quick note on lumbung.space (part 1)

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design by studio4oo2 and lumbung.space working group Since the internet became popular, it has become a medium that allows the creation of new solidarity between users spread across various regions. Unfortunately, this internet networking ability is not necessarily neutral, it exists on platforms controlled by elites and full of surveillance. Nonetheless, these digital solidarity practices continue to give rise to new—more egalitarian ideas and forms; that continue to explore the unique potentials of internet use.

Party Office at d15/ it takes a village ;)

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Gratitude towards those who made documenta fifteen possible for us: Project was funded by documenta fifteen and Goethe Institut, New Delhi Party Office is an anticaste, antiracist, transfeminist art and social space based in New Delhi, India, also at satellite locations and as conceptual architecture. Through publications, grants, radical archives, conversations of life lived, social gatherings, parties and more, we are building transnational dialogues on empathetic futures, care communities and radical agency.

“La cosecha en la Documenta 15”, por Sandra Fernández

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The Harvest at Documenta 15, by Sandra Fernández 。。。English translation below 。。。 La resistencia y el reflejo de la otra cara del arte propiciaron un encuentro entre diversos colectivos del mundo. La organización colombiana Más Arte Más Acción reconoció en sus actividades la importancia de juntar visiones hacia el desarrollo sostenible. Con el ánimo de continuar construyendo a favor de la comunidad, haciendo crecer redes y resistiendo más allá de los 100 días de la Documenta 15, que se desarrolló del 18 de junio al 25 de septiembre, los miembros de Lumbung, ahora y más fuerte que nunca, deciden apostarle a la constante lucha por la igualdad.

documenta fifteen: Dreaming of a New Cartography

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In an essay for Arts Equator, Alia Swastika, Director of the Jogja Biennale, offers a bold analysis of ruangrupa’s documenta fifteen, one that frames their artistic direction as an opening of new pathways that are long overdue. 。。。 Indonesian collective ruangrupa successfully introduced the global art world to the value of resource sharing and collective imagination through lumbung, the core curatorial concept at documenta fifteen, which opened on 18 June 2022, and ended two days ago, after it’s 100 day run.

Practicar el Lumbung. Un reccorido en imágenes por documenta 15, por Alejandra Villasmil

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Practicing the Lumbung: An Overview of documenta 15 in Pictures, by Alejandra Villasmil 。。。English translation below 。。。 La historia está plagada de capítulos sombríos donde los intereses geopolíticos y económicos terminan por incidir en la libre expresión cultural. En los casos más complejos, terminan en censura y autocensura. Desde este sur global, solo basta mirar los casos de Cuba y Venezuela. Lo acontecido en la última edición de documenta se inserta precisamente en este juego del poder político, que tristemente ha acabado por socavar el derecho a la manifestación artística de un grupo de participantes de entre los 1.

Nongkrong, small challenge, yet it’s just that we’re here now…

Documenta15 is over. This is the first time that I felt sorry that the exhibition is over.I tried to write this several times before the end of the 100 days, but I couldn’t: whether to write an official, write a personal , or this hesitation prevented me from writing.Now, I think I should write.NongkrongDo we have a Nongkrong? There is a Nongkrong in Indonesian. This means “Let’s hang out!”. All of our friends used it in Kassel.

Letter of Solidarity

17.08.2022 Dear visitors, passersby, Kassel community, we are part of the sobat-sobat, the team of art mediators employed at this year’s documenta ffteen. Our intention behind writing this letter of solidarity is to publicly show our support, trust and respect for the Artistic Direction ruangrupa, the invited collectives and artists, curators, staff and the corresponding local networks. They all have worked passionately to create one of the most relevant art exhibitions at this time.

We are angry, we are sad, we are tired, we are united.

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Scroll down and click on the tab “Public Signatories” if you wish to add your name to the list Dear Christian Geselle, Angela Dorn, Susanne Völker, Claudia Roth, the Supervisory Board and the Shareholders of documenta, We are angry, we are sad, we are tired, we are united. We have tried our best to stay above the chaos, hostility, racism and censorship that have engulfed this edition of documenta. We have tried our best to stay focused and committed to our work and the promises and hopes of the lumbung.

