Surat-surat
Time and Space
Ruang dan Waktu
Kuterawangi lagi ruang ruang dimensi penampilan
Kuhitung lagi detik detik perjalanan hidup dan mati
Semakin kuhitung semakin kutersesat
Semakin kuterawang semakin kutak sampai
Kini disini,
ruang dan waktu sedang di baur terang atau gelap
Aku kehilangan ruang dan waktu nenek moyangku
Namun kusadari atau kuimpikan,
Pertemuan ruang dan waktu masih akan terjadi
Kuterawangi lagi ruang ruang dimensi penampilan
Kuhitung lagi detik detik perjalanan hidup dan mati
Ruang dan waktu sedang kacau dan tersesat
Cayung Siagian
Toba Samosir, November 8 1996
Email:Batakart@aol.com
Translation
by Hendri Budiman
I pass once again through the vision of the dimension of space
I count once again second by second the journey between life and death
The more I count the more lost I become
The more I think the harder it is to get there
Now and Here
Space and time are mixed up with bright and dark
Now and Here
I lost the space and time of my ancestors
But I realise or dream
The meeting between space and time will still take place
I pass once again through the vision of the dimension of space
I count again second by second the journey between life and death
Space and time are ruined and lost on the way
Comment from Cayung:
Here I will give you a short explanation about the poem. And feel free to
translate it in your own way.
Time and Space
The poem is about the metaphysical ability that my Ancestors used to have. They could travel from one place to another place in one second for example in the case of an an emergency of spiritual need (like healing someone who was sick) and to protect the Holy Toba land. Something like people see in a "Star Trek" movie. But now civilization ruined (or not ruined) that ability. So I mention in the poem that I get lost when I want to know more.
The marriage of Time and Space is buried under the Black and White Games & Conspiracy. I believe that that ability is gone because God took it, meaning the ability to merge with God Light. But I believe and I dream for... that one day it will happen again. Now the Time and Space marriage is lost in the blood sea (meaning war, politics, greed, evil ways, etc)
Selamat dan Damai di Bumi
Cayung Siagian
ps Maths and Physics cannot manipulate the 'Time and Space'. Only Love and merging in purity through contact with God light can connect with the gravitation.
Cayung Siagian is a member of Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance Egroup and Virtual Gallery.
Website: www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/8138/cayung/cayung/html
'Journey V' by Cayung Siagian
Suara Indonesia
Dear Friends
Suara Indonesia Radio Show is very fortunate in having two new presenters volunteering to keep the show going. From now on Henry Horthy, Saul Dalton and myself (all AIAA members) will be sharing the task of presenting the Indonesian music and culture program Suara Indonesia on BayFm Radio. The BayFM Community Radio Station services the NSW North Coast Region and up to the Gold Coast in Queensland.
I am writing to express appreciation to those people who responded to our request for CDs including Bayu Wirawan who provided his four wonderful jazz CDs and Arimba Culture Exchange for sending us Magical Match by Krakatau.I would once again like to request product samples of CDs of Indonesian music which we will promote through Suara Indonesia radio show. Your Cds will also be reviewed in Inspirasi Magazine.
I have discussed with the Bay FM Radio management our desire to promote Indonesian musicians, cultural organisations, CDs, distributers and record labels which they are happy for us to do in order to support the musicians and promote their music.
Please send sample CDs with details of contact information for ordering, to gain free promotion of your music.
Best wishes
and Thanks!
Judy Shelley
Email: indoartsalliance@hotmail.com.au
PO Box 484
Byron Bay 2481
NSW Australia
Suara Indonesia Radio Program is an activity of Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance.
Letters from Tagor Lassak
November 9 1999
Dear Judith Shelley,
Nama saya Tagor Siagian, saya masih Humas Musisi (Musyawarah Insan Musik Indonesia), wadah orang Indonesia yg bergelut di industri musik, dari kru, sound engineer, penulis lirik dsb. Kalau anda butuh informasi perkembangan musik Indonesia, siapa yg lagi tur, rekaman, baru edar album dsb. silahkan tanya saya.Malah saya mau minta bantuan anda kalau ada musisi Indonesia yg mau main di Australia ut bantu promosi acara mereka. Sayang September lalu Chrisye dan Krakatau batal ke sana. Oh ya, tepatnya Radio anda di kota apa dan mohon alamatnya serta fax/telpon. Saya baca e-mail anda di website Musik Indonesia, dan saya juga mau bantu kirim2 CD. Kalau ada yg spesifik yg anda perlu silahkan beritahu saya. Kita memang perlu orang luar tahu bahwa orang Indonesia juga bisa berkesenian,. tidak seburuk yg mereka sangka...
