Migrant Matter by bintangputra

International Workshop on Urban Studies Kampung Ketandan Surabaya, Indonesia Post-Event Catalog 2019

OHS is an art and research collective based in Surabaya. Founded in 2010 with the aim to understand the relationships between human and their living environment. Through series of diverse activities, OHS explores and produces new interpretations of human habitat in the contemporary era.

about3 Alter-Shelter is an interdisciplinary action-research activity to cultivate socio-spatial ingenuities found in Surabaya kampungs. It is held annually in various urban settlements. Through one week intensive workshop, participants are given the opportunity to mingle with the community and produce creative responses towards phenomenon found in the field. The participants coming from different disciplines and national backgrounds, are required to explore the kampung spontaneously following the interests of each individual. In process participants must interact with local residents to find hidden facts and narratives, to subsequently provide creative responses by collaboration. Each of the participant’s projects can be understood as alternative public media. Workshop on Urban Studies

International

Rombong for Kids by Natsuki Kaji / 梶夏季 Reshaping Cycle by Natsumi Takitani / 瀧谷夏実 Identity of Kampung Ketandan by Rezon Kevin Tandean

Pos Kamling by Rudy Putra Setyantara Way of Looking at Things by Shoko Suzuki / 鈴木翔子 Article: Influx Generator of Surabaya Acknowledgements37353332312927252321191715131197541

contents

About OHS & Alter-Shelter Table of Contents Event: Migrant Matter Site: Kampung Ketandan Alternative Public Media Be(cak) Kusnadi by Aoi Mashima / 真島葵 Journey to find Dead Chairs by Aoi Sato / 佐藤碧

Dialog between People and Things by Ayano Kawaguchi / 川口朱徳 Kepepet by Intan Kumala Fauziah Immigrant Pillow by Maho Fukushi / 福士真穂 Living Street by Manami Masaki / 眞崎愛望 Surabaya’s Dining by Miyu Kuroki / 黒木美佑 Oncek Bawang by Miftahul Jannah

By Bintang Putra, Director & Researcher at OHS

Similar movements also happen in the form of nonhuman matters. The conveniences provided by the digital marketplace, have brought consumer goods through vast distances to reach our doorsteps.

Consumer goods, electronics, tool, money, etc. are making circles around the earth, carrying along various missions and purposes. Like Migrant Workers, these Migrant Matters also transform the society around where they are destined.

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The ongoing urbanization trend across the globe are known to have caused human population to accumulate in capital cities. Humans flow across countries and continents from developing nations or conflict zones, towards the more peaceful and advanced nations. Within a country, humans migrate from rural and suburban areas towards the city centers. Which they, and perhaps we, are then commonly perceived as the migrant workers.

Kampung Ketandan were chosen as it is located right in the heart of Surabaya city, surrounded by office buildings and shopping malls. Ketandan becomes a place where people and things with various forms, functions, and meanings blend together. The density of kampung allow it to absorb the influx of migrants along with their belongings. During the workshop, participants process various objects found in kampung intuitively according to the interests of each individuals. The objects were transformed into a medium to convey ideas, messages, or narratives that are built with local residents. With them, each participant translated the idea of Migrant Matter into their own interpretation as it is contained in the resulting alternative public media. Their narratives were then presented to the locals and guest critics to invite further discourse.

mentors facilitators Kenta Kishi Architect / Professor, at Graduate School of Transdisciplinary Arts Akita University of Art Ayos Purwoaji Art Curator Benny Wicaksono Media Artist Bintang Putra Director & Researcher at OHS (Operations for Habitat Studies) Sarah Inassari Architect / Researcher at OHS (Operations for Habitat Studies) Mana Watanabe Graduate Student, Waseda University

Kampungsite7

Ketandan

Kampung Ketandan is one of the oldest kampung in Surabaya that is rich in culture, religious values, history and architectural inheritance. Located in the golden triangle area, Kampung Ketandan is now surrounded by the hustle and bustle of commercial activities as well as the on-going urban development projects. The nuance of space development and preservation can be captured in its neighborhood as we find the modern shopping facilities exist along with the traditional market, the new visual improvement that try to strengthen the old layer, and the urban routines that go with the locals’ effort to preserve the traditional rituals. Kampung Ketandan can pave the way to find the migration of things since it works as a space of negotiation of old and new, past and expected future, also everyday rush and slow-paced life.

