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For you and for us, a festival must be more than just an anthology. Festival Salihara, now the third, can be seen as the crème de la crème of our curators’ choosing. We call it thus for two reasons. First, the curators have put together the best possible ones from the respective fields and contexts, more so than when they’re just compiling our monthly programs. Secondly, in the blending between one and the other, the cornucopia of presentations and performances displays a certain je ne sais quoi underlining our vision to preserve diversity and experimentation.
Nevertheless, this being the summit isn’t just a measure of ourselves. We always strive to grow together with you, our audience. Komunitas Salihara has grown into what it is today because of your kind willingness to support us, to sustain and enliven our variety of programs. Festival Salihara is also a way for us to thank all of you. For a whole month, between September 23 and October 20, we will be presenting no less than twelve troupes from Indonesia and abroad. You’re not only spoilt for choice, but also invited to discern; and, of course, to enjoy them at leisure.
This opportunity does not arrive twice. So best not to miss it. In the following pages, you will read the why-and-wherefores of the performers in our Festival. Chunky Move dance company and the pianist Margaret Leng Tan, for instance, are names with sterling reputations in the world arts scene. There are also performers such as duo-guitarists Twin Demon and Tresno Budoyo dance troupe, who are relatively “new” to us, but whose unique works are more than deserving to receive a wider reception. Meanwhile, there are Teater Garasi and choreographer Fitri Setyaningsih, who are very well-known for their cutting edged works. We will also see choreographer Wiwiek Sipala and komungo player cum composer Jin Hi Kim who are always stepping into the future with their respective traditions.
We invite Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim to give a lecture on “freedom and its enemies”; we believe that he, due to his experiences, can provide a critical reflection upon this theme, something that is deeply entwined in our vision. To make an event with a difference, we produce Tan Malaka, an operatic work by poet Goenawan Mohamad and composer Tony Prabowo—a montage based on the life and thoughts of the controversial intellectual-freedom fighter. In the meantime, site-specific installation works by Hedi Hariyanto and Joko Dwi Avianto will alter the face of Salihara complex throughout the Festival.
And thus, we would reach the summit with a veritable combination of all performance pieces. A number of communities will also add to the nuances of this Festival by organizing weekly workshops and lectures. Clearly, such a network of communities will not only enrich the Festival, but, more importantly, expand the sphere of the discerned public in our city. Finally, our Festival is made possible by the support from various parties—our sponsors, donors, media-partners, Friends of Salihara, and last but not least, the performers. To all of them, we are deeply grateful.
Festival Salihara, which heretofore will be hosted as a biennale, is a means which enable us to make our urban life more colorful, tolerant and open. Let us celebrate imagination and creativity—the source by which we could move forward faster. And you, dear audience, are our companions in sustaining the arts suitable to our age and our environment. Welcome to the third Festival Salihara, and we hope you will enjoy the experience.
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