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The release of ‘Brushes’ follows a succesful tour of Luluk Purwanto & the Helsdingen trio & the Stage Bus: Born Free US 2002, Indonesian American Dutch Cross Cultural Promotion Tour. 70 Non profit performances at 45 Universities and colleges in 24 States. A music project touring the United States reviving a tradition from the earliest days of American jazz, when musicians travelled with band buses, carrying their music to ‘out of town’ dancehalls. What is new is that the Stage Bus is rebuilt by Dutch visual artist Aart Marcus and one side of this Stage Bus opens up to form a well-equipped stage, complete with grand piano, drum set, sophisticated sound and lighting systems, portable audience seating and even tents for when it rains. Luluk Purwanto & the Helsdingen Trio, a cosmopolitan group where the common denominator is a love and passion for creative and original modern jazz. Luluk comes from the Island of Java, Indonesia, and performs on violin and voice, creating a unique approach that captures her cultural heritage. Some of her arrangements and improvisations involve an evocative recreation of the sounds and sights of childhood life in Luluk’s native Yogyakarta (the center of Javanese performing arts.) The repetoire

is a blending of musical cultures representing Indonesia, America and The Netherlands. The Born Free USA tour was part of  JakArt @ 2002, International Arts Cultural & Educational Festival a celebration of art and culture from Indonesia and around the world in celebration of the birthday of Jakarta.

Born Free US 2002 was Supported and Endorsed By;

The Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, Washington DC

The Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, Jakarta, Indonesia

Consulate General of the Netherlands, Los Angeles

The Embassy of the United States of America, Jakarta, Indonesia

The Embassy of the United States of America, The Hague, The Netherlands

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Washington DC

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to the Holy See, Rome, Italy

JakArt @ 2002 Festival (endorsed by Unesco)

Supported and Organized By: René van Helsdingen and Luluk Purwanto,

Helsdingen music BV , Amsterdam and Munich Records, Wageningen, The

Netherlands

Their previous Cd: ‘Born Free’ was released in North America by Zebra Acoustic

Records and distributed in the US by Warner/ Elektra/ Atlantic Corporation, an

AOL-Time Warner Company on August 27, 2002.

Track 9. mimpi (dreams) –

Luluk and Rene have worked with Mikhail for many years dating from The Stage (1993) through to the Stage Bus (1994-2002), JakArt Festival (2001-2002) and now they all 3, and many others, are trying

to make a dream come true:

Homage to the Eternal Creativity of the Human Race

The Global History of Art

By Mikhail David

Throughout time human beings have expressed their innermost profound thoughts, feelings, and understandings of life in a common language – the inexhaustible universal language of creativity.  Human culture has been born from this urge to express and create. It is because of creativity that people have learned to be aware of themselves and their needs, and it is because of creativity that they have learned not only how to survive, but also how to progress.

Knowledge & Creativity

Today we live in a global environment, and to some degree a shrinking environment, through the communication possibilities brought about by developing technologies. It is apparent that we have an immense capacity to advance and enrich human life, through our cultural heritage, the knowledge and information that we as a species have amassed over time and have passed on from generation to generation. Sadly this knowledge and information that has helped propel some of us into the space age, is denied for a variety of reasons to the vast majorities of the world; this should not be so. If only people could become more aware of the importance of creativity in future social, cultural and economic development, especially the crucial part it plays in allowing the individual to find solutions to his problems, then surely this could not be so. Still there is much to be learned about humanity, about our approach towards the global cultural heritage and the

oneness of human creativity. Today it is possible that this awareness and understanding of human history as a continuous story may be shared and experienced by millions of people who ordinarily would never have the opportunity to feel that they are part of the global society. With millions and millions of underprivileged people in the world suffering from disease, malnourishment, displacement, economic and social deprivation…… why should we even begin considering this

proposition?

The Global Cultural Landscape

If we accept that we live in a globally interdependent world and if we assume that a society is the product of its members’ cumulative memory as it is mapped in a shared cultural landscape, and that on a global scale there are thousands and thousands of such landscapes to be found, which tend to stress the differences rather than the similarities of one society from another, then it becomes apparent that we are urgently in need of a new global perspective, a worldwide cultural landscape that can encapsulate human culture in its entirety. In other words, if we begin to understand that we are all part of one race, the Human Race, then it becomes imperative that we view our

cultural heritage in its totality rather than its component parts.

The Proposal

What is called for is not another theory to be understood only by a privileged few, but a project that can illustrate, communicate and inspire. The proposal calls 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. By “atmospheric” we mean that we would like art to be viewed in a meaningful context that evokes the culture and era within which the exhibits were conceived and created. For example, instead of just displaying paintings and sculptures of the Baroque era in a “traditional” exhibition format one could attempt to place them in a “room”, an environment, that would also include furniture, tapestries, chinaware, architectural details, etc. all dating from the same Baroque period, and to complete the “atmospheric” impression one could always add some Baroque music. Infact, because of the exceptional format of this exposition which is designed around the above mentioned ‘atmospheric’ concept, the exposition suggests itself to a supplementary and complementary program that will include a number of other art forms such as theatre, dance and music that can be used to illustrate the integral relationship extant between one art form and another.  In this respect an accompanying program of lectures and seminars could also be linked with the exposition. As an Educational project this exposition is not only meant to provide the opportunity for millions who do not have the privilege to view and be aware of the wealth and diversity of global art throughout the ages, but also to illustrate the importance of Creativity in cultural, social and economic development. It is hoped that this will inspire and persuade societies (and their governments) to appreciate the importance of preserving their Cultural Heritage, of presenting and promoting it at present, and of considering the importance of Creativity in future development.