Community Center (Workshop Venue) Alwani Shop Bank of India Cak Durasim Cultural Center Pavilijoen Hotel Genteng Market Bintang Palapa Shop Gading Murni Shop Tunjungan Electronic Center Surabaya Museum Double Tree Hotel Junior High School 4 Surabaya Junior High School 3 Surabaya BG Junction Mall Blauran Market Empire Palace Ballroom JW Marriot Hotel Tunjungan Plaza The National Press Monument Majapahit Hotel

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projects

PublicAlternativeMedia

Alternative public media is the term we use to describe the outcome of each project done by the participants. Its primary function is to provide creative respond to existing phenomenons in kampung ketandan. Engagement with the locals and the environment is vital in the creation of each project. In the exhibition stage, participants’ works are expected to give new information and/or enquiries for the locals to ponder. It is a media for both the locals and the participants to appreciate the life in kampung.

RetnocriticsHastijanti Lecturer at Architecture UNTAG Tanti Nasution Lecturer at Architecture ITS Yogi Ishabib

Author Rendy Supratman Architect at Supratman Architecture

Inassari Architect / Researcher at OHS Fithrotul Mumtaz, Architect / Researcher at OHS Aldea Febryan Rachmadani Architect / Writer Intern at OHS Bintang Putra Director & Researcher at OHS writers

Sarah

KusnadiBe(Cak)11

Becak (rickshaw), is a mode of transportation operated manually by foot pedaling. Still used by some people to travel for a short distance. It is generally used to carry two passengers or one person with a luggage, which makes becak very popular around markets. However, the becak owned by Mr. Kusnadi doesn’t only carry passengers or goods, but also carry along a personal story everywhere it goes.

Mr. Kusnadi painted across the surfaces of his becak as he navigates through life. He painted his childhood pets, wrote the name of his son, together with his prayers and wishes. His painting is a personalization on daily objects, commonly practiced in kampung environment. The paintings become a projection of Mr. Kusnadi’s memories, beliefs, and imagination. He chose his becak as the media to present them that worked very well as a conversation starter as well as an attraction.

12 真島葵 Aoi Mashima AkitaStudent,University of Art

Some people prefer to purchase industrial products for their needs. Plastic chairs is a widespread product that can be found in most places across the globe. Due to its affordability, people often throw away broken or imperfect chairs and replace them with new ones. However, Aoi Sato wasn’t convinced that kampung people would follow the same habit.

DeadtoJourney13findChairs

14 佐藤碧 Aoi Sato AkitaStudent,University of Art What would happen to a damaged plastic chair in kampung environment ? How do kampung people define what is “broken”? She then developed these underlying curiosities into an exploration project with the purpose that is to find the point where a plastic chair is regarded as broken and unused by Ketandan residents. ‘Journey to Find Dead Chairs’ documents how kampung people respond to the imperfection of chairs in order to keep their functions or transform it to another function. Some chairs are simply stacked to strengthen each other, tied with a plastic rope, or modified using salvaged materials. Apparently in kampung, an object will not be thought of as “broken” until it is reduced to pieces. Even then, the pieces may still be used to fix other things. Therefore, finding dead chairs in kampung proved to be a challenging task.

ThingsPeopleBetweenDialogand

Human migration is not only a movement of workforce, more importantly, it is a movement of knowledge, tradition, and culture. In the place where migrants arrive, the aforementioned factors blend with pre-existing ones. Some people consciously present their identities through objects and decorations. But some ideas have become embedded in our muscles, as it appears subconsciously through our body gestures. When people from different backgrounds interact, both directly or through an object, cross-cultural dialectics would take place.

16 川口朱徳 Ayano Kawaguchi AkitaStudent,University of Art Ayano perceived it as the dialog between people and things. She conducted a collaborative cooking project to observe the phenomenon. Ayano invited a local to cook together as a way to see how people from different background have different “language” to treat objects. Such as how they handle utensils and ingredients. The collaborative cooking become a platform for the two cultures and tradition to negotiate, influence, and tolerate each other. The activity was then performed in front of audiences and documented into a catalogue.

Kepepet17

When put under pressure with limited resources, people can spark ingenuity that often surpasses common thoughts. Kalimas Udik community for example, lives in a small alley within a warehouse complex seemingly unsuitable for normal housing. Regardless, urban migrants managed to build micro housing units attaching to the outer walls of the warehouses, therefore turning the alley into a neighborhood. Allowing them to dwell in the city center where proper housing is otherwise expensive. According to the locals, these creative abilities came out at the moment of utmost urgency (kepepet), where one has no choice other than to act.

