Notes from Todays Art 2010

Last weekend on 24-25 of September, the 6th edition of TodaysArt is held in The Hague. It is a festival that is focused on amplifying the forms and relationship between art, music, and technology.

This year's theme for the festival is 'Love the Real City', which implies that there is a city that is not real, which could be the abstract, administrative view of the city or The Hague's bid to become Cultural Capital 2018.

According to TodaysArt director/founder, Olof van Winden, The Real City is experiences, participation, engagement, daily routines, and a festival like TodaysArt.

This a series of notes based on what I saw during the two days festival in the heart of the city. Meanwhile, enjoy the teaser video of the festival.

Blonde Redhead gig at Melkweg, Amsterdam

After been listening to Blond Redhead for almost a decade now, finally I had the chance to see them live last Sunday (19 September 2010). It was one of the great live music experience that I had since a few times while living here in the Netherlands. Totally they played 13 songs for more than one and a half hour. Too bad that they didn't interact or even communicate with the audience throughout the entire show.

However, the sound and the music they played was superb. The stage design was amazing: they have many of this funny light bulbs that looks like a dancing fire; a few golden umbrella as part of the background, that also acts as a reflector for the light; amazing lighting visualization that can transform the dark soothing sound of their music to become something that can makes you dance to the moves that the singer, Kazu Makino, is making on stage; a big picture of unicorn, which part of Kazu's obsession with horses; also, a weird looking helmet that looked like a horse's ass with double tail.

Here's some of the picture and a video taken from the concert. Enjoy!

For more pictures, go to my facebook album page and youtube page for more videos.

Blonde Redhead's Not Getting There Video

The new album, Penny Sparkle, was just released three days ago. The sound are very promising. Some videos from the new album was just released by their label, 4AD. Kazu has never been so sexy in this video. Can't wait to see them live at Amsterdam this Sunday!

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Just watched the documentary movie of the American journalist Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) called "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson". This movie was directed by Academy Award winner, Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side).

The name "Gonzo" is a style in journalism that Thompson created during his political news coverage. The movie was released in 2008 with lots of interviews with many politicians, musicians, and also artists such as Ralph Steadman who collaborated with Thompson. One of Steadman's work is Gonzo Artworks and one of them is used as a poster for the film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" starring Johnny Depp.

In the documentary, Johnny Depp narrated almost throughout the entire movie, taken from Thompson's last memoir.

After watching the movie, I had never realised that there could have so many rock and roll life in journalism. Thompson's obsession with drugs, guns, and woman is adequately portrayed in the movie side by side with his other side of a human being which is a loving husband, father, who wants to make a better place in this world.

This movie is good documentary to see, especially when you think of the political situation that Indonesia is facing with a lack of trust in the leaders (and it has always been). Maybe we can also can have our own Indonesian Gonzo Journalism that will make an honest man out of our leaders, by following the path that Thompson had created. Maybe.

Happy Eid Mubarak

Happy Eid Mubarak. May there be peace amongst all of us.

Octa Ramayana

Genap Satu Tahun di Negeri Orang

Hari ini , 3 September 2010. Genap sudah setahun saya menjadi alien di Netherlands. Saat pertama datang, saya punya banyak sekali ambisi dan harapan untuk bisa bertahan dan menjalani hari hari saya selama di sini. Tapi tidak lupa tujuan utama dari eksistensi saya di negara ini: Belajar. Tapi pada kenyataannya, tidak semua ambisi bisa saya penuhi karena ada banyak sekali tantangan dan perubahan yang harus saya hadapi di dalam perjalanannya.

Menghadapi perubahan memang bukan sesuatu yang mudah. Jauh dari teman teman dekat, jauh dari orang yang dicintai, jauh dari lingkup comfort zone, merupakan kenyataan yang harus dihadapi. Beruntung saya di sini bersama keluarga, karena masih ada tempat untuk menuangkan keluh kesah dan merengguk kasih sayang. Tetapi perubahan memang adalah suatu proses yang pasti semua orang akan lewati. Entah berbagai macam perubahan orang menamakannya: quarter life crisis, honeymoon phase, home sick phase, atau apalah. Semua itu merupakan proses adaptasi.

Saya tidak menyesali atas apapun yang sudah saya lewati, kehilangan, atau tidak dapat memenuhi keinginan yang sudah saya targetkan. Karena semua itu adalah proses belajar. Sama dengan tujuan saya berada di sini: Belajar untuk mendapatkan seonggok kertas ijazah. Padahal belum tentu kertas itu menjadi kunci untuk bisa mendapatkan pekerjaan dan kehidupan yang lebih baik pada saat kembali ke Indonesia nanti. Tapi selain itu, saya banyak belajar bagaimana cara mencintai bangsa sendiri. Itu saya dapatkan dengan melihat orang orang di sekitar saya yang mencintai bangsanya. Kami semua yang belajar dan kerja di sini, otomatis menjadi individu yang merepresentasikan bangsa kita. Saya juga belajar untuk mensyukuri apa yang sudah saya dapatkan selama ini adalah anugrah yang tidak terhingga. Walaupun memang saya sering lupa. Namanya juga manusia, banyak lupanya.

Once I said it on twitter, "memories are not to erase, but to embrace".

So live your life to the fullest, and always be thankful for what you have around you, and spread the feeling (of love).

Catatan pinggir:

Setahun yang lalu saya datang di bulan Ramdhan, dan hari ini juga Ramadhan 1431 H. Hari ini setahun yang lalu saya tidak puasa karena menjadi musafir, dan hari ini pun saya tidak puasa karena setelah shalat Subuh tadi pagi maag kambuh, dan (maaf) muntah. Kalah deh satu hari.

Oh well, mudah mudahan kedepannya nggak ada bolong lagi puasanya.