Rolling Competition in documenta fifteen 2022 (Recap)

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Just Rolllllll by lumbung artist Nhà Sàn Collective is a competition of rolling with unexpected criteria. Roll your way with food, tobacco, humor, and love. Participants can bring edible ingredients to join the rolling and win something.The Nhà Sàn Collective, together with invited artists, is organizing a public program at documenta fifteen with a performative, participatory work in the spirit of the practice of lumbung. By fusing Asian cuisine and music from around the world, the project aims to create a sense of community and belonging.

Meydan #1

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documenta fifteen public program MEYDAN #1MEYDAN MUSIC FESTIVALby Festival sur le Niger, RRREC Fest, Cinema Caravan 8, 9, 10 July 2022Fri – Sat: 4 pm – 11 pmSun: 4 pm – 10 pmKarlsaue Park, Kassel, Germany A collaboration between 3 festivals (Fondation Festival Sur Le Niger, Cinema Caravan, and RRREC Fest) with performers from various backgrounds across the world, to deliver a 3-day gathering in a casual hang-out atmosphere that

BUILDING ART INVENTION | Open Labs

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On July 30, 2022 16:00–18:00 (guided tour 16:15) you are cordially invited to the Open Labs and Open Studio at the research platform BAU KUNST ERFINDEN | BUILDING ART INVENTION: How to weave and braid with solid wood? How to transform light into energy and energy into light? How can concrete grow green? How to combine old crafts with new technologies? How do microstructures interact with macrostructures? We combine artistic practice with scientific research.

Cinema Banner Mural Painting | Britto Arts Trust

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CALCUTTA 71 Noted director Mrinal Sen’s CALCUTTA 71 was released in 1972. A collection of four stories representing the Naxal Movement in Bengal and the effects of the social, political, and financial crisis of the 1970s that eventually led to a lack of food and starvation in a chaotic, classified society. All four stories in the film address the unsafe situation in society. A family is sent to a safe shelter in the middle of the night as the family lives in a slum area and is part of the lower class of society.

And They Die a Natural Death

Nguyễn Trinh Thi, 2022 Installation, mixed media Durational Blending elements of literature, sound, image, and technology, Nguyễn Trinh Thi creates a live theatre in which the wind from Tam Đảo forest in Vietnam takes center stage. And They Die a Natural Death takes inspiration from a scene recounted in the autobiographical novel Tale Told in the Year 2000 by Vietnamese writer Bùi Ngọc Tấn (1934 – 2014). Set in Tam Đảo forest outside a prison camp in Northern Vietnam in the 1960s, the scene recounts an incident where famished inmates stumble upon a wild bird’s eyes chili forest after an exhausting day of forced labor and become crazed for its taste, a flavor which reminds them of home.

lumbung.space is online!

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drawing by Indra Ameng Soft launch of the lumbung network’s online platform lumbung.space is a social and publishing platform by and for the lumbung members and artists of documenta fifteen. The platform allows members of the lumbung network to connect, support each other, and share knowledge collectively while making the process visible to the public. The website will continuously evolve but is based on slow-growing with new tools added over time.

Where is the Art?

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Different cultures have different concepts and definitions of art. documenta fifteen processes are no exception, where the definition of art becomes another space for conversation. The involvement of lumbung inter-lokal from various cities in the world has come with different concepts. When this is brought together in the context of documenta fifteen taking place in Europe, a new dynamic takes place. At least two main features are visible. The first is the tendency of how art tends to be associated with objects resulting from the achievements of individual genius.

Some Notes on Lumbung Kios

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(Learning Session with Kate Rich – 04032021) Everyone from different cities is joining. They are from lumbung members, mostly: Gudskul from Jakarta, Festival Le Sur Niger from Mali, Britto Arts Trust from Dhaka, Trampolin House from Copenhagen and others. It was started with a quick introduction. Kate is currently in Tasmania, Australia. She’s going to talk about the feral trade. As an artist, she has been dealing with trade for almost twenty years.

Lumbung Assembly 11 March 2021

“Welcome everybody. Can you hear me?” Said Morten Goll. He did check-in. “This is stick from Trampoline. It is brought from southwest of the US. Somebody will pass it. It is interesting to know what people eat in different part of the world.” Everyone mentioned what they eat the last time. Some mentioned salad, coffee, orange juice. Morten: We’re thankful for being in lumbung. It’s amazing to have support from lumbung and documenta.

