Art brings people together and changes everything. There’s no doubt about that as the first ever UK/ID Festival kicked off on 18 October. With a focus on youth collaboration, the seven-week event aims to bridge creative talents from both the UK and Indonesia. As many as 33 artists from Indonesia and 26 from the UK are participating in the art festival sponsored by British Council Indonesia.
Taking place in eight locations: Jakarta, Bandung, Solo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Padang, Ubud (Bali) and Medan, the artists will be showcasing their artwork that hinge on three main themes: digital culture, arts and disability. The festival is being held as a part of a three-year cultural partnership programme initiated during President Joko Widodo’s visit to the UK in April 2016.
“The UK and Indonesia have so much potential to work together for mutual benefits. The festival demonstrates the great things that can happen when the UK and Indonesia collaborate,” says British Ambassador Ambassador Malik on the festival’s opening night at NuArt Sculpture Park in Bandung.
“British Council cooperates with various partners of art organizations to find the talented artists to be featured in this festival. These artists and their artwork represent the spirit of UK/ID Festival 2016 which is young, fresh and creative. We believe that both countries have fantastic creativity among our younger artists. Today, many of them use new technologies to create fascinating artwork, something that is still rare to be found yet very inspiring,” says Adam Pushkin, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at British Council Indonesia.
Among the performances is an electrifying show by Scottish artist Robbie Thomson, which utilizes kinetic sculpture, music, lighting design and technology. The festival also features a series of British short films that appear on mobile carts called Gerobak Bioskop: Layar Inspirasi (Cinema Cart: Screen of Inspiration). Other highlights are a virtual reality project entitled In My Shoes: Dancing With Myself, which depicts the epileptic life of British artist Jane Gauntlett, as well as performances by Scottish poetry collective Neu! Reekie! and British J-Pop band Kero Kero Bonito. The festival will also feature the Digital Design Weekend in Kota Tua Jakarta on 19 and 20 November.
For full schedule of UK/ID Festival 2016, visit www.britishcouncil.id/uk-indonesia-2016-18/tentang-uk-indonesia/festival