developing non-formal education program into an educational center with a holistic method with the name "The School of Change". The school is also offering art education practices.

FW Pei further stated that he was creating a network between the arts community and intensive cooperation with any institution by practicing different methods such as running art project The Learning Wall in collaboration with art community Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) and invited a number of individuals and groups of street artists for the project participants.


A relaxed discussion between street artists and curator at Agenkultur
Photo: Agenkultur
At the same time, JAM with a joint art project with Agenkultur is the second project activity that is part of its long-term art project called Kampoong Art Attack in Jakarta and surrounding areas since the end of 2012.

After nearly a year participated in a community empowerment via art and social activism in conflict-prone areas at kampoong Johar Baru, Central Jakarta, JAM has opened creative classes such as contemporary dance and stencil art supported by the University of Indonesia, Department of Sociology.

The Learning Wall and Street Art Collaboration


Artist: GIMS
Photo: Agenkultur
Theme of The Learning Wall actually adopt the standard concept of teaching wall that is often used for teaching materials in primary level schools. We will find the walls of a resident of kampoong Babakan with the works of the street artists in the form of pictures or figures such as fruit and playful animals to facilitate primary school age children can count, read, and know basic English language lessons.

The works on the wall of kampoong residents also showed pictures of humans, for example, a particular world scientist with gestures and words that remind and connecting children with their environment. In addition, there are certain forms of street art works that it could be a game, make those kids could see then responding it with fun.


Artist: ROAR
Photo: Agenkultur
We were also greeted by the words on the wall that can be used as a motivation to get up in the morning with a picture of an animal or a solicitation to exercise that stimulates the children have the spirit of sportsmanship. National Children's Day, which is celebrated on July 23, 2013 in Indonesia seems a good moment with this art project.

Groups and individual street artists who have participated in the art project such as ISAD, Propagraphic Movement, RoboWobo, Garis Keras feat. Spik Lala, Rewind Art, Andi Rharharha, TSAF, JAH, ROAR, GIMS, Shucks Syndicate, Ardome and Sadrax Five Smile, Kampung Segart, Johar Baru Community School (SKJB), Agenkultur Art Activist (AAA) have different ways and methods on doing their works between one and the other. However, they have the same passion: art can help others.

Program coordinator of JAM, stencil artist and curator for the project The Learning Wall, Selo Riemulyadi consistently stated that he still kept making an open approach to socially engaged art practice via street art.

"For example, we are ready to coordinate groups of street artists in various cities that applied in problematic kampoongs as kampoong Babakan" said Selo. He added that street art as part of the artistic expression that is supported by a collaborative spirit has a more concrete role in society.


Artist: Chita-Chiko, GIMS
Photo: Agenkultur
The workings of the street artists as Selo and his friends are doing in collaboration with, often called the art critic with the type of art practices that characterized as community-based art, socially engaged art, participatory art or some call it as the art of social activism.

It can be described as an attempt to art practice in melting the limits of autonomous art which means spirit of self-reliance in individual aesthetic expression strongly held was removed gradually to embrace heteronomous art.

In other words, the kind of art practices that emphasize the nature and character of the form of communality that is connected with its social environment.


Artist: Andi Rharharha
Photo: Agenkultur
In the world of contemporary artists, as an example, we can reflect on the practice of participatory art as a collaborative work of Oda Projesi. A group of artists consisting of three women from Turkey: Ozge Acıkkol, Günes Savas and Secil Yersel.

On one of its art projects, Oda Projesi rented three rooms in an apartment in the district of Galata, Istanbul. They held a joint workshop with the kids around the neighborhood, inviting sculptors to picnics together and also organizing a children's carnival with a theater group.

Collaborative work is said by art critics as a kind of  participatory art that makes Oda Projesi  even invited to the important world art event like the Venice Biennale.

If we look from the perspective of  “street art activists”, soon we will find that they were already freed themselves to respond to any possibility of their artistic expression on any fields. No longer carry “the only one of liberation ideologies" that requires big narratives as a way to control its expression.

Several years ago, for example, a French street artist Jace did a simple but touching activities: take a trip to the islands of Madagascar and stayed there for several months with tribal people Anakao. He did experimental work with local traditional fishermen with their boats.

Jace refer to his project as a shared experience and move along to the local residents with collaborative practices in places in the area which he considers "untouchable art". This experience later written by Jace in a book.

Artist Robowobo in the fron of his work
Children in front of the work by Duo Coblon, Propagraphic Movement
Photo: Agenkultur

Considering  Jace’s experience, street art has opened up as wide as possible these days, with new possibilities. In fact, a medium to encourage the spirit of learning for primary school children as in Kampoong Babakan, Tangerang with the project The Learning Wall.

It was not really surprising, because the nature of communality in Indonesia's cultural roots are familiar dubbed in here as Gotong Royong or mutual help between peoples  naturally have been present long time even before the coming of “ the sacred world of modern art” with individualistic style.

We also have seen since one last decade individual artists and arts community or artist collective groups that are geographically responds to the phenomenon of urban culture in major cities such as Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta do more intense work by considering their artistic collaborative with its social dimension.


Bambang Asrini Widjanarko

Chairman of  Jakarta Art Movement (JAM) for the art project Kampoong Art Attack 2012-2013.

sources:
Interview with resident of kampoong Babakan H.Nadji, subdistrict Binong Information Centre, Agenkultur,  Selo Riemulyadi, FW Pei, data of Street Art Network: Jakarta, Bandung and Tangerang. The book Planet of Slum by Mike Davis and data on the concept of participatory and collaborative art that is downloaded on the internet:  Jace, Oda Projesi, Geographic News etc