http://sublime-khoj-india.blogspot.com/
http://www.khojworkshop.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW1ougtjc6E
http://www.bollywoodcelebs.com/video/BW1ougtjc6E/atieqs-performance-at-khoj.html
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=698541
www.mattersofart.com/Features104.html
www.wholinks2me.com/videos/search/khoj/
http://khojwork.nexcess.net/book/s_s_listyowati_atieq_report
28th March, 2007, 3pm - 7pm
· Performance: "Sublime", Khoj Studio
· Instalation: " A Land of Peace", Khoj Studio
"a journey of soul from a land of peace and return to the same land again."
http://www.artindiamag.com/quarter02_07/index.html
[page 84: Gender-benders and animal impersonators had a field day at a Khoj Residency, Beth Citron discovers]
a gender perspective A lot of people thought that a gender perspective is about male and female. It’s true. But a lot of people also think that a gender perspective is a problem and business of female only. It’s not true. Recently, people were still trapped on this perception, included idiom, symbol and analogy. So, I want to make it back in a proportional and objective line. The term is gynocriticism. In my artwork, I used wedding ceremony as a form of my concept. I used my body as a medium to be subject. I used bride attribute as my costume. No groom in this performance. I correlated with my personal background of traditional culture as Javanese [one of ethnic in Indonesia] also Indian culture [as local perception]. Wedding ceremony is a package of a marriage. All those just the symbol’s ceremony, but those are the icon of spirituality. So, my perspective of gender is up from the discourse in feminism, pass through the theory from Simon de Beauvoir and others, more than the empiric thing in conversation of problem and terms between male and female in the real world on this earth. Yes, there are a lot of difference perception in society, especially for women existence about subordination, marginalization, stereotype, double burden and violence in patriarchy culture. But, my perspective is something which is immaterial. I talk about soul. We never finished the discourse about male and female also the justice until the end of this world. It’s a never ending chapter in its procession. But yes, we should try to make some deals to be solution of any kind of problem between male and female in every chapter, step by step to be in better life and culture. My work was a one of a trial to be a solution in understanding between male and female, about perception of gender also respective of diversity between male and female, in peaceful perspective and in a very simple form which is often slipped away from our attention. Marriage meant integration, assimilation, cooperation, compilation, taking and giving, sublimation, etc. in many aspects of life, not about man and woman only. Male and female are just symbol and analogy of diversity, even in a person [individual]. Gender is about humanism.
Procession
·4pm-6pm I started my performance from my room --"a land of peace” as a space where the soul comes from before turn to the world--, prepared myself as a traditional Javanese bride [female] with its complete accessories. ·6pm-7.30pm Then I moved out, go down stair. Indian traditional drummers played their instruments on the gate of Khoj Studio out side on the street. Then I ride the horses-carriage [which is usually used by Indian groom only in Indian wedding ceremony with female horses. I saw those as like symbol of superiority and subordinate --difference position and status between subject and object-- in social life also domestic-life in a marriage] and took around for a while before went to a place beside Khoj Studio and walked inside with Javanese-music ‘Kodok Ngorek’ [instrumental music for wedding ceremony when the groom comes to meet the bride]. I stood up in the middle of a circle of candles-light. Javanese traditional live music instrument [‘gender’] began to be played by a musician. In Javanese music [‘gamelan’], the function of this instrument is to harmonize and to make all instruments in a balance rhythm and tones. This instrument which is called gender’ [read: gêndér, not: jende’] is usually played in all the time without the strict rules like for the other instruments. The instrument frees to be played independently or in solo-performance. The projector started to show some pictures of wedding ceremony of traditional Javanese-culture. I put salt [on the earth] around the circle into 3 times and I washed my foot with water was full of flowers. Salt is believed and usually to be used as energy to make evil [negative power] go away from the site. Water with flowers is believed as glorious water, positive energy. Then I started to walk to each plate of egg, one by one and pressed them with my right foot [this ritual ceremony used to be done in Javanese wedding by a male (groom) and an egg as symbol of virginity and seed, then the bride will wash his foot with water of flowers by her hands]. Then I put the eggs one by one [7 eggs. Seven is a mystical number in any religion and faith also scientific, for example: ‘7th of sky level is the highest and last atmosphere’ of this planet] to a frying pan on charcoal fire and fried them with palm-oil and garam masala then gave those omelets to audience. They eat them all with a little bit doubt in the beginning. The last egg [7th omelet] was consumed by me only. In the end, I burned the screen as a symbol that all those [included all ritual and ceremony] are not necessary anymore in a gender perception in the name of humanism and as a human being.
