In
1999 JakArt was established as a grass-roots
organization to demonstrate, expose, share, encourage
and promote the benefits to be gained from the
development and promotion of the arts ; the importance
of CREATIVITY in our social, economic, and cultural
activities; the significance of Human Values and Freedom
of Expression in development; Indonesia's image
internationally by placing it on the cultural map of the
world; enhanced media exposure for the arts both locally
& internationally; the wealth and diversity of our
Cultural Heritage; contemporary artistic development;
the benefits of intercultural and interdisciplinary
artistic collaboration, exchange and comraderie; the
importance of audience building; the establishment of a
forum to empower people to take responsibility for their
own development; volunteerism; greater Sponsor interest
& support; increased government support and funding for
the Arts and arts education; increased corporate
involvement; support and funding for the Arts; the
establishment of an Endowment Fund for the Arts.
The
result was JakArt @ 2001, JakArt @ 2002 & JakArt & 2003
international Arts, Cultural & Educational Festivals
presented in the month of June, to commemorate Jakarta’s
Anniversary. 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
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 & Tourism, Foreign Affairs &
Education, International and local media, Foreign
Embassies, NGO’s, The corporate section, The endorsement
of UNESCO and an invitation to become, together with
Singapore, Shanghai & Hong Kong a founding member of the
confederation of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Festivals
In July 2003 JakArt presented at the National Museum,
Jakarta: “ Homage to the eternal Creativity of the Human
Race”. This unique |
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installation/ exposition was designed
as a sketch of atmospheric impressions suggesting the
scope and possibilities (on a national and international
scale) of the proposal for the creation of a traveling
and fully comprehensive chronological Educational
Exposition (a traveling museum) 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 was
officiated by the Director General of UNESCO, Mr.
Koichiro Matsuura & the Indonesian Minister for Culture
& Tourism, Mr. I Gede Ardika.
In 2004 JakArt Organized and Presented: Festival à la
Carte May 20 – June 20,
A unique Traveling Festival visiting cities in Java &
Bali in collaboration with over 170 Local Partners in
cities visited & the participation of over 150 traveling
artists (from all over Indonesia and from abroad) and
over 500 local artists presented their art in over 140
locations
&
In collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture
& Tourism, The Indonesian National Committee for the
Cultural Olympiad, Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic
Republic & the Cultural Olympiad organized and
presented:
Festival à la Carte: The Stage Bus from
Indonesia touring the Peloponnese August 25 – September
11, 2004. Visiting 15 cities & municipalities in Greece
presenting a mixture of over 12 programs featuring a
kaleidoscope of the diversity and richness of the
Indonesian Arts and Culture and inviting the
participation of multi-national artists to foster and
promote a better understanding between nations and
cultures.
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Today we live in a world of blurred distinctions in
which the virtual and the real intertwine, a world of
intrigue and deceit in which reality and morality can be
neatly rearranged and packaged for mass consumption with
the ultimate aim of creating a global docile consumer
society that subscribes to content conformity.
Fantasy is ever increasingly disguised and sold as
reality by those who whish to promote their products
whether these are consumer goods, services, information,
the news, the Arts, spiritual and religious beliefs and
opinions, wars, or entertainment. As a result reality
for the masses has been degraded to what can be
described as displaced materialized fantasies in which
fantasy and imagination have no place. This reality is
powered and reinforced by strong conceptualizations,
such as “professionalism”, “expertise”, and so on….;
concepts that belong to virtual but cross the line to
render realty more real.
Conversely, that which is truly real is, with alarmingly
increasing frequency, assigned to the realm of the
imaginary. Today we live in a world where everything has
been turned upside down.
IF is
a contemporary art piece designed to entangle and
disentangle these seemingly contradictory threads that
so dominate our life; to explore and question our
perceptions and their limitations; to expose and promote
the power of imagination; to unveil and discover
alternative realities while critically examining our
society and the realities currently available; to
inspire and foster a collective fantasy laced with
imagination that if subscribed to and sustained for long
enough can in itself become a new collective realty.
IF is a collaboration of many real imaginary, real, and
imaginary real artists (from all the disciplines of the
Arts) intellectuals, critics, promoters, sponsors,
volunteers, audiences ………… and the mass media (radio,
television, printed media, internet) and entails many
real imaginary, imaginary real, and virtual
performances, events, exhibitions, world premiers,
interdisciplinary collaborations ……………….
IF
is endorsed and promoted by the Imagination & Fantasy
Academy and its distinguished members.
IF
is a script, a limited edition program book, pamphlets,
brochures, posters, press releases and reviews …… and an
exhibition by Mikhail Neocles David entitled The New
Morality.
An
exhibition that explores the current trends &
contradictions in contemporary society through
conceptual symbolism & which contains among other
exhibits IF …………. Which contains The New Morality ….. |