Indonesia Bertutur Captivating the Audience

The ‘Indonesia Bertutur-InTur’ (Indonesia Tells Stories) Festival is one of the side events of G20 Culture Ministers Meeting which was held on 7-11 September 2022 at the Borobudur Temple Compound in Magelang, Central Java. Indonesia Bertutur carried the theme “Experience the Past, Growing the Future”, with the hope that people could interpret past events or history in new ways that are relevant to the present. The main objective of Indonesia Bertutur Festival was to promote a sustainable culture through activities that are educational, inspirational and full of experiences. Many artists from Indonesia and abroad participated and presented their works through performing arts, films, and new media arts within the context of cultural heritage narratives that are adapted to the current context.

This festival was held across four art spaces around Borobudur Temple Compound, namely Virama, Anarta, Kiranamaya, and Visaraloka. At the Virama evening stage, music, dance, and storytelling were performed. There was also a culinary area at Virama that served a variety of traditional foods such as meatballs, dumplings, spring rolls, chicken noodles and herbs. The Anarta or the Lumbini stage featured a variety of contemporary music, dance and theater performances by groups that have carried out a long experimental and collaborative process using modern technology in their work.

At Kiranamaya, there were video mapping and light installation works from various artists using interactive and architectural lighting technology. Visitors could get a special lighting experience at Borobudur at night similar to the light festival which can be enjoyed at the Aksobya stage. The Layarambha at Kiranamaya presented various kinds of dance-based feature films and short films by artists from various countries, including Indonesia. Lastly, the Visaraloka stage featured an expanded media art exhibition.

The Art Festival

On the first day of Indonesia Bertutur, the atmosphere immediately became lively since the opening of the Visaraloka expanded media exhibition featuring epic works by expanded media and performing art artists, such as the painting exhibition at Eloprogo Art House by Sony Santosa and art installation by Gilang Anom. In addition to Visaraloka, there were four other locations for expanded media exhibitions, namely the Eloprogo Art House, Limanjawi Art House, H. Hidayat Museum, and Apel Watoe Art Gallery. One of the highlights of the exhibition was the work of Mella Jaarsma and Agus Ongge, which was exhibited at the H. Hidayat Museum, an installation of clothing made of bark cloth which was demonstrated by several models. It was as if we were transported to the time of ancient humans, especially since on the other side of this installation there was a video by Lisa Reihana entitled “In Pursuit of Venus” which showcased how early humans lived at that time.

Indonesia Bertutur was inaugurated by the Director General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Hilmar Farid, accompanied by the Director of Film, Music and Media, Ahmad Mahendra, and the Artistic Director of Indonesia Bertutur Melati Suryodarmo at the Lumbini Borobudur Temple stage area. The inauguration ceremony attracted the most attention. The Lumbini stage itself was already attractive with its white semi-circular shape decorated with plants on both sides of the stage and has the majestic towering Borobudur Temple in the background. It was magnificent. Although it rained during the opening night, the audiences stayed to watch the art performance until the end.

The inauguration of Indonesia Bertutur started with a slametan ceremony with the participation of the community members from the Borobudur area and the cultural actors involved. This mass traditional slametan ceremony involved residents from 20 villages in the Borobudur District and included a mass mountain carnival and black mask dance performed at the Borobudur Temple courtyard. The inauguration ceremony at the Lumbini stage began with the performance of the soreng dance, a traditional dance of Magelang. The dancers were full of expression and energy, the movement of their feet and hands symbolizes tenacity as life fighters from the slopes of the mountains. The performance of the black mask dance performed by the Lima Gunung Community closed the inauguration event.

The number of visitors increased in the Borobudur Temple area on the second day. The shows and performances were very diverse. There were: fairy tales storytelling with Kak Aio/Ariyo Zidni (Founder of Ayo Dongeng Indonesia), Kak BudiBaikBudi – a storyteller who is also a ventriloquist, and Kak Hendra Hensem who brought humor in his storytelling; various forms of dance from local cultural art groups; and the performance from singers Ardhito Pramono and Peni Candrarini who created an uproar in the evening stage area, making the audience immersed in the atmosphere of the selected songs. No less exciting, the Layarambha at Kiranamaya featured a film discussion with Garin Nugroho, Razan Wirjosandjojo, Iphul Ashyari, and Iin Ainar Lawide followed by the screening of the films “Anerca, Breath of Life”, “Lucy” and “Touching the Skin of Eeriness.” Various films were screened at Layarambha in the following days. The performance from singer Tulus was the most awaited performance which captivated some 7,000 audiences who waited patiently in the midst of a magical atmosphere in front of the stage which was adorned by colored lighting that made the atmosphere even more magnificent.

The Borobudur Temple in the background was highlighted with video mapping by artists, such as Rampages

Production x Toopfire which featured projected mapping based on Indonesian traditional cultural stories. The content of the story is based on ancient spirituality, traditional knowledge, and symbols of national identity, depicting a joyful world of light and shadow with bright colors and vivid images. It includes elements of Balinese dance, wayang puppet theater, batik, and other forms of living expression of Indonesian traditions and knowledge. The whole story ended with the climax of a flickering effect that was presented in a modern way to represent past culture and future heritage.

The Indonesia Bertutur Festival 2022 with the theme “Experiencing the Past, Growing the Future”, showcased video mapping from Vulture Studio which tells a story about the magnificent civilization in Trowulan, East Java, of which development was not far from the influence of the Majapahit Kingdom. The theme of “experiencing the past” could also be felt in the performance by Studio Gambar Gerak who presented the cultural heritage of Gunung Kawi at Banjar Panaka, Tampaksiring Village, Gianyar Regency, Bali. Motionhouse Indonesia presented the legend of the Kutai Kingdom in East Kalimantan.

The Indonesia Bertutur Festival 2022 continued to be packed with visitors in the following days even though the weather was less friendly. Audiences would not want to miss the performances from singer Letto with his romantic songs, as well as Om Wawes and Paksi Band with their keroncong-dangdut-campursari songs. Theatrical performances were also no less interesting. The Prehistoric Body Theater presented the play “A Song for Sangiran 17”. There were also theatrical performances by Fitri Setyaningsih, Mila Rosinta, Choy Ka Fai - Postcolonial Spirit, Senyawa, and Teater Garasi.

The five-day Indonesian Bertutur Festival 2022 has captivated audiences. Audience also got valuable experience and learned that past history can be displayed in modern format. This is a form of cultural education in a fun and contemporary format.

Vadvancement program is one of the priority programs of the Directorate General of Culture. The program aims to revive villages as the wellspring of livelihood, cultural commons, and the cradle of the cultural ecosystem. Village communities make up the subject of development rather than the object.

We designed the village-based cultural advancement program to respond to the challenges of globalization, which has turned rural villages into urban areas and caused rural communities to lose their identity.