·4pm-6pm I started my performance from my room --"a land of peace” as a space where the soul comes from before turn to the world--, prepared myself as a traditional Javanese bride [female] with its complete accessories. ·6pm-7.30pm Then I moved out, go down stair. Indian traditional drummers played their instruments on the gate of Khoj Studio out side on the street. Then I ride the horses-carriage [which is usually used by Indian groom only in Indian wedding ceremony with female horses. I saw those as like symbol of superiority and subordinate --difference position and status between subject and object-- in social life also domestic-life in a marriage] and took around for a while before went to a place beside Khoj Studio and walked inside with Javanese-music ‘Kodok Ngorek’ [instrumental music for wedding ceremony when the groom comes to meet the bride]. I stood up in the middle of a circle of candles-light. Javanese traditional live music instrument [‘gender’] began to be played by a musician. In Javanese music [‘gamelan’], the function of this instrument is to harmonize and to make all instruments in a balance rhythm and tones. This instrument which is called gender’ [read: gêndér, not: jende’] is usually played in all the time without the strict rules like for the other instruments. The instrument frees to be played independently or in solo-performance. The projector started to show some pictures of wedding ceremony of traditional Javanese-culture. I put salt [on the earth] around the circle into 3 times and I washed my foot with water was full of flowers. Salt is believed and usually to be used as energy to make evil [negative power] go away from the site. Water with flowers is believed as glorious water, positive energy. Then I started to walk to each plate of egg, one by one and pressed them with my right foot [this ritual ceremony used to be done in Javanese wedding by a male (groom) and an egg as symbol of virginity and seed, then the bride will wash his foot with water of flowers by her hands]. Then I put the eggs one by one [7 eggs. Seven is a mystical number in any religion and faith also scientific, for example: ‘7th of sky level is the highest and last atmosphere’ of this planet] to a frying pan on charcoal fire and fried them with palm-oil and garam masala then gave those omelets to audience. They eat them all with a little bit doubt in the beginning. The last egg [7th omelet] was consumed by me only. In the end, I burned the screen as a symbol that all those [included all ritual and ceremony] are not necessary anymore in a gender perception in the name of humanism and as a human being.
I had done my duty and back to my room, the soul back to the land of peace.
"A journey of soul from a land of peace and return to the same land again."
· Every soul has a duty to live on the life within any kind of problems, including on this 'damaged' earth. Every soul needs to come in and go out and come in again in the land of peace, enter to each body or each 'thing' in the world, 'ride' and left them as just a medium to life. The peace-land has tunnels for the journey of every soul as a connecting bridge. A life is a game for every soul. A game which be played by every soul. Play our mind as a harmony, because life is an irony. · Soul has no gender. · That's why equality always be a big quotation in the world until the ending of life. My soul always thinks about harmony and its fair-game as a big temptation to my never ending mind. Procession in a wedding ceremony is just one of those descriptions. A marriage is collaboration between female and male. A deep meaningful beyond a marriage. Female and male like an earth, as a union and a medium. Everything grows on this world with all problems as blessing. Equality is a magic word for this collaboration. Male is not an enemy of female and female is not an enemy of male. ‘Synergy’ is the other of the magic word in gender. Like 'yin' and 'yang', darkness and enlightenment is always never ending rotation, live and tie to each other as a harmony. All those are just a part of life and journey of every soul to the land of peace, the ending place which is never ending.
· Every soul has a duty to live on the life within any kind of problems, including on this 'damaged' earth. Every soul needs to come in and go out and come in again in the land of peace, enter to each body or each 'thing' in the world, 'ride' and left them as just a medium to life. The peace-land has tunnels for the journey of every soul as a connecting bridge. A life is a game for every soul. A game which be played by every soul. Play our mind as a harmony, because life is an irony. · Soul has no gender. · That's why equality always be a big quotation in the world until the ending of life. My soul always thinks about harmony and its fair-game as a big temptation to my never ending mind. Procession in a wedding ceremony is just one of those descriptions. A marriage is collaboration between female and male. A deep meaningful beyond a marriage. Female and male like an earth, as a union and a medium. Everything grows on this world with all problems as blessing. Equality is a magic word for this collaboration. Male is not an enemy of female and female is not an enemy of male. ‘Synergy’ is the other of the magic word in gender. Like 'yin' and 'yang', darkness and enlightenment is always never ending rotation, live and tie to each other as a harmony. All those are just a part of life and journey of every soul to the land of peace, the ending place which is never ending.