In kampungs, Intan found that people require less of a pre-defined objects in their daily activities. For

Inspired by them, Intan decided to replicate and document the tradition. She selected common objects and place them in kampung’s alley to observe the process of how people define their function.

It appears that locals have a freedom and courage to interact with an object. Spontaneously transforming the identity of objects to fit their needs. Thus brought up the question on the prominence of mono-functional design and our hesitation to produce new definitions.

It showed that “shortage” or “limitation” are basically ideas that we allow to grow, especially when we are accustomed to the convenience of mass produced goods and the belief that we “don’t have” them already.

Kumala Fauziah MaulanaStudent,

Intan Malik Ibrahim Islamic University Malang

example, any object with the right height existing in a right place can be used for seating when necessary.

In the era of fast-paced living and instant culture, kampungs exist to show the contrary. Slowness in the lives of Kampung Ketandan community came as a surprise to Maho Fukushi. As it is the complete opposite to how things take place in Japan. Maho closely observed the daily activity of mr. Benny. she found that each day, Mr. Benny spent time hanging out with his neighbors, occasionally helping them solve problems, regularly cleaning a fish pond in Pendopo Ketandan (a public place in the kampung), or napping at his house. Even though it seems to be done without any strong direction or purpose, his spontaneous actions inadvertently strengthened the bond between the neighbors. For her project, Maho decided to symbolize mr. Benny’s laid-back lifestyle by creating a pillow made

19 福士真穂 Maho Fukushi AkitaStudent,University of Art

Whereas

PillowMigrant

20 out of used fabrics gathered from the neighbors. She manually weave the fabric to emulate the slowpaced living and to appreciate the passage of time. The fabrics of which different patterns were cut and weaved, producing harmonious colors, made to convey the entanglement of diverse individuals in the kampung. The pillow is then placed in the pendopo, a public space of Ketandan, enticing visitors to slow down and engage with the locals.

StreetLiving

21 眞崎愛望 Manami Masaki AkitaStudent,University of Art

This short video project was made to celebrate the unique form and happenstances in Kebangsren VII alley. Due to its narrow width and hidden entrance, the alley was not visible in digital maps or satellite imaging. Regardless, it is always crowded and bustling with activities. In the morning, moms use one side of the alleyway to prepare catering orders for delivery. At noon time, they have lunch together and hang out while the guys take care of their pet birds. In the afternoon, the elderly relax on a divan, and watch their grand children playing along the alley as they waiting for the time to recite the Quran (ngaji). Locals arranged the space to make themselves comfortable. Chairs and tables are placed under the shades of the trees, as they decorated the walls with paintings of greeneries and various pictures to express their stories or convey messages. Private and public activities blend together forming an ambiguous space open to all sorts of interaction. Manami presented her video work in the neighborhood by projecting it on one of the alley wall. Allowing the locals to reflect on the significance of every small acts they do. At the same time, the video presentation showed their freedom to the invited guest audiences, and that spaces should be able to allow much more than their pre-determined function.

As she traversed through Kampung Blauran, Miyu Kuroki discovered a local factory that produces calendars. One of their products is a calendar with multiple different systems shown simultaneously. The pages contain information of Gregorian, Chinese, Arabic, and Javanese datings. Complete with the different day namings and special dates. Miyu perceived it as a representation of the rich cultural diversity in kampung, and Indonesia in general.

DiningSurabaya23

24 黒木美佑 Miyu Kuroki AkitaStudent,University of Art Miyu then chose to combine the calendar with a table she found in Balai RW (community hall) Ketandan. As it is often used in community events with various purposes, the table became the medium of gathering and communication for the neighbors. Especially during communal dining. She covered the table, including its utensils, with the pages from the calendar. Turning the table into a symbol of communication between people from different cultural backgrounds.

The appointment of Keputran Market as one of the central marketplace resulted in non-stop trading activities in the facility. Food were sold in the first floor to allow easy access for both the customers and the suppliers coming from inside and outside the city. In the second floor however, we were welcomed by an unconventional space and atmosphere.

BawangOncek

Merchant cubicles were there, similar to those found in the first floor. Only they were not used to display goods, but a place of living instead. The storage space of each cubicle were large enough for a person to sit (on the floor) or stretch their legs. Intuitively, locals transformed them into capsule homes. Some of the L-shaped cubicles even have a shared space resembling a courtyard, where children, the elderly, and cats can be seen hanging about. These conditions altogether made the floor feel very much like a kampung.