So, I hope to hear from you ASAP. Keep up the good work.Peace!
November 21 1999Dear Judith,
Maaf, baru balas surat Anda sekarang. Saya baru kembali dari Surabaya minggu lalu memotret konser dangdut untuk televisi TPI. Untuk Anda ketahui, saya juga seorang fotografer dan sudah 15 tahun memotret band2/penyanyi Indonesia. Rencananya, saya mau pameran tunggal Maret 2000 (bukan bermaksud menyaingi Sydney 2000).
.... Yg menarik minggu depan adalah konser tunggal Iwan Fals di Stadion Utama Senayan, Kamis, 25 Nov. Promotornya adalah sebuah yayasan yg dikelola beberapa ibu2 asli Aceh. Maksud semula adalah mencari dana ut orang Aceh yg sedang kesulitan, tapi Iwan maunya lebih luas, ya untuk orang Ambon dsb. Formasi band pengiring Iwan sama seperti ketika main di Puchon, Korea Selatan September lalu. Saat itu saya melakukan fungsi sbg road manager, moga2 Anda tidak menganggap saya serakah krn melakukan banyak pekerjaan. Prinsip saya adalah membantu yg mau dibantu demi musik Indonesia! Pada drum adalah Yossi (Kelompok Penyanyi Jalanan), Iwang Noersaid (kibord), Cok Rampal (gitar), pernah ikutan Kantata, Nanoe (bas) , pernah ikut Swami dan Jalu pada perkusi. Durasi konser sama dg Korea, 150 menit, 21 lagu. Konser ini juga ut menepis isu bahwa Iwan dan Slank dicekal main di Jakarta. Karenanya, saya juga mengajak anak2 Slank nonton konser Iwan dari backstage supaya ada gambaran kalau mereka jadi main di Stadion Utama senayan tahun depan. Saya dari dulu penasaran mau bikin konser Slank di Senayan, krn saya rasa mereka sudah pantas. Slank minggu lalu baru saja mengedarkan dobel album mereka berjudul 999+09 berisi 27 lagu. Sabtu malam kemarin (20/11) mereka main di Stadion Kompyang Denpasar, Bali ut acara kampus. Minggu lalu juga ada acara Anugerah Musik Indonesia, maksudnya semacam Grammy Awards nya Indonesia, tapi tidak maju2 penyelenggaraannya. Penyanyi wanita Titi DJ jadi penyanyi terbaik dan penyanyi cilik Sherina jadi pendatang baru terbaik. Slank grup rock terbaik, Jamrud album rock terbaik. Sheila On 7 yg semula dianggap akan memborong gelar, hanya kebagian satu, lagu pop terbaik, "Dan" (kalau tidak salah). Agaknya belum ada musisi Indonesia yg akan ke Australia hingga Lebaran. Minggu lalu penyanyi wanita Memes ke Melbourne ut acara mahasiswa Indonesia. Iwan Fals sendiri ada tawaran dari Sawung Jabo dan istrinya, Sue ut ke Sydney Maret ini. Saya juga sedang mengusahakan Iwan main di Kuala Lumpur Maret, jadi tinggal mencocokkan jadwal dan tentu saja harga. Kalau radio Anda bisa ikut mencari sponsor ut artis Indonesia main di Australia akan lebih berguna lagi lembaga Anda ut perbaikan dan peningkatan hubungan Ind.-Australia, misalnya sponsor pesawat dan penginapan saja sudah sangat membantu. Kalau ada rekan Anda yg ke Jakarta, tolong kabari saya supaya saya titip CD musisi Indonesia ut Anda. Selamat bekerja and peace always!November 28 1999
Dear Judith,
Bagaimana dunia radio di negeri kangguru? Konser Iwan Fals akhirnya berlangsung juga Kamis, 25 Nov. lalu di Stadion Utama senayan, Jakarta. Di tengah hujan deras, sekitar 40.000 orang nonton dengan dan tanpa karcis. Yg bikin yayasan ibu2 Aceh yg nyari dana ut Aceh. Tapi secara produksi kacau. Ibu2 itu lupa cari dana dulu ut konser mencari dana itu. jadi Iwan main dg soundsystem stadion dan alat2nya sendiri, tidak ada panggung dan lighting khusus. Soalnya kalau Iwan tidak main fansnya yg sudah datang dr Medan, Surabaya dll. bisa ngamuk. Dan ijin ut tur Iwan bisa dibatalkan. 2 des. iwan akan main di bandung dan 6 des. di Purwokerto dg pengamen jalanan. bagaimana kemungkinan Iwan main di Australia, apakah penggemarnya banyak? Tolong cari tahu supaya tahun depan kita bisa bawa iwan ke sana kalau memang ada minat. Nov. lalu Memes dan katon Bagaskara ke Sydney main ut mahasiswa Indonesia ya, kamu nonton? Apakah kamu kenal sawung Jabo, rekan Iwan di grup Swami dan Kantata takwa dulu....
