Eco-Art Transformation in Three Distinct Javanese Locations

Abstract: Eco-performance art in Java, as a form of creative transformation dealing with both specific natural environments and the nonhuman environment in general, has been largely influenced by one of Indonesia’s leading choreographers, Sardono W. Kusumo. He has been a source of inspiration for three artists who created new works with three