You are cordially invited to attend Artistic Research Presentation and Performance, initiated by Ariel Orah from Soydivision Kollektiv Berlin. The performance also features Vilnius’s artists Johanes Mo’ong Santoso Pribadi and Indrė Ginkevičiūtė.
“TRANS_TRAUMA_FM” is a research framework tracing common intergenerational collective and social trauma in South East Asia and Baltic States.
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DAY PROGRAM:
Presentation start from 17:00
Performance start from 20:00
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Location: Goštauto 11, entrance from the courtyard.
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Event graphic design – Rūta Žinienė
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>> Project concept.
“TRANS_TRAUMA_FM” is a research framework as part of the artistic development of a new Lecture-Performance concept by Ariel Orah. The project focuses on tracing common intergenerational collective and social trauma in South East Asia and the Baltic States. The project is inspired by the curiosity of speculating collective social trauma on present societies in both regions of the world.
Do South East Asian countries with long Colonial history have Collective Social Unconscious and Memories that have been transmitted across generations? Are there National Memories of these countries/societies that lead to ‘Self Identity’ issues of these individuals? Why is Eastern Europe (most focus on this context of research are the Baltic states) a suitable region for discussion? Also known as the “Other Europe”, the former Soviet sphere of influence, or postcommunist Europe, this region experienced some of the worst political violence in human history during the previous century, including the Holocaust, the two World Wars, widespread repression of human rights, mass deportations, and ethnic cleansing. In the Baltics, World War II and its aftermath are remembered very differently, as a long lasting trauma related to colonisation with no clear beginning and no clear end. Also interestingly from Europe, which has faced its own social (re)integration challenges after the Cold War and more recent refugee crisis and most recently indeed the Ukrainian War.
This research project is Ariel and Soydivision’s continuation and consistency of conducting research on social trauma, transnational/alternative history and performing art. Recent research includes “Leftrauma”, focus collective trauma on present societies from anti-communist mass killing campaign during Cold War that happened in several global south countries including Indonesian mass killing in 1965-1966 (supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V). Previous research which has turned into performative artistic output includes “GAUNG – UNVORHERBESTIMMTE”
RESONANZ – Lecture Performance about Encounter of National Identity Stereotype (premiered in Ballhaus Naunynstrasse) and “Aryati”, an experimental theatre piece about the transformation of Keroncong music against the backdrop of Indonesian history. The work depicts the decolonization process of keroncong music from 1920 to 1990, from a colonial product to a claimed indigenous cultural heritage, supported by Haupstadtkulturfonds.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
>> Ariel William Orah a.k.a ravenative
Ariel William Orah is a sound artist, performer and curator. He was born in Bandung, Indonesia and has lived and worked in Berlin, Germany for the past 10 years. His work and research interests include socially engaged art creation, social+climate injustice, as well as identity, memory, and scarcity. As part of his artistic practice, Orah works with various sound media, techniques and formats such as sound art, sound installation, sound performance, sound workshop, sound setting and sound composition for film and theatre.
Since 2008, Orah has presented his work in Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Orah did not train or graduate from an art school, but his past and current art practice is strongly influenced by his studies and experiences as an Indonesian diaspora and migrant in Germany. A graduate of Steinbeis University Berlin with a focus on sustainability management, he also holds degrees in human-centred, empathic and experiential design from the School of Design Thinking Potsdam/Stanford and KAOSPILOT Århus.
Orah is co-founder of the empathy-driven sound artist collective L-KW, the Berlin-based Indonesian contemporary art collective SOYDIVISION.BERLIN, and the non-profit arts and culture organisation Diantara e.V..Selected sound works include an experimental music theatre “ARYATI” (2022), sound performance and diorama “TANA SADJI” (work in progress for Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart Berlin, as part of the exhibition “Nation, Narrative, Narcosis, 2022), lecture performance on decolonizing sounds GAUNG – UNVORHERBESTIMMTE RESONANZ for Ballhaus Naunynstrasse Berlin (2021), a theatre music composition “Götzendämmerung. Post-Funk-Tische Ergüsse zum Zeitgeschehen” for Zimmertheater Tübingen (2019) and a sound and image installation commissioned for Tanz im August Festival Berlin (2016). He has released numerous solo albums under the pseudonym ravenative and is actively involved in various music projects such as grau&, soydivision ensemble, böseblick ensemble and OKNUM.