Saya baru saja motret acara tahunan Jazz Goes To Campus yg dibikin Fakultas Ekonomi Univ. Indonesia. Bagus sekali sambutan mahasiswa, berarti penonton Indonesia semakin spesifik. Yg suka jazz terus nambah, yg suka rock terus nambah. Tinggal bagaimana kita memenuhi dahaga mereka dg suguhan profesional. Karena saya percaya, orang yg cinta kesenian, musik, tidak akan membuat onar, anarki, ya ngga, ya ngga! Peace! Selamat bekerja. What are your plans for New Years Eve, going to Bali? I'll be there. January 10 2000Dear Judith,
Have a very very happy and prosperous new year! How was the 2000 drummer show? I was at Ubud, Bali for the World Percussion Festival, Sacred Rhythm. I was the chief photographer, so I sort of missed midnite, cause I was busy taking pictures of people being histerical! So I didn't get a chance to be hysterical, ha, ha!
I heard that Sawung Jabo was a guest star at Iwan Fals concert in Purwokerto, Central Java last Desember. Iwan's 15 city Indonesia tour has not been confirmed yet. I'll inform you if there's any development. Krakatau are leaving for the Midem Conference in France this Jan. 14. I'm not sure if they're gonna perform anywhere else. Any chance for you watching the Big Day Out Festival in Sydney, Jan. 27?..
Good luck with your work. Greetings for everyone down there.
March 19 2000
Dear Judy,
Could you ask Arief if he's interested in bringing Djaduk over to Australia. He was a big hit at the Sacred Rhythm and one of the prize winners.
By the way, have you ever heard of a university that has a postgraduate course in Music Business Management, and gives scholarships? I've been looking for ages, but they just don't give scholarships. I found out that the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE or something like it has the course, but no scholarship. Thanks for your help. Meanwhile, I'll be busy organizing my personal photo exhibition, which consists of 75 black and white, and color 30 x 40 cm or 50 x 60 cm photos of Indonesian musicians, on and off stage, back and front stage. Probably this August in Jakarta and then I'll be touring Java; Bandung, Jogja, Surabaya and Denpasar. Wish me luck.
Greetings to everyone down there and God Bless U all! Damai!
Tagor Lassak
Email: tagorlassak@hotmail.com
Wayan Sinti's New Gamelan
Dear Friends
Here is a little posting about Gamelan Manikasanti. Wayan Sinti's project
since 1992.
He has just asked me to spread some information about this since, after many years of development, retunings and teaching to both children and professional players, the gamelan has reached full maturity and, I must say, is quite a beautifull and interesting thing to behold (more about this below). The groups have been performing for over a year now, including last years Pesta Seni and have just been recorded in Bali by JVC for an upcoming release.
Nah, as you might guess, Pak Sinti and his group are always in need of support for continuing activities and development, this is why i offered to give this list, especially those of you who are organizers or wish to support some form of activities for this gamelan, more information about the special nature of this new gamelan concept.
