Koper yang Dibawa

Mikhail (Neocles Nicolas) David

Pada awalnya ‘Koper yang Dibawa” digambarkan sebagai karya instalasi interaktif, konsep sang artis
perlahan-lahan berkembang menjadi pertunjukan multidisipliner dimana berbagai seniman dari
berbagai bidang seni – apakah itu teater, musik, atau tari – mengejahwantahkan dan menyumbangkan
perspektif mereka sendiri. Dan dari setiap perspektif baru itu, konsep awal tadi menjadi berkembang….

 Hidup adalah sebuah perjalanan dan dalam perjalanan itu ada hal-hal yang telah kita dapatkan
bahkan sebelum kita mulai, yang kita kumpulkan dan kita pilah, yang kita kumpulkan dan jarang kita
buang, yang kita alami dan kita interpretasikan, yang kita nilai dan hitung, kita evaluasi dan
re-evaluasi dan kita kategorisasikan. Tujuh koper menyimbolkan berbagai kategori yang kita buat.
Walaupun tiap koper mempunyai karakter yang berbeda, namun seringkali isinya bias
dipertukarkan.dan saling berhubungan. Untuk setiap orang, bentuk dan isi koper itu terbentuk
dan menentukan perjalanan serta mencerminkan kepribadian kita. Dan untuk semua perbedaan
dan variasi yang mengekor pada perjalanan tiap orang, ada sebuah benang maya yang mengikat
semua koper pada pengalaman universal.

1.        koper no.1 melambangkan semua “sampah” dan materi yang tidak penting yang sangat suka kita koleksi

2.        koper no.2 menyimpan semua rahasia kita

3.        koper no.3 berisi semua peralatan dan keahlian yang kita perlukan untuk perjalanan kita

4.        koper no.4 penuh dengan kenangan

5.        koper no.5 menyimpan pengetahuan yang kita kumpulkan

6.        koper no.6 menaungi indera, nafsu dan perasaan

7.        koper no.7 menjernihkan isi dari enam koper yang lain dan merubahnya menjadi Pengalaman

aura misterius diliputi awan

melewati jembatan

melalui jalanan

ditempatkan disini pada saat ini

dan mengambang

pada sebuah kapal

berisi kenangan dan mimpi

mungkin waktu

telah mengajari kita

untuk bersabar

untuk bernafas dan mengamati

dan mengambil materi

dari pengalaman kita

All The Luggage We Carry

 Originally conceived as an interactive installation the artist’s concept has gradually evolved into
a multidisciplinary performance where various artists from different disciplines, be that theater, music,
or dance, bring along their own interpretations and contribute their own perspectives.
And with each new perspective the concept evolves…………….

 Our life is a journey and during the course of this journey there are things that we
have already been endowed with before its commencement and there are things we gather
and sort, we collect and rarely discard, we experience and interpret, we qualify and quantify,
we evaluate and reevaluate and we categorize. Seven suitcases symbolize the various taxonomies
that we create. Although each suitcase has its own distinctive character their contents are often
interchangeable and interrelated. For each of us the configuration and the content of the suitcases shapes
and determines our journeys reflecting our personalities. And yet for all the differences and variations that
each personal journey entails there is an underlying thread that ties these seven suitcases into a universal experience.

1.        suitcase no.1 represents  all the “garbage” and unnecessary material we are so fond of collecting

2.        suitcase no.2 holds all our secrets

3.        suitcase no.3 contains all those tools and skills that we need for our journey

4.        suitcase no.4 is filled with memories

5.        suitcase no.5 stores all the knowledge that we accumulate

6.        suitcase no.6 houses our senses, emotions and feelings

7.        suitcase no.7 distills the contents of the other 6 suitcases turning them into Experience

cloudy mysterious aura

crossing bridges

traversing streets

presently stationed here

and yet floating

upon a vessel

of memories and dreams

maybe time

has taught us

to be patient

to breathe and observe

and to draw material

from our experience

Mikhail

(Neocles Nicolas) David

Curriculum Vitae

 Mikhail was born in 1960 in West Africa of Cypriot and Greek parents, grew up in Europe and studied in North America where he obtained a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Sociology (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1982 Mikhail has been living in Jakarta, Indonesia, dividing his time between Indonesia and Europe.

 Mikhail’s early visual art works tended towards minimalism shown in a number of solo and collective exhibitions in various countries including Greece, Italy, Canada, Australia, Indonesia…… During the 1990’s Mikhail became interested in installation works and begun creating “atmospheric inter-discipline interactive environments” evoking all of the Five Senses. For this purpose Mikhail created a special “space”, called “The Stage” (1991-1996), which became known as “the vanguard of the avant-garde”, a landmark of the Art Scene of Jakarta hosting over 3,000 local and visiting artists. During that same period Mikhail working with his friends, acclaimed Jazz musicians Luluk Purwanto (Indonesian violinist) and René van Helsdingen (Dutch pianist) ) and Dutch visual artist Aart Marcus created a movable multi-purpose inter-disciplinary venue, “The Stage Bus”. Between 1994 and 1997 “The Stage Bus” appeared in over 350 festivals and events all over Europe and Australia. Since 2001 “The Stage Bus II” has continued touring Europe and the U.S.A (70 concerts in 45 of the most prestigious Universities of the United States, 2002).

Mikhail is also known as a photographer. His works have been shown in a number of solo and collective exhibitions and have appeared in several news publications, art publications, magazines, brochures, and books.

Mikhail also expresses himself through Landscape and Interior Design incorporating sculptures and other visual art works in the environment.

Mikhail is married to the internationally acclaimed Indonesian concert pianist / musician Ary Sutedja-David.

In 1999 Mikhail together with his wife established a grass-roots organization to demonstrate, expose, share, encourage and promote the Arts.The result was JakArt@ 2001, JakArt@ 2002 and JakArt@ 2003, an International Arts, Cultural, and Educational Festival to commemorate Jakarta's Anniversary, in the month of June. The JakArt Festivals have hosted:

· over 1000 events, from world-class performances & exhibitions to public art & spontaneous expression

· in  over 300 venues and locations in and around Jakarta, ranging from the conventional to the alternative

· in collaboration with over 200 government and NGO organizations & associations, foreign embassies, etc.,

· involving over 1000 enthusiastic volunteers, from all walks of life, including many artists

JakArt has attracted positive and critical attention and the interest and support of many associations and organizations including:

·         City/Provincial Government of Jakarta

·         The Indonesian Ministries of Culture and Tourism, Foreign Affairs, and Education

·         International and local media

·         The endorsement of UNESCO

·         And an invitation to become a founding member of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Arts Festivals (including the Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Tasmania, Brisbane, New Zealand, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore Festivals)

 In July 2003, merging his various interests, talents and activities, Mikhail presented his latest concept/creation “Homage to the Eternal Creativity of The Human Race”. The installation/exposition presented was a sketch of atmospheric impressions suggesting the scope and possibilities of Mikhail’s proposal for the creation of a traveling and fully comprehensive chronological Educational Exposition of the most important examples of art produced throughout human history around the world, from the cave dweller to the present, in the form of museum replicas in an “atmospheric” context using material from both the Tangible Heritage and Intangible Heritage from around the world. The event, which took place at the National Museum in Jakarta, was officiated by the Director General of UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura and the Indonesian Minister for Culture and Tourism, Mr. I Gede Ardika.