·I take this performance from my perspective as a female during my life. This is a journey of my soul has not finished yet.
Poem
about ‘sublime’
a soul comes from a land of peace
go to earth to live and survive
a marriage is a symbol of 'lingga' and 'yoni'
a marriage is not only about male and female
a marriage is about a collaboration and synergy between souls
a marriage of our mind, desire and passion as a need
a marriage is about heaven and hell
a marriage is about 'up-land' and 'down-land'
a marriage is about 'head', 'soul' and 'vagina' or 'penis'
a marriage is about 'how we think' and 'how we feel'
a marriage is about impulse, instinct and mind of our body, beside our soul
a marriage is a collaboration between a body and soul in it
a marriage is a symbol of virginity
virginity is a symbol of 'knowing something beyond' as clear as possible which is no surrender (as the object) and power (as the subject)
… that's the power of virginity
virginity is a symbol of a marriage,
between a couple who has to know the depth of mind and heart of each other as 'tabula rasa',
know anything, hear anything and see anything before
then make a real love
virginity is not about claiming, blaming and judging
but like cooking something together
like 'making love' as a sex
[sex looks like food or eating as temptation]
love is not sex
but a trust
male and female has its strong power in its diversity which is 'why' it's 'good' to be a marriage
so,
a marriage is about equality
a marriage is about ourselves,
a marriage of body and soul which are male and female inside
[and it’s about ‘how to reach the 7th levels of skies to the land of peace’]
just read all beyond....
a soul comes from a land of peace
go to earth to live and survive
a marriage is a symbol of 'lingga' and 'yoni'
a marriage is not only about male and female
a marriage is about a collaboration and synergy between souls
a marriage of our mind, desire and passion as a need
a marriage is about heaven and hell
a marriage is about 'up-land' and 'down-land'
a marriage is about 'head', 'soul' and 'vagina' or 'penis'
a marriage is about 'how we think' and 'how we feel'
a marriage is about impulse, instinct and mind of our body, beside our soul
a marriage is a collaboration between a body and soul in it
a marriage is a symbol of virginity
virginity is a symbol of 'knowing something beyond' as clear as possible which is no surrender (as the object) and power (as the subject)
… that's the power of virginity
virginity is a symbol of a marriage,
between a couple who has to know the depth of mind and heart of each other as 'tabula rasa',
know anything, hear anything and see anything before
then make a real love
virginity is not about claiming, blaming and judging
but like cooking something together
like 'making love' as a sex
[sex looks like food or eating as temptation]
love is not sex
but a trust
male and female has its strong power in its diversity which is 'why' it's 'good' to be a marriage
so,
a marriage is about equality
a marriage is about ourselves,
a marriage of body and soul which are male and female inside
[and it’s about ‘how to reach the 7th levels of skies to the land of peace’]
just read all beyond....
---
· Many Thanks to : KHOJ International Artists’ Association – New Delhi, India; Embassy of Republic of Indonesia [KBRI] – New Delhi, India; Pooja Sood, Ray Langenbach, Hemant Sreekumar, VP Manoj, Aastha Chauhan, Rohini Devasher, Rahul Bajaj, InderSalim and others; Winanto Adi, Rizali W. Indrakesuma, Roos Diana Iskandar, Niniek K. Naryatie S., Sysjuga T. Siswojo, Yanto Wardo Kuncoro, Mas Eko ‘Gêndér’, Melly R.S., Zaenal Abdurani and others;Tubagus ‘Andre’ Sukmana – Galeri Nasional Indonesia [National Gallery]; Department of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Indonesia; Mass media in India: NDTV [New Delhi Television] and others; Audience in Khirkee Extension and art lovers in KHOJ Studio, New Delhi
---
21th March, 2007, 3pm - 5pm
· Screening: "International Performance Artist from Indonesia", Khoj Studio
· Talk: "Performance Art in Indonesia", Khoj Studio
2nd March, 2007, 3pm
· Talk: "Introduction", Khoj Studio
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atieq