Gamelan Manikasanti was first fabricated in 1992 according to Sinti's guidelines in order to come up with a seven tone gamelan that would adopt a tuning system and instrumentation flexible enough to perform not only traditional semar pegulingan saih pitu repertoire but also kebyar, anklung, gong gede, pelegongan, gender wayang, gambang, beleganjur, etc... In Sinti's words: an Encyclopedia of Gamelan.
As you might guess, this meant finding an overall balance in tuning and calibration of the instruments in order to have power for some repertoire and sweetness for other... I'm very happy to report that the end result is nothing but beautiful. I even told Sinti that he may just have come up with something like a Well-Tempered Gamelan in the sense that you now have the leeway to explore and modulate to further regions in the course of a piece. Of course, as he pointed out, this is different and there is no use for a standard tuning in gamelan.
The ensemble sounds amazing in all repertoire and is gaining recognition in Bali, always making an awesome impression to those who see and hear this for the first time (and even after!).
Sinti is hoping to get support either through concert invitations (local or international), commissions or donations. Those of you who want to know more can contact Sinti at the address below...
salam,
Eric Da Silva
Gamelan Manikasanti
c/o Wayan Sinti
Mes 3, Kokar
Jalan Ratna
Denpasar 80234
Bali Indonesia
Tel: (62-0361) 244994
Translators Needed
Dear Friends,
I am currently trying to recruit people to work as Interpreters/Translators with UNTAET in East Timor. UNTAET wants 15 people, with high level Indonesian language skills, to work in the new courts. If you know of anyone who might be interested, could you please pass on this information. If you want any more information, please contact me on 9279 Australian Volunteers International (formerly the Overseas Service Bureau).
Thank you
David Feith
Australian Volunteers International
71 Argyle St. (PO Box 350)
Fitzroy VIC 3065
Australia
Website: www.ozvol.org.au
Email: David Feith@OVERSEAS SERVICE BUREAU
or dfeith@ozvol.org.au
News from Ron Reeves
Thursday 4 May 2000
dear judy
i’d like to thank you and everyone else in byron/main arm for your kind words about the kendang workshops. it was a pleasure for me to be there and i’m happy to confirm that i’ll be coming up for the 12th and 13th of may.
as to other classes i’m teaching, at the moment there’s only the one you mentioned, a kendang class on mondays in sydney. it’s been slow going with that one, lots of interest expressed but people in sydney have lots of other commitments and distractions, so attendances have fluctuated wildly. but i’ll be keeping it going and i’m sure things will stabilise over time.gotta tell you about a new group deva, reza and i have just put together. we call it "anything but roy", and we just did our first gig last week for "nongkrong", an event organised by the indonesian students organisation (ppia) at unsw. it’s doof-inspired dance music, a mixture of acoustic and electronic, but all played live without any sequencing. deva on kit & electronics, reza on mixed percussion (taganing batak, floor tom, hi hat, cymbals, film canister etc) and electronics, and me playing kendang, chinese gongs, kobing (a philippino genggong) and electronics. good fun!
speaking of genggong, the other piece of news is that genggong is currently planning a trip to indonesia. nothing confirmed or finalised at this stage, but it is looking pretty positive. if it comes off we’ll be there for close to 2 months from around june 20th, and we’d be aiming to record a cd there during that time. also hoping to do gigs in jakarta, bandung, surabaya, bali as well as the gamelan festival in yogya.
anyway, looking forward to seeing you all soon in byron...
salam...
ron :-)
14 May 2000
dear judy...
just writing to thank you for the effort you put into making the kendang workshops happen again in byron/main arm... yet another example of your talent for setting in motion initiatives that can later take on a life of their own...
i'd also like to thank everyone else who helped to organise, and all those who came to the workshops... thanks to everyone's efforts and enthusiasm it looks like this little event will indeed have a life of its own from now on, for the forseeable future at least...
it was great to have david's gamelan workshop happening on the same day on the saturday... there's definitely scope for the kendangs and the gamelan to get together down the track a little...
