Public Space Solo

Integrating Culture and Public Space: Smart Way to Pursue the Quality of Life of Our Society

Sriwedari puppet theatre building in Surakarta.

MAKING culture as one pillar of sustainable development means involving available cultural resource and potentials to support the achievement of the goals. It explores every opportunity to make culture contributing to area’s advancement: economically, socio-culturally, and environmentally aspects.

Surakarta, commonly known as Solo, has been actively incorporating culture in their city’s activities. The commitment is strengthened when it becomes one of the founders of ASPAC Culture Committee and hosted the first ASPAC Culture Forum in 2016. Seizing this spirit, local government of Surakarta in collaboration with UCLG ASPAC decided to take further action, by integrating culture in public space through revitalization of “Wayang Orang Sriwedari”, puppet theatre building in Surakarta, which had been the icon of Solo since 19th century.

Sriwedari puppet theatre building is particularly important in the development of Wayang Orang (local name for puppet performance acted out by artists).

This theatre saw evolvement of wayang orang shows in Surakarta area.

Performing dance-drama art using prose dialogue, wayang orang grew rapid popularity when Sunan Pakubuwana X (leader of Yogyakarta special region, within which Surakarta is located) took the throne. At that time, Sriwedari Park became a centre of wayang orang performances, which involved not only courtiers but also common people with talent as players. Founded around 1910, Sriwedari puppet theatre building, located within Sriwedari Park area, recorded the growth of iconic cultural element of the city and since then has stood as symbol of culture that is actively sustained by its local government, become the birthplace of clever and creative ideas, the laboratory of art and culture that gives birth to competent artists, melting pot of people, and a public space that gives access to art performances that will have impact to improvement to quality of life.

This collaboration is seeking advancement of the deteriorating current condition of Sriwedari puppet theatre through providing participatory planning and designing of the building and its facilities. In the process, UCLG ASPAC and Surakarta’s local authority will involve wide range of stakeholders, such as art institute, architectures, community, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and Ministry of Culture and Education; and use participatory design method. At the end of this project, both parties expect to provide better infrastructure and surrounding public space facilities that will encourage increasing number of visitors, young artists, and give positive contribution to local tourism industry and at the same improving the quality of life of the community.

Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC recently paid a courtesy visit to Solo’s Mayor Hadi Rudyatmo, and updated him on participatory project design’s plan for Sriwedari’s public space. She was also invited to speak at “Local Wisdom and Nation Building based on Art and Culture” organized by local art institute on 18 May 2017.