THIS IS NOT A MANIFESTO

Abstract

The polemic between Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana and Sanusi Pane in the 1930s over which cultural direction Indonesia should take - continuation of tradition or adoption of Western culture - led to a dualistic path in the cultural movement, including Indonesia’s new music scene. These conditions exacerbate differences that tend to be ‘negative’ and close the gate for the flow and development of culture that includes ‘dialogue’ between cultures. This phenomenon led me to the following questions: 1. What possibilities are there to break out of this dualistic perspective and how can I implement these possibilities in my music? In my piece Co[l]oto[mi] c[nal] I try to escape this dualistic perspective by engaging with both cultures, not by crossing the border, which can often end in simple appropriation, but by playing at the border, in the liminal space. In this liminal space, I have allowed my musical rhizome to grow in an increasingly more abstract direction, almost erasing a clearly audible ‘connection’ to the gamelan tradition because the line of development has already been broken and creates a new line of flight. This condition led me to another ‘space’ beyond the dichotomy, occupying the Third Space, the space that ‘shakes’ the fixed paradigm of cultural meanings and symbols.