once again, thank you all..ron reeves
ronrif@hotmail.com
We in Byron Shire are very fortunate indeed to have the assistance of two cultural treasures; Ron Reeves and David Goldsworthy, who have been so kind as to travel to our humble shire to share with us rampak drumming and gamelan degung respectively. Deepest appreciation and respect to our teachers, we are honoured that you have made time to come to teach us.(ed)
Ron Reeves is a member of the Australia Indonesia Arts AllianceBemac Federation Festival
To all interested people,
BEMAC is planning to put on a "Federation Festa."This festival is aimed at celebrating the federation from a multicultural view.FF is a large-scale three-day event, that will showcase the best of Brisbane's culturally diverse arts, talent and cuisine. With especially commissioned works for theatre, music, dance, multimedia installations and a multcultural"carnivale" style parade, FF will celebrate the cultures of all communities, indigenous and ethnic and the emerging local cultural kaleidoscope. They are proposing the Southbank area as the venue for the festival.Federation Festa is a unique opportunity to highlight the cultural talent of your community. BEMAC are seeking your association's or personal participation in the areas of traditional music, dance, art, craft or traditional costumes. Maybe you would like to participate in the "Carnivale Style Parade". If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in this event, or you'd like to contact BEMAC for more Info, you can do so at;
Email: bemac@uq.net.au
Message from the Crazy Jazz Pianist
Hello, All of you the Hysterias Urban Species ....
Let me invite you entering my reflection below :
" KEBUN BINATANG MANUSIA "Wine, dine, music. Anggur, santap malam, musik. Katanya, itulah kini bentuk kencan yang merebak popular di Jakarta. Mengapa anggur? Karena anggur membuat suasana tidak hanya makin santai saja tapi juga makin romantik. Lain dengan jenis minuman yang rasanya tergolong statis seperti vodka, whiskey, cognac dan tequila, wine lebih memberi nuansa rasa yang beragam dan berbeda. Hanya yang bercita rasa tinggi, merekalah yang dapat mencecap nikmatnya wine.
Tampaknya orang Jakarta, tentu saja yang kaya, mempunyai selera yang makin tinggi dan makin romantis. Sekarang mereka sudah mulai bosan dengan disco. Untuk bersantai, mereka lebih memilih dansa, chacha, tango atau waltz, diiringi musik dan lagu-lagu sixties. Sedangkan dansa tidak bisa asal-asalan saja. Untuk melakukan dansa, orang harus mengerahkan full feeling.Jakarta memang "surga" bagi mereka yang kaya dan berada. Di Jakarta, mereka bisa setiap saat mengganti seleranya, kreatif untuk keluar dari kejenuhannya. Namun Jakarta adalah "neraka" bagi mereka yang miskin dan tak berpunya, karena di sana mereka sulit keluar dari penderitaannya.
Di Jakarta semuanya bisa terjadi. Yang berkelimpahan hidup bersama dengan yang berkekurangan, yang maju berdampingan dengan ketinggalan. Jakarta dipenuhi bangunan-bangunan super modern, jalan-jalan tangguh, toh tiap tahun Jakarta tetap primitif dalam menanggulangi diri terhadap ancaman banjir. Memang di Jakarta semuanya beraduk jadi satu, sampai tiada jelas lagi apakah identitas Jakarta.
Identitas itu sesungguhnya mutlak perlu dimiliki oleh sebuah ibukota seperti Jakarta. Tapi seperti kota-kota besar lain di dunia, Jakarta pun menderita "krisis identitas" yang parah. Karena krisis identitas itu, Jakarta menjadi lumpuh dan tak dapat menyumbangkan banyak bagi perkembangan republik ini.
Menurut Richard Rogers, arsitek perkotaan ternama di Inggris, kota, apalagi ibukota, adalah sangat penting bagi perkembangan peradaban. Kota adalah tempat perjumpaan pelbagai unsur masyarakat. Dari kota inilah berasal kultur. Tak terbayangkan, tanpa warga perkotaan akan ada demokrasi.
Sayangnya, kota-kota modern berkembang tanpa mempedulikan kepentingan tersebut. Kota-kota modern seperti juga Jakarta tidak lagi menjadi lingkungan hidup bagi warganya. Gedung-gedung didirikan sedemikian rupa, sehingga sela-sela di antaranya hanyalah cocok untuk tempat parkir.
Kota seakan dimengerti hanya sebagai ruang untuk lalu lintas dan bukan ruang hidup. Sementara yang diutamakan juga hanyalah bangunan-bangunan untuk kepentingan profit. Tak ada tempat di kota yang dirancang untuk people place, yang dibutuhkan warganya untuk dapat berkembang wajar sebagai manusia.
