Indonesia’s religious and cultural institutions create well-defined centres, but many people still find themselves on the fringe. Indonesia’s sprawling geographical area and focus on Central Java is indicative of what is deemed to be central and what is on the fringe of Indonesian culture. These marginal worlds are sites of restless creativity, unfolding amidst material hardship, forming a geography of ‘undergrounds’ that fuses both traditional knowledge and contemporary innovation.
Asialink presents an evening of exploring the unregulated margins of Indonesian religion, ritual and culture through conversation and video.
Danius Kesminas talks about his art-punk collaboration with the youth of Yogyakarta, an ongoing project mixing art students, army fatigues, fetishistic military hardware and an Indonesian take on the rituals and aesthetics of punk. Kesminas will focus on Punkasila’s recent tour to the Cuba Biennale, along with video clips made to accompany songs from their recent Acronym Wars album.
Julian Millie discusses his new book Splashed by the Saint, a look at underground spiritual rituals in village Islam that go against the teachings of Indonesia’s religious elites. Millie explores how Muslims of West Java channel prayers to Allah through Islam’s most powerful saint, Abdul Qadir al-Jaelani, through a ritual of singing or reading his miraculous life story.
The evening discussions will be facilitated by Dr Ariel Heryanto, Head of the Southeast Asia Centre, Australian National University, and Dr William Peterson, Head of Drama and Theatre Studies, Monash University
DATE: Thursday, 9th July 2009
TIME: 6.15pm for 6.30pm-8.00pm
VENUE: Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Level 1, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, The University of Melbourne
ENQUIRIES: Please email k.lee@asialink.unimelb.edu.au or call 03 8344 3583
REGISTER FOR EVENT
Asialink presents an evening of exploring the unregulated margins of Indonesian religion, ritual and culture through conversation and video.
Danius Kesminas talks about his art-punk collaboration with the youth of Yogyakarta, an ongoing project mixing art students, army fatigues, fetishistic military hardware and an Indonesian take on the rituals and aesthetics of punk. Kesminas will focus on Punkasila’s recent tour to the Cuba Biennale, along with video clips made to accompany songs from their recent Acronym Wars album.
Julian Millie discusses his new book Splashed by the Saint, a look at underground spiritual rituals in village Islam that go against the teachings of Indonesia’s religious elites. Millie explores how Muslims of West Java channel prayers to Allah through Islam’s most powerful saint, Abdul Qadir al-Jaelani, through a ritual of singing or reading his miraculous life story.
The evening discussions will be facilitated by Dr Ariel Heryanto, Head of the Southeast Asia Centre, Australian National University, and Dr William Peterson, Head of Drama and Theatre Studies, Monash University
DATE: Thursday, 9th July 2009
TIME: 6.15pm for 6.30pm-8.00pm
VENUE: Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Level 1, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, The University of Melbourne
ENQUIRIES: Please email k.lee@asialink.unimelb.edu.au or call 03 8344 3583
REGISTER FOR EVENT