An Outline into a Migration of the birds Preface[Heru Hikayat]

An Outline into a Migration of the BirdsPreface (Into the Discourse)
by Heru Hikayat

Performance art, as we all know, is being at the critical edge. It is just not like a credo, ‘lose every art’s border with life’, but it is also can be posted to emphasize all well-done art convention. From the sociological view point, it is easy to be shown how art and all culture’s product are not really self-government, but it is also related to economic factor, social and at the end, power. That is why art that is like performance art is usually related to dimension of politic. Not politics in macro definition, but politics in its own culture.In West, it is generally known that the showing of performance art was related to common frustration about projects of modernization and promises of brightness. If we agree that big modern project is going through universal sameness, then non-West territory will also share the sameness to face the effect of modernization. Contemporary art in third world countries then prove themselves to share spirits with critical moves to resist the bad effect of modernization. In other word, this kind of art is not claimed that it is neutral, just like modern spirits, but it is cleared its partiality.In its relation with resistant, there is one important thing that have been taken from the heart of modern art’s principles: individuality. Through the art practices, every people is taken to realize his potential, to open freedom of action of an active individual to give contribution to culture’s dynamics. In the spirit of contemporary art, this participatory method must always be celebrated. In its special way, performance art, through ‘its form’ that is shaped events attracts participatory method extrovertly.The SettingNow there are a few cleared changes that we must count. First, performance art has been accepted as a legal medium in arts. As a genre, we saw in a lot of international art activities in Asian-Pacific at 1980 and 1990, performance art became a favorite menu besides installation. So that, for a nation like Indonesia, performance art has its own guarantee: in one side it is effective to reflect reality that is urgent to perform, in the other side it increases power to compete in international level. Things like local values, find its articulation itself in here.What are the important things of this fact?We take comparison with conceptual art, in the beginning of its appearance it scrapes the conception that is taken for granted in art, like museum and market mechanism, then history proves that it is also absorbed by that mechanism. We can conclude this because conceptual art has efficient moves. It stabs quickly to its critical target. This efficiency also causes, when it has been absorbed by museum and market, it has to find new articulation as soon as possible, or it completely loses its critiques and it just becomes a trend. In an esthetic definition, for art like conceptual art, being a trend has overthrown its beginning foundation.Does performance art experience the same things?When performance art is presented in a direct show, there is actuality values that was aimed that. As an illustration, facing questions about the inclination to hurt himself is wide enough to be practiced in performance art, I am glad to answer this actual quality. Pain is unique. Every time we watch pain, there is a unique sensation that is just like first experience. This sensation is so strong, as if we do not have experiences about pain. And this unique sensation in direct show can not be represented by any reproduction. In grow-up performance art’s practice –its activities increase, its networks form well- do this power of sensation still exist? It is generally known that in a trend’s stream there is a lot of imitations and repetitions. Imitation and repetition in performance art stab the heart of its actual quality immediately. Particularly, if in this situation, performance art is in re-show condition. Meanwhile back to the pain, besides the risks of imitation, repetition, re-show, does not industry’s information in this time also sell pain (remembering tragedy of humanity in a strange way constantly happens by human himself)? Then how can performance art remain special?Next, one point is offered here. Besides the abundance in trailing participatory method, performance art experiences an effect that I called “invisibility”. We can remember a legendary work of Tang Dang Wu; Don’t Give Money to the Art. In this work, Tang Dang Wu involves in all visitors of the opening exhibition, exactly without they realize it. At this time, this idea is executed by the invisible work. If we agree to place performance art and conceptual art likewise accuse art dematerialization –then performance art performs its abundance here. When it dissolves, as if a natural and real event, it declares itself.Dealing with ideas that explore potency of performance art intensively, as an event like this, consequence problem is over flown to the organizers of performance art’s activities. General formula in the organization of performance art festival is same as carnival exhibition, where stage is available and schedule of show is arranged so that viewers are conditioned to watch appearance by appearance. Idea resembles complete event that is like Tang Dang Wu’s work passes standard package of festival’s organization. These ideas have important meaning because it asks again about the acceptance of performance art in art that have been enjoyed before.But another abundance from Tang Dang Wu’s work, he performed two faces. First, when he appeared directly in invisibility. Second, at the moment after execution he appeared via camera.Talking about camera, since performance art exist in its solemn peak in 1970’s, camera has been considered as effective documentation equipment. Remembering the excessive spreading of camera, another point that need to be proposed here we should honor the ideas that no longer placed a camera as merely documentation equipment. Like we saw influences of media electronics bombard us constantly with news about realities. Realities that we are understand, until certain borders are realities that have been packed via camera. It can be convinced that our way to look at reality has been influenced too. Besides that, direct present can also be relative due to camera’s abilities.Those ChallengesIndonesia International Performance Art Event 2006, try to map newest problem’s points in the performance art development and offer it to performance artist, so that we can build significant of performance art in a together activity.First, it is connected with politics in macro definition. Can we consider that participation has become a consciousness that has been developed? Some of us are still unlucky to life under oppressive regime. Art that is like performance art promises spreading of consciousness. Art may not be important to be recognized as art. In this definition, willingness of an artist to dissolve him in community work, develops participatory method and finally, produces new expression, is worth for an honor from us: besides its talent to develop consciousness, this new expression is honored as its contribution to art.In another case, fall of oppressive regime prepares chances of freedom of expression. In spite of Indonesian case when there was another intimidation, otherwise like what has been represented by mass media, freedom in politics is much better. Performance art as “the opened art” should be able to find ways to place itself in the middle of some social practices, include in that art practices itself. The ideas that formulate relationship between art and life should be honored. It can be, to these ideas its execution would never be received in formats of an art’s activity, but merely its reproduction. So that place of art is conditioned to stay open and fertile.Second, remembering performance art itself as an idiom. Performance art is placed as “art that considers the policy of appearance itself”. It has been mentioned before, in a special performance art’s activity there is always be a stage that is one spot where a work is presented into that place and time. When the activity take place, place will be inhabited by viewers. They are public at that time. Performance artist faces public directly. Performance artist always makes strategies to attract public’s attention to him, making his presence become significant. That means performance artist realize presence of public. Public is succeed to be persuaded to watch every detail. On the contrary, public will require uniquely events to make them watching those events detail by detail. In this situation, we must honor success in constructing unique and deep-impressed events –in the idea that echoed impression in the future, in another place. Place’s border –that time is trailed.Third point, it simply begins with question, will that unique event end just in memories of its viewers? How about people who did not attend that time?This is an era of technology of reproduction. Every thing is documented, doubled and spread. Begins with monumental things, president’s inauguration, parlement’s assembly, law-court, wisuda, wedding, birth, death etc, until elementary things: long hair, new clothes, cable, curtain, green window-leaf etc. talking about art, every thing can be considered important and that is why it must be recorded well.Performance art, due to its “event” form, then the only way so that it can be accessed in the future via documentation. But, camera is not only understood as documentation instrument, but as its locus’s problem. If we talk about presence, can camera be considered as public in the future? Performance artist presents himself via camera. Or another possibilities that also explore ability’s border’s of camera, in relationship with body, person, identity, event, place and time.
Bandung, June 6th, 2006

Heru Hikayat
Translated by Alamanda Herdiyani
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