(Onion Peel)

Mita decided to create a symbolic work made from an umbrella with onion skin layering on the inside. It looks like a normal umbrella when seen from a distance, which in itself is a metaphor for shelter. However, when someone try to use the umbrella, they will recognize a strong scent from the onion skin, that resembles traditional market.

Occupants of the cublicles are mostly employees from the merchant stalls below. Their routine is to sort out and process food prior to being sold. Many of them were seen peeling garlics and onions to then be packaged and displayed in the first floor or straight to delivery.

As a couple of popular spices commonly used in Indonesian dishes, peeled garlics and onions are high in demand from customers looking to save time. Workers are expected to peel 20 kgs of garlics and onions daily. The non-stop trading hours in the market made the workers fuse together their work and personal life, as reflected in their treatment towards the space.

26 Miftahul Jannah MaulanaStudent, Malik Ibrahim Islamic University Malang

As the rombong is being carried around, it demands the seller to have a strong sense of space. To spot attractive sites, and good sense of timing to know when to stop The modularity of rombong, also allow them to spawn temporary commercial spaces wherever they stops. All in all, this device helps create new posibilities in an otherwise static and established city spaces.

forRombong27Kids

Rombong or push carts is a common sight across Asian cities. Besides providing easy access to necessities, rombong owners often show the processing of their product. Its openness invites communication, and negotiation, as customers are allowed to have personalization in the flavor, ingridients, or portion. From these interactions, some merchants established good relation with the neighbors and became an integral part of the community.

“Rombong for Kids” project attempts to emulate these experiences for young children of kampung Ketandan. In the workshop, Natsuki built a small and lightweight version of rombong, and placed it on spots where children are nearby. Naturally, children interacted with the rombong and took turns to play the role of merchant and customers. They push the carts around and stop when others called for it. Variety of products are also invented spontaneously as they put different objects on the rombong. When the rombong stopped, they arranged some street furnitures around the rombong. Thereby transforming the rombong into a warung, or a semipermanent shop. This experience showed how a playing device can accustom children with the environment and engage creatively with others.

28 梶夏季 Natsuki Kaji AkitaStudent,University of Art

Natsumi learned the techniques used by mr. Sandi, while simultaneously documented and took samples as she practiced them. To transform it into public media, she compiled and arranged her crafted objects into a form of tutorial book. Natsumi made sure that all the materials she used in her project was coming from the kampung. The pages are made of used batik fabric instead of papers, and the instructions are made of real plastic waste arranged to follow a certain order. With the hope that readers can easily replicate the examples.

Natsuki spotted Mr. Sandi during her exploration in the kampung. He was seen sitting on an alley-side divan, stringing together pieces of used plastic cups with colorful threads. At the time, he was making ornaments for decoration. It turned out that he has produced various products from recycled materials found in the kampung. Through his recycling projects, he managed to transform waste into useful items and support his family while he’s at it.

CycleReshaping29

Kampung often perceived as unclean or disorganized. Mainly because that it is relatively easy to find unused objects lying around, or sometimes trashes on the street. Many would see it as a problem to be fixed by authority or a person in charge. However, one resident of Ketandan saw it as an opportunity instead, and take it to his own hands.

‘Reshaping Cycle’ is a physical documentation project on techniques to reuse various objects.

30 瀧谷夏実 Natsumi Takitani AkitaStudent,University of Art

Identity

Rezon Kevin Tandean PetraStudent,Christian University Surabaya

In a developmentalism point of view, warung may be seen as a traditional form / space to sell food products. Much like rombong, warungs are seldom seen in highly developed places, such as city center, town squares, shopping malls, or residential areas. Warung became subject to modernization, which if not done carefully, we may lose some of its most important functions.

Entering the alleys of kampung Ketandan for the first time, participants described it as traversing through a labyrinth. It’s very easy to get lost. But the existence of numerous warungs in the alleys turned out to be useful in this regard. When faced with uncertainty, participants ask people in warung for a direction. It enables visitors to take a brief rest, have coffee, and converse with other customers. Apart from economic activities, warungs can also be understood as information centers and community hub.

Inspired by the usefulness of warungs, Rezon created an altenative form of map that incorporates them as placemarkers. Instead of using buildings, monuments, or street names, Rezon used warungs as the base of the map’s information. He used objects found in each warungs as the visual marker on the map. This way, the map becomes more friendly, as locals are familiar with the placemarkers. Allowing the map to be the bridge between visitors and the locals.

