RESEARCH (PT. 1)
Location: Jakarta - Indonesia - Asia
Ambassador: Egbert Wits
Excited to go back to Holland, but still stuck at Dubai Int. Airport. For the time being, I am lost between worlds and time. Surrounded by Tax-free shops selling chocolate, whiskey, golf clubs, cigarettes and state of the art electronic devices. There’s even a phone on display that can record and play 3d movies, without any need for the funny glasses.
It’s 09:30 Indonesia time, 06:30 local Dubai time, and 03:30 Amsterdam time. An early morning in the middle of the night. Burger King hasn’t opened yet, so there’s a red empty table where I can sit down and open my laptop, luckily without the mandatory junk food.
The coming 2.5 weeks I’ll be in Amsterdam to finish up the Theatre Embassy research into ways of supporting the development of arts sectors. It is called: “UNRAVELLING THE DNA OF 3 CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA, AFRICA AND ASIA.” The Dutch arts infrastructure is transparent, government plays its supporting role, albeit that the size of the funding is declining, and finally there are a few bigger private funds. Being an artist in Holland is socially considered a profession, whatever one’s artistic aims may be. Although the public would generally agree artists should produce whilst taking in account the market value of their “works.” The fruits of their artistic creative labor should, in other words, provide them with a salary and therewith the means to live. Sounds like a normal situation?
In Indonesia, where I have been living for the past 6 years, being an artist is not considered a profession, a hobby at most. Men, and even more so women, who participate in creative activities with no clear tangible outcomes, are frowned upon. In the eye of the general public, being an artist is almost synonymous with (deliberately) choosing to be poor. The few that do manage to make a living as artists have more the social status of a celebrity: someone talented/ lucky enough to make a living out of something they liked.
What has caused this breach? Of course the way the arts are rooted in society play an important role in this. In Indonesia things we now call “art” or “heritage” have been going on for ages without people ever questioning what it is they are doing, or why processions or rituals are done the way they are done? The whole notion that arts are something detached from real life, that art works (tangible of intangible) can be valued and measured is somewhat new in the eyes of the general public.
Added to these fundamental differences Indonesia has a very corrupt government, lacks infrastructural facilities (theatres, rehearsal spaces, galleries, etc.) and its people are rooted in a vast mixture of different ethnic groups, religions, languages, cultures and stages of development: all within one country. Therefore trying to support the development of the arts infrastructure will require a wholly different approach compared to how the arts in Holland can be stimulated. It’s not just a different sport, it’s a different ball park all together.
Theatre Embassy’s research gets more interesting and layered because it not only compares between Holland and Indonesia, but also adds Africa and Central America into the equation. In all mentioned continents field researchers have been collecting data through interviews, literature research and participatory fieldwork. From the 23rd to 27th of January the field researchers, together with leading arts representatives from the respective continents will gather to compare, share and explore how the arts infrastructure can best be supported, given the unique circumstances of each region.
A writing workshop facilitated by Paul Mundy will reshape the material into a publishable book with inspiring insights and learning points for other art managers and artists all over the world. During the process other experts will drop in to join discussions and comment on the various presentations and material at hand. All together the meetings will offer a feast of new ways to look and approach things.
The more I think of the potential and importance of the upcoming events, the more excited I get. Time flies when you\'re excited, the clock is pointing 07:30 already, an hour has gone by. Time to leave my red table and catch my flight. Time to leave Dubai head to cold, cold, orderly Amsterdam.