In addition to Orah’s work as an artist, he is also active as a curator, especially in the field of sound. His recent curatorial activities include soy&synth (experimental music and food showcase, 2018-present), NNN Fair 2021 (diaspora art festival, Rotterdam, 2021), KAUM Performance & Film Festival (Berlin, 2021) and CTM Festival Hacklab (Berlin, 2022).
>> Johanes “Mo’ong” Santoso Pribadi
www.moongpribadi.com
Bangkok-born and Java-raised, Johanes “Mo’ong” Santoso Pribadi is an experimental music composer and instrument builder. His main area of study is music Nusantara, or the music of Indonesia. Mo’ong started his studies in Western classical music with a major in double bass, but soon moved back to his roots to explore the wisdom of Javanese folklore. He continued his studies with the Masters in arts at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Surakarta, receiving a graduate degree in music composition supervised by composer Rahayu Supanggah.
Mo’ong was selected as a young emerging composer on IRC+ (International Rostrum of Composer) in 2015. He has been involved with a variety of national and international projects in many different genres of music, and with multidisciplinary projects within modern dance, modern theatre, contemporary puppet theatre, installation art, and performance art. In 2015 he initiated the Limbah Berbunyi project, where he created and composed musical instruments from found objects or waste. Another recent work, Raja Kirik, is a Duo Experimental with musician/composer Yennu Ariendra about the war of narratives during the Dutch occupation in Indonesia. He has also worked as a sound designer and written music for several independent films.
>>Indrė Ginkevičiūtė a.k.a Indre Gin
https://iginland.wixsite.com/
Indrė is a choreographer based in Vilnius, Lithuania. She works with various different projects as independent artist, also as a member of Performative Design Agency (PDA) http://performativedesignagency.com/, her main interest is choreography in an expanded field.
The artist also works with Artscape https://artscape.lt/en/ organisation and organises movement practices in various crisis centres.
Once she ran a nightclub in Vilnius, at another time – a street clothes boutique, also worked in a school as a dance teacher, or created music and art festivals. Most of all, she has always danced and made some other “things” with dance.
The latest project the choreographer is working on – “horizon(s)”. She explores a virtual space as a dance studio where dancers can meet and create. She works also with media, often using video, sounds and text to explore the experience of a dancing or moving body.
>> Soydivision
https://www.soydivision.berlin/
Soydivision is a performing art collective consisting of Berlin-based Indonesians, positioning itself in the intersection of art and activism. As a registered art and culture institution, Soydivision curated performances, organised workshops, culinary art activities, film screening, and discussion sessions. As group artists (Soydivision ensemble), they have been developing their own multi-disciplinary collective works such theatre music pieces, performances, and installations since 2018 and presented it in Germany, UK, Italy, Switzerland, Lithuania, Danmark, and Indonesia.
Their diasporic point of views offer an alternative approach to contemporary challenges through art, inviting a new kind of dialogues and engagement. Soydivision’s activity started with the goal of provoking a discussion about the exploration and expression of identity through performing art and food. The goal originates from the member’s experience both as a foreigner and a long time resident of a country that does not share the same characteristics with the one they came from. This experience forces them to reevaluate their standing in this new society while retaining aspects of their pre-formed identity.
From the initial issue of identity, Soydivision enlarged its interest to the issues of social and environmental injustice. Coming from Indonesia and living abroad gives the member a certain perspective of environmental problems in their home country. However, various of these environmental problems are in connection to the demand of the global industries, leading to the exploitation of natural resources and labours in a non sustainable way. The connection and the critiques thereof became another theme that the members explore in their artistic creations. Their initial contemplation on the expression of identity is now put also in the context of social injustice. To be seen as the other –either abroad or at home– leads to further exploration of strategies to overcome stigmatised stereotypes and bridging the large gap of justice. The strategies, often in the form of cathartic experience, re-questioning, or therapeutic healing, become themes of their artistic output or activities.
More about Soydivision Projects : https://www.soydivision.berlin/projects
More about Soydivision group artists (Ensemble) works :
https://www.soydivision.berlin/ensemble
