the winds of change

The winds

The winds of change have come

The winds

They know before I do

They elevate the pressure and ease

Without them id be shaken

They hold me still when I lean on them

The winds

The grasses

The grasses sway my way

The grasses

They point my direction

They hiss and hush an unsure sensibility

I’d stare blankly without them

It’s a conversation when i have nothing to speak

The grasses

The water

The water pours out of the river

The water

Id escape too if I were it

It’s brown and ugly with rubbish

Its kind though, allowing the boats to float

I can see its softness

The water

The winds, the grasses and water, they all speak what they know. 

Thoughts in jatitujuh

To say i have been a lazy blogger is an understatement. I love writing, but my inspiration for it has been diverted. I guess that's what happens when you take on a project of magnitude, whilst learning a language and a culture. To write in English, does not seem strange, it’s actually nice, like I’m talking to a friend back home for a bit. But it is a lot more effort, i forget words easily, I’m probably heaps shit at nice descriptions and my language techniques have jumped out the window like a cat escaping home for a nights prowl around its neighbourhood. 

Instead of writing a huge update on how well the building of Rumah Kreatif is going, (creative space jatitujuh) I am going to write reflections of my time here, maybe a 1 time per week update on different things im thinking about, go more with the mind flow. 

The coffee here is so sweet and false, but I’m addicted to it; it’s delicious in its powdered milk, creamy sweet, hot chocolate like-ness. They come in these tiny packet one servings, and you see them littered everywhere. If it’s not coffee packets i see thrown around the river beds, front of homes, street sides- its msg packets, mie goreng, ciggie butts, shampoo packets, and so on. The thing that is different about packaging here is money. If a person’s daily wage is low, and they are surviving day by day, and that person has a family, who need to eat- Do they buy a big 1 Litre bottle of shampoo that will last the week, and maybe in the end be a bit cheaper? maybe? no, they buy one packet for that days use, because it’s cheaper for that day. The problem does not stem down to the people here, yes obviously they have a choice; but I blame the rubbish troubles on the companies producing everything in such tiny packages.. And the extremely low wage work available in Indonesia, and mass amount of unemployment of the people living in rural or remote villages.

Rubbish is an interesting topic here. Now that I can speak more Indonesian, I enjoy having more cultural talks and learning about what Jatitujuh was like 20 years or so ago. Hearing that the river was so clean, the respect people had for it, the pebbles and big fish that you could see as you walked in for a wash. They drank from it. This doesn't mean that people are not still doing this, every afternoon and morning I see beautiful old women walking to the riverside to bathe naked in the waters, wash their clothes, clean their teeth and go to the toilet. I've talked to the younger people, the teenagers about this, and they say they are too shy to wash there, that only children wash in the river and the old women and men do it because it’s always been part of their daily routine. Another part of the daily routine is this daily rubbish dump, It is so AMAZING that a family can accumulate a big bag of rubbish, walk to the middle of the bridge, drop it in the river, and 5 minutes later it disappears, as if they never had the rubbish in the first place. 20 years ago this village was using banana leaves and teak wood leaves for all there packaging, to hold food, to eat off. They note to me that the dropping of leaves into the river was such a beautiful ritual compared to the plastic mass that they leave floating away nowadays. But there is nowhere else, nor a system that provides relief to the rubbish worries here, other than burning it of course.

The beautiful thing about rubbish though, and the fact that it is everywhere, is that some of the youth that i have been working with are very worried about it. We talk about solutions, the process of change, and time. How that in time, If the youth are switched on, and care for their village of Jatitujuh, that change will happen and that rubbish will not be something people will want to throw in the river or down the side of a hidden cliff. They are very interested talking about it with me, hearing about the solutions we use in Australia, and coming up with their own for here.

This is just one reflection i felt like writing about. I hope that whoever reads this tries to clean up somewhere, whether it be a stroll along the beach, a walk through the park, or around their own home. And remember to recycle what you can:)

a boat to cross the river

Rice field after harvest (November 2012)

Bawang Merah season (red onion) November 2012

A trip to a friends village on vespa, always a stop start journey

The children having their afternoon wash, at the river near creative space.

Red onion harvest!

The birds around the ricefield

Red onion watering

These trucks pass by my house daily, the bags are full of the outer yellow shell of rice.

The river that passes by creative space, and the geese that greet us with calls all afternoon

Rooftiles for Creative Space, donated kindly by Jatisura village Chief Ginggi. (this is not village chief ginngi in the photo, this is a boy who is both deaf and dumb, who helps out at the creative space every now and then)

Nich Shaw (Subita) 

Our vespa 'Ghandi' and the day before my dreds were cut off!

The boss! Om Ketut

Faisal and Teguh, help out daily at Creative Sace, and have the most beautiful personalities and sense of humour

Ibu Uius, and her big beautiful smile

Subita and his son Adean, two amazing artists

We want the same life as you!

