On Saturday August 15th I went to the opening of an exhibition by Dadang Christanto called "Survivor". The exhibition focused on the "man-made mud catastrophe" which occurred three years ago in East Java. 11 villages in were wiped out and thousands killed from mud erupting from a mining company's gas exploration well.
Volunteers along with Dadang coated themselves in mud from neck to toe and participated in a silent activistic performance piece. The bodies in this piece are the "canvas" and our attention is drawn to the meditative and contemplative aura that surrounds the people in the work. The silence represents the silence of government and mining company in recognising the disaster and the thousands of lives lost. The body is a key aspect of the exhibition: the poisonous mud has caused people to suffer from numerous illnesses, polluted the water, destroyed towns and destroyed lives.
Amanda, sorry this is late as I have been ill.
No comments:
Post a Comment