Lumbung Assembly 10 March 2021

“Welcome everyone to lumbung majelis. Today I am going to be the host with Lara. We’d like to describe today’s agenda.” Ameng started the conversation. “We’ll start with INSTAR today. We do a short introduction with Gertrude on economy. And come back to check out. To join the split, click on the three dots. Remember to click on interpretation, for interpretation. Spanish, French, and Indonesian. Also, we have harvest today.

Lumbung Assembly 09 March 2021

When the second day of the assembly began, FAFSWAG, a collective based in New Zealand got their turn for the introduction. It is one of the new lumbung members. Hi, everyone. I am Moe Laga. I am a performance artist, also an actress. I am Felencia. I am a transwoman from Samoa. I am of some lineage to German and Chinese. I am a performance artist. Been in FAFSWAG since 2013.

Lumbung Assembly 08 March 2021

In front of us were people from various cities on the planet. They all, respectively, appeared on small squares on laptop monitor. Reggae song was played. It was also Tone’s birthday. All were smilingly greeting one another. We were on board for lumbung assembly 2021 through zoom meeting. “Welcome to our assembly again,” said Ajeng. “We have Wajukuu and Britto that will host us. “It’s great in assembly again,” Gertrude added.

documenta and a Conversation

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By Putra Hidayatullah Jawa Pos (12/12/2021) Arnold Bode was 50 years old when he requested a colleague to add the letter “a” at the end of the word “document” to name an art event. When this happened, the Second World War had just ended. The war had also deeply affected the art scene in Germany. Previously, in July 1937, there was the National Socialist propaganda exhibition “Entartete Kunst” in Munich.

Lumbung Calling: Regeneration

Questions on extractive mode of living where resources are concentrated on the few has inevitably been part of conversations. This issue has invited myriad thoughts and dialogues on how to sustainably prolong the resources. Also, there’s no way to avoid conversing about regeneration as it’s been one of the key values in lumbung process. Within the idea of regeneration, the possibility and limit are challenged. How to see resources not just as commodity to be accumulated.

Lumbung Calling: Sufficiency

Perhaps there’s an empty hole inside human soul which urge to be filled again and again. Once a hole is jam-packed, another will come up to the surface. It drives individuals to explore or sometimes conquer what is in front of them for the sake of ambition despite political or ecological consequences. As one of lumbung values, sufficiency has been a pertinent concept to revisit today. What is the meaning of being enough?

Lumbung Calling: Transparency

What is the relationship between those who govern and those who are governed? The critical question might arise as people are living together in one common space. What bring them together? The question will take us to the issue of trust. Will, then, there be trust without transparency? As one of lumbung values, transparency become one key topic in our latest lumbung calling. As it is related to the idea of knowledge and power sharing, Shahidul Alam, a photographer and cultural activist from Bangladesh joined us and shared his practices and perspectives on transparency and its relation to lumbung in his context.

Lumbung Calling: Generosity

There used to be days when joy was blown in the air. People were dancing. Children and adults were celebrating the moment, also travelers from distant countries. You could listen to the sound of music. Creativity dominated the city. In Segou, art is not only about beauty, but a spirit calling people to come together. They call it Festival le sur Niger, one of the biggest art events in West Africa.

Lumbung Calling: Independence

Throughout history, independence has been an important narrative around the world. It is been perceived as a noble goal. Yet, it is still relatively a rare topic to discuss. Within our conversation about Lumbung, what if we revisit the notion of independence? On June 8 2021, Jumana Emil Abboud, a host based in Jerusalem, and Mirwan Andan who is now based in Kassel, trigger this this topic further. Not only conversing about independence, they also weave it with the idea of interdependence which is not hierarchical and binary.

Lumbung Calling: Humor

Despite it exists and is familiar in our daily life, humor as a topic seems relatively far from conversations. It was evening in Indonesia when speakers across different time zones began shedding a light on the topic. Our host, Mirwan Andan from Indonesia and Jumana Abboud from Palestine mentioned lumbung and humor. Why they are worth conversing? On the same screen was Gridthiya Gaweewong based in Thailand. As a curator, she has been working on the issue of political culture in Southeast Asia.