Dulu para perancang pembangunan kota itu bagaikan nabi dan peramal. Mereka merencanakan suatu kota dengan perspektif ke masa depan yang panjang. Kota dirancang sebagai tempat, agar kehidupan dapat berkembang menjadi lebih baik dan bahagia.
Sekarang tak mungkin lagi orang dapat merancang kota dengan memperhatikan masa depan. Menurut direktur pembangunan kota Hamburg, Hoern Walter, kini orang paling-paling hanya bisa membayangkan perspektif lima tahun ke depan dalam merencanakan pembangunan kota. Tragisnya, tempat yang dulu dirancang sebagai lingkungan untuk membudayakan manusia, kini menjadi tempat manusia berjubel, tempat parkir atau pusat perbelanjaan.
Menurut Phillip Tobias, seorang antropolog paleontologis beken dari Afrika Selatan, dengan membangun kota, manusia menciptakan ancaman bagi dirinya sendiri. Lima puluh persen penduduk dunia kini hidup di kota. Dibanding dengan di desa, di kota-kota besar lebih sering terjadi pembunuhan, bunuh diri, depresi mental, perampokan, kekerasan dan kejahatan.
Maklum, di kota manusia harus hidup berpepat-pepatan. Kota bagaikan "KEBUN BINATANG MANUSIA". Kepadatan dan keberdesakan manusia bisa menghasilkan tekanan yang luar biasa pada syaraf manusia. Pernah ada eksperimen di California: sejumlah tikus dimasukkan ke dalam sebuah kotak.
Begitu ke dalam kotak itu ditambahkan sejumlah tikus baru, maka tikus-tikus itu pun lalu saling menggigit ekor, dan mulai mencakar-cakar matanya. Binatang-binatang ini membuat apa yang dilakukan manusia di kota-kota besar.
Anggapan Phillip Tobias itu kiranya bisa dikenakan begitu saja pada kota Jakarta. Jakarta sebagai ibukota tampaknya kurang cocok untuk menjadi tempat, di mana manusia dapat menjadi makin manusiawi. Di Jakarta mudah pecah kekerasan, warganya mudah disulut untuk melakukan kerusuhan, anak-anak sekolahnya hampir tiap hari suka tawuran, sopir-sopir bisnya agresif tanpa peduli nyawa orang. Orang-orang kayanya kelihatan kreatif untuk menciptakan hiburan baru. Tapi upaya itu tetap tak mampu menolong mereka keluar dari kejenuhan, ketegangan syaraf, dan ancaman depresi mental.
Mungkin ini semua karena Jakarta telah menjadi " KEBUN BINATANG MANUSIA ", dimana manusia dipadatkan untuk berjubel berpepatan, dimana tiada lagi ruang kehidupan, di mana syaraf manusia dihajar habis-habisan. Ya, tapi "Siapa suruh datang Jakarta, sendiri suka, sendiri rasa
Bayu Wirawan
Web Site : http://bwmarket.com
E-Mail : bayu@bwmarket.com
Bayu Wirawan is a member of the Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance Egroup.
Festivals in Yogya and Bali
Dear Friends
Don't forget to check out two of the major festivals happening in Indonesia in the coming months. Even if we can't all be there, the websites make interesting reading.
Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival - a gathering of gamelan players and gamelan lovers- will take place 7 - 12 July 2000. For furthur info: www.gamelan.org/AGI/YGF.html
The Bali Arts Festival will be held June 17 - July 8, 2000. The program of events is available for your perusal at www.bali-paradise.com/artsfestival/index.html
Salam hangat
Hendri BudimanAIAA
www.geocites.com/Athens/Cyprus/8138
Indonesian Video Art
Hi
Video Lounge seeks short animation, experimental or documentary videos for ongoing screening series. We do not accept narrative or works made on film. Send non-returnable VHS tape w/ brief bio to Video Lounge
Thankyou,Carrie Dashow
video loungeshowcasing
animation + experimental + documentary video
by emerging artists
info@videolounge.org
www.videolounge.org
PO Box 1220
Canal Street Station
New York, NY 10013