JAKARTA- Sjaiful Rijal, a friend of mine, admitted being unable to sleep that night on Saturday, August 16th, after he had attended a workshop titled “Estetika Banal” (“Banal Aesthetics”) which was held by Menjadi Ekologis, a non-profit organization, some hours before then.
Starring the famous Indonesian street photographer, Erik Prasetya, the almost-three-hour presentation and discussion left Rijal anxious. “It was intriguing, indeed!” he said.
That first of series of biweekly workshops to incept the attendants with the idea of menjadi ekologis (becoming ecological) seemed to meet its goal on Rijal. Although “it was too long” the workshop which packed the Cinema Room of Institute Francais Indonesia with 22 souls was ‘hot’ enough to trigger questions that had been lying on the abyss of Rijal’s mind.
“It was nice to witness those after-working women walking on flat shoes holding their high heels through Erik Prasetya’s lens, but we have to consider that as a form of individual adaptation, one that based on a woman’s egocentric instinct in surviving in this city.” Rijal then quoted Susiadi Wibowo’s notion at the opening of the workshop that we needed to think communally, not individually.
He commented on those people who ride on The Bus Way, “They mean nothing but to find a solution for themselves. Is that a wrong thing to do, such a survival act? No! That’s very natural. But there can be many more ecological solutions if only we think as a community.”
Speaking about the Trans Jakarta, I then reminded about an insight given by Imma Anindyta, one of the participants. She proclaimed that people who stiffly crowding in The Trans Jakarta were the real heroes who had to be proud of themselves. “…and shame on us who still drive a car!” she added.
I was reminded about how my munificent lift-offerings to my friends were sometimes partly due to sharing my guilt in driving a car down in the city for my own. How can I not? I know about global warming, but still I sit behind the wheel and the shallow reasons to mask my ego. I knew that Rijal was then talking about me too, one of those individualistic ‘ecologicians’.
Then, wider than all the photos at the workshop, the conversation went to Rijal’s experience in attending one seminar held in Universitas Indonesia some years before. He reminisced about how Sutiyoso, the former Jakarta governor, cared not to listen but only to give his speech. One professor then noted that although the city had so many problems, the government hardly ever asked the academicians for help. Rijal pointed the scene as a true bold line between academicians and practitioners, a real example of how un-ecological we were and how much potential our city actually had.
I agreed about how lengthy yet not enough the first workshop was, how there must still be many thoughts unspoken, many anxiety hackneyed and buried deep there –unaesthetically-, many more caring-yet-still-reticent people should be involved.
Rijal believes that these workshops can be the spots to dig the answers out for his questions, “How is it to make people care about each other? How is it to bring people to think collectively? How is it to make us think of ourselves as a part of the ecosystem, not of the ecosystem as a part of ourselves?”
To know more about the workshops, the background, and the big idea of Menjadi Ekologis, and of course to participate, please also follow us on twitter (@menjadiekologis), and or join our Facebook group MENJADI EKOLOGIS. (Fernisia Winnerdy)
Starring the famous Indonesian street photographer, Erik Prasetya, the almost-three-hour presentation and discussion left Rijal anxious. “It was intriguing, indeed!” he said.
That first of series of biweekly workshops to incept the attendants with the idea of menjadi ekologis (becoming ecological) seemed to meet its goal on Rijal. Although “it was too long” the workshop which packed the Cinema Room of Institute Francais Indonesia with 22 souls was ‘hot’ enough to trigger questions that had been lying on the abyss of Rijal’s mind.
“It was nice to witness those after-working women walking on flat shoes holding their high heels through Erik Prasetya’s lens, but we have to consider that as a form of individual adaptation, one that based on a woman’s egocentric instinct in surviving in this city.” Rijal then quoted Susiadi Wibowo’s notion at the opening of the workshop that we needed to think communally, not individually.
He commented on those people who ride on The Bus Way, “They mean nothing but to find a solution for themselves. Is that a wrong thing to do, such a survival act? No! That’s very natural. But there can be many more ecological solutions if only we think as a community.”
Speaking about the Trans Jakarta, I then reminded about an insight given by Imma Anindyta, one of the participants. She proclaimed that people who stiffly crowding in The Trans Jakarta were the real heroes who had to be proud of themselves. “…and shame on us who still drive a car!” she added.
I was reminded about how my munificent lift-offerings to my friends were sometimes partly due to sharing my guilt in driving a car down in the city for my own. How can I not? I know about global warming, but still I sit behind the wheel and the shallow reasons to mask my ego. I knew that Rijal was then talking about me too, one of those individualistic ‘ecologicians’.
Then, wider than all the photos at the workshop, the conversation went to Rijal’s experience in attending one seminar held in Universitas Indonesia some years before. He reminisced about how Sutiyoso, the former Jakarta governor, cared not to listen but only to give his speech. One professor then noted that although the city had so many problems, the government hardly ever asked the academicians for help. Rijal pointed the scene as a true bold line between academicians and practitioners, a real example of how un-ecological we were and how much potential our city actually had.
I agreed about how lengthy yet not enough the first workshop was, how there must still be many thoughts unspoken, many anxiety hackneyed and buried deep there –unaesthetically-, many more caring-yet-still-reticent people should be involved.
Rijal believes that these workshops can be the spots to dig the answers out for his questions, “How is it to make people care about each other? How is it to bring people to think collectively? How is it to make us think of ourselves as a part of the ecosystem, not of the ecosystem as a part of ourselves?”
To know more about the workshops, the background, and the big idea of Menjadi Ekologis, and of course to participate, please also follow us on twitter (@menjadiekologis), and or join our Facebook group MENJADI EKOLOGIS. (Fernisia Winnerdy)