Lumbung Calling: Local Anchor

With four different time zones, from Makassar, Jakarta, Jerussalem and Kassel, some people were connected to each other through Lumbung Calling. It is the first public program of documenta fifteen (03/04/2021). Hosts and guests looked prepared on the screen. They were about to talk about one of the main values of lumbung for documenta fifteen called: local anchor. As Melani Budianta, a scholar from Universitas Indonesia, got her chance, the conversation on lumbung definition and its practices by locals was started.

Lumbung Assembly 2020 Day IV

27 Oct 2020 Five days later, the assembly continued. “Good morning all! Thank you! We are delighted, we would like to share our story” Bright smiles were on screens. They were Festival Le Sur Niger from Mali, West Africa. On the short video played, people enjoyed exhibitions, talks, and various kind of music. Men and women danced cheerfully. This yearly festival has been one of the drivers of cultural economy in their city, Segou.

Lumbung Assembly 2020 Day III

“Are you guys ready?” The lyrics appeared on our screen. The music pounded delightfully in our ears, triggering all our adrenaline. All tried to keep on singing a song by Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive. With the karaoke, time flew. “We can feel your energy. Thank you everyone!” All applauded. That’s how the third assembly was started on October 23. Gudskul from Jakarta accepted its first turn. The background of the screen was football stadium and all Gudskul team appeared with colorful outfit just like football players.

Lumbung Assembly 2020 Day II

On the second day of the Lumbung Assembly all the vibe was still the same. Cheerful faces from various parts of the earth appeared on the screen. “We have a request, we have a Zoom performance,” said Yazan, representing a collective called Question on Funding from Palestine. “We are going to sing a song and you will sing after us, okay. Here we go!” Everyone got prepared and after each verses of the lyrics, all repeat the word “Yo ya .

On Lumbung Assembly 2020 Day I

IT IS LIKE in a twinkling of eyes, the end of this year is getting closer. It is also within this time of the year 2020 all lumbung members virtually gathered to see the streams of ideas travels and are connected from one place to another. As preparation for the next Documenta 15, all were gathering for assembly in which each of them introduced themselves, shared their stories, ideas, as well as their preliminary projections for the next two years—or even more.

Inland Campo Adentro

Hundreds of miles from Indonesia arose the roar of the Spanish wind. On the monitor screen was a Caucasian man with a sharp nose. “Assalamualaikum …” he greeted with a smile, “Can you hear me?” That afternoon wind hit his blonde hair. Several times, he adjusted the laptop and sitting position. The sound of the microphone mixed with the sound of the wind, “Yes, Fernando. We heard your voice, ”replied all other lumbung members.

Radio Sarha on Jatiwangi Art Factory

Sarha is a community radio based in Palestine which is managed by a collective called Sakakini. As part of a lumbung members, they host lumbung members. Lumbung which means rice barn is a concept used by Documenta 15 as a curatorial theme covering from cultural to economic practices. Radio Sahara invited Jatiwangi Art Factory to get to know them better. It was 5 pm Indonesian time. It is unusual to see the word art and factory in one name, said Sahara.

On Trampoline House

Imagine a moment ago you just passed the sea with fierce waves. Shadows of death and uncertainty dawdled in your mind. Is there a better life on the other side? Circumstances have forced you to leave your homeland, where your childhood and the lingering memories of mother and family reside. Stranded on a strange land and meeting people with the same fate but with different backgrounds cause you to feel that unpleasant stories being written in many different parts of the world.

On Lumbung (Mirror)

IMAGINE we are on time machine holding on magical chair that’s going to take us to a distant past. As we close our eyes we would land on an old archipelago with myriad cultures. Thousands of islands are connected by the ocean. Sailors of the worlds are waiting for the monsoons wind to reach the isles. There used to be kingdoms on which most people fed on agriculture. With the help of buffalo or cows, farmers cultivate the lands on an arranged season which pours them enough waters.

In the Shadow of Dreams

In Dipantara you find yourself as a stranger. Between the city spaces you see a crowd you don’t recognize. The current of vehicles races with the flow of life. Looking up you see the buildings standing under the slow-moving clouds. “Welcome to the country under the wind,” as if you could hear the giant statues in the city space greet you; before you continue walking. Where will this crowd go and what are wandering in their minds?