Ketandanof

(Security Post)

KamlingPos

Rudy Putra Setyantara PetraStudent,Christian University Surabaya

‘Pos Kamling for Kids’ is a project to provide alternative ideas for the public regarding the pos kamling. By conducting an interactive board games in the facility, Rudy attempted to open the space for more inclusive interaction. Children gather as they play the games, they eventually forgo the tension and strictness associated to the facility. As children were playing in the pos kamling, local moms also gather around to watch, and sometimes assist their children in the game, effectively extended the function of the facility with new family space.

Security posts, or pos kamling can be easily identified by its typical elements; a semi open air structure with a kentongan (traditional alarm device). Most of the time occupied by local men doing their shift on neighborhood watch. In Ketandan, Rudy found an interesting kampung decorated with ornaments, such as a flag, national symbol (Garuda), and pictures of the president and vice-president of Indonesia. It represented a form of order, which was a continuation of the idea founded in the Soeharto era, namely “civil defence” (pertahanan sipil). Due to the activities and decorations, pos kamling often perceived as an exclusive space.

Way33

Lookingof at Things

After spending a few days in the kampung Ketandan, Shoko became aware of the vibrant soundscape, especially when compared to Japan’s residential areas. In contrast to the loud street noise outside the kampung, inside the ambience is clear and made of diverse sources. The chirping birds, sounds of children playing, neighbors conversing, mosque’s prayers, unique sounds of rombongs, etc. The variety of audible sounds matches the richness of objects visible in Shekampung.noted

that kampung people often hesitate to throw away used items. As each item is believed to hold a value for the future, either by fixing, storing, or modifying them for another use.

34 鈴木翔子 Shoko Suzuki AkitaStudent,University of Art Her interest in the two aspects, inspired her to explore how local children senses objects and sound around them. Through the project ‘Way of Looking at Things’, Shoko introduced thrown away daily items to a group of children as objects that can emit sound.

The children intuitively combine multiple items to make sounds they like. Some produced a trumpet-like sound from a plastic straw, or attached rubber bands to a cardboard and picked them to make clapping sounds, others blew the top of an empty bottle to create a whistling sound, etc. By the end of the project, children were assembled to play children songs, popular both in Japan and Indonesia ‘Abang Tukang Bakso’ and ‘Kalau Kau Suka Hati’ on their hand made instruments.

GeneratorInfluxSurabaya

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By Fithrotul Mumtaz, Architect / Researcher at OHS due to lack of financial success. Therefore they kept struggling and created their own tactics to establish their settlement in the city, Due to its density and versatility, kampung in Surabaya served as the primary absorber of the population influx. Many kampungs in the city center still exists despite the rapid urban development taking place surrounding them. We can still find small alleys with the width just enough for two people passing, or even just one. Houses are compact, and can be transformed into business platforms that fulfill the demands of workers in the vicinity. Kampung streets are difficult to navigate by car and even motorcycle, allowing the residents to have more freedom in tweaking and improving their living spaces Hearing the word migration would lead most of us to think about the movement of people from one place to another. However, it is important to note that the movement is not limited to the person itself, but it is the migration of their belongings, tools, and intangible things such as identity, culture, and knowledge. All of them combined have brought massive impact to the City and made Surabaya rich in diversity. Kampung is the place where we can observe closely the changes made in individual and communal levels, and how the changes affect the surrounding people and environment.

Since the end of the 18th century, Surabaya has naturally transformed into a city of services and trade. The strategic geographical position was utilized by the Dutch to serve as a port and base for the defense industry. Since then Surabaya has developed rapidly to become one of the largest modern port cities in Asia. The city is played as the base of various fields of industry, which makes the initial generator of immigrant entry into labor. While East Java was developing with its sugar plantation economy, various infrastructure developments were carried out to support distribution. Surabaya later became the leading commercial center in the Dutch East Indies. Distribution of various goods from foreign merchants came through the east gate of the Java Island trade. This was told by Australian economic historian Howard Dick in a book he named Surabaya: City of Work. Surabaya has indeed become an easy target for migrants from various regions to look for jobs after Jakarta. Surabaya infrastructure development is growing rapidly and continues to be carried out increasingly dragging the influx of migrants until Manynow.people chose to stay in Surabaya, and the numbers accumulate along the time. Some chose to stay in Surabaya out of preference, but some stayed because they weren’t able to return to their hometown

thank you OHS would like to express our most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all parties and individuals involved in Alter-Shelter Migrant Matter. We look forward to collaborate with you again in the next workshop. This catalog is made in memory of our host, local mentor, and the community leader of Kampung Ketandan RT 8, Mr. Benny.