International Contemporary  Ceramic Biennial

Roof tile, Lifestyle                     

This work is the result of my one-month residency in Jatiawangi Art Factory. It is my first time to Indonesia. Everything is fresh new for me, especially the lifestyle here. No matter in Jatiwangi Art Factory or in the roof tile factories, people work together, eat together, sharing thoughts, ideas, even families, financial affairs or responsibilities to each other. That is a big cultural shock to me!!! Because in Taiwan, we are trained to be independent. The social atmosphere is like --working on time, on schedule, on the long term plans. If you are wrong, that is your fault, you must correct it immediately, or you will be the bad apple in a group.

 

But here, seems no time construction, no rule, no judgment, no plan that has to do immediately. Yes, of course, the working time here is long and many missions are waiting to be done. Yes, of course, there is still lots of life struggle here. But people deal with it in a "Zen" way: everything starts after a cigarette; chatting and gathering together while working. If something gets wrong, it's just wrong. Accept it, pray for it, and be happy and flexible to make any adjustment, even sometimes the adjustment is a totally reversal way from before! This "Zen" way allows many possibilities to happen, and new ideas always come out when people talking and gathering. Maybe sometimes it is slow and not so-called "efficient", but it seems more powerful and more suitable for art creating! It is just like "Art Utopia" for me!!

 

That's what I talk about in this work. "Lambat"(Slow in Indonesia Language), clustering effect, performance, ceremonies and festivals in each daily life, and the most important --pray. Keeping the characteristics of the city while working on progress, don't change too fast. Slow but deeply, there would be a new city which is full of charming local culture.