POLA : MOTIF

CURATOR STATEMENT

 

Indonesia has a rich heritage of crafting textiles. The country is also rich in music making. Artisans of both these traditions are concerned with one main thing: to express themselves and their culture through patterns.

 

Across the islands of Indonesia, traditions of textile and music making have evolved over time. Patterns (pola) and compositions that are sacred are differentiated from the secular. Motifs with cultural significance tend to be symbolic, identity-defining and expressive of social values. Others are created for decoration, played for entertainment and to mencari nafkah – make a living.

 

The makers of the textiles and the original creators of the old melodic patterns presented in this exhibition are mostly unknown. The musicians featured in the audios and videos are all young performers originating from various Indonesian islands. Among them are songwriters, ethnomusicologists and music teachers. Here, they bring their contemporary selves to interpreting traditional music motifs. Several players have created music inspired by the visual imagery in select textiles, improvising responses to their own craft heritage.

 

Much of the music heard here consists of motifs taken from fragments of songs and played without their full customary ensembles. Many of the cloths are matched with a soundtrack of music patterns, but some stand alone.

 

You, the audience, can enter into as many layers of complexity in this exhibition as you wish. Most simply you are invited to look, listen and imagine.

 

Tune in closely and you might hear the creaking of a gong rack, the chatter of children in a lane, the ‘brrrm’ of a motorbike or the gentle rumble of thunder in a tropical storm.

 

 

The exhibition Pola: motif was sponsored by Flinders University’s Jembatan initiative – building bridges between Australia and Indonesia.