Rizal out the front of our house

The temporary gallery/studio at our house. November 2012

The wedding of our friends

Dicka the most clever little girl

Lexa, who is obsessed with his pet chickens

Festival for children

Colouring in competition

A romantic birthday evening. (note om ketut is using a cake tin as a loudspeaker)

Makhan Bersama. Eating together

Ibu Nur, teaching me to cook Ayam Asam, Sour Chicken wrapped in Banana leaf, delicious

Ibu Ibu, Who want to learn Batik

Planting a tree, for the Hujan Keruh 10,000 tree campaign. Planted along the river to stop erosion.

Belentung (meaning frog) play in a waterfall at majalengka mountain

The Chop!

Om Ketut with my dredlocks

Some Random Rasta in the art space smoking something special

The art studio at our house.

Creative Space Jatitujuh!

Rizal and i have started a new project, working with the people of Jatitujuh and the creative collective named 'Konser Kampung' this is why it has taken me so bloody long to update this blog, im sorry!! Merry Christmas to all, and if your feeling generous on this day of days, please donate and help this cause, help to create a more creative world!
To make a donation please visit-  
www.gofundme.com/charitykonserkampung

CREATIVE SPACE PROJECT, JATITUJUH

 Building a place for the community.

A place of-

Creation, Collaboration, Experimentation, 

Discussion, Performance, Education....

Organised by Ellie Hannon and Rizal Abdulhadi with Konser Kampung Jatitujuh West Java.

WHO WE ARE

Ellie Hannon

Ellie Hannon is an artist, traveller, listener, learner and teacher. Having a degree in Fine Art from the University of Newcastle she decided to travel with the idea of art and sharing. Travelling through South East Asia for the last 14 months Ellie has volunteered for various projects in many countries teaching visual and recycled art, English and sustainability studies. Her travels have seen her creating art with various communities and holding workshops in many art and community centres.

Rizal Abdulhadi

Rizal Abdulhadi is a musician, songwriter, Indonesian folk singer, story teller, painter and social activist. He dedicates his music and art to struggle for real change towards a more creative Indonesia and World. Three years travelling through his homeland Indonesia and this year travelling through Singapore and Malaysia; he toured with his folk and experimental music, performing and workshopping with children and experimental musicians.

Konser Kampung

Konser Kampung Is a community of cultural arts that was born in 1986 in the village of Jatitujuh located in the north of Majalengka, West Java. Members of this community group share different talents ranging from art and music to dance and writing. This year they have focused on the creation of new experimental instruments made from bamboo. Their talents and various other acts connected with community art are often combined with events and social activities within and outside of this village.

BACKGROUND

The village of Jatitujuh need a space for creation, exploration and collaboration, to promote art as a way of life. For the past years they have been using temporary studio spaces, friends bamboo shacks, local coffee houses and their own lounge rooms to produce, discuss and practice their art and music. By building a central hub in this village for education and execution of creativity, it will provide easier access to art materials and space, therefor encouraging both the young and old in this village to play more of a participatory role in art creation and experimentation. Konser Kampung have been making music, events for the community, art and experimental instruments since 1986, touring, collaborating and inspiring many. Art is indispensable in their lives and the lives of the village.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Estimated starting date-

Construction of the permanent buildings (brick, cement) expected to begin December 2012

Permanent building spaces include- Kitchen, Bathroom, Workshop, Gallery, Discussion area, Education centre, Resident bedroom.

Following is the building of-

Bamboo studios, permaculture gardens, stage and seating area, tree house

TARGET PARTICIPANTS AND AUDIENCE

Artists, musicians and children of Jatitujuh village

Artists and Musicians of Indonesia and International community

WHY DONATE TO US

*Make a Strategically Positive Impact on the Environment, Education, and the Arts in West Java.

Attracting contrasting groups of people, this centre promises to be a hub that allows different groups of people to find common ground and the availability of space to work together. Multidisciplinary and multifaceted, this project allows you to donate to a variety of key social issues at one time.

*Thinking for the future

Donating to this project allows you to have made an impact on the minds and abilities of talented youth for the future.

*Strengthening Your Corporate Image

Through supporting this project, your company will be projected as an industry committed to activities that benefit the arts, environment, education and social justice. 

Contact-

Ellie Hannon

ellie.hannon@hotmail.com

www.elliehannon.wordpress.com

http://onmywaytofindout.blogspot.com

Rizal Abdulhadi

rizalabdulhadi@rocketmail.com

www.rizalabdulhadi.wordpress.com

Bali.. Ubud and the Organic Mind Project performance, other exhibitions and having fun with friends.. September!

                                                                                  

Organ Budaya Indonesiia presents-

Organic Mind Collaboration.. 

The Mask and Puppet Museum, Ubud Bali.  A week of great inspiration and new friendship. 

Where artists from around Indonesia came together to create a performance using the natural skills embedded in them, forming it from the roots of their organic mind.

Experimental sound/ music, Traditional dance, Mask, Organic, Bamboo Costuming, Lighting effects, Photographers, Contemporary instruments, Free Tree giving, Sustainability, Education.

A trip to Lombok to begin painting for an exhibition fundraiser Rizal and I are interested in doing. The first week we stayed in Mataram with the wonderful folk of the Warung Jack, at the Taman Budaya (culture centre) situated in Mataram. Each Tuesday night they have a Guerrilla Music performance, each week themed differently. If you go along be warned, you will be made to jump on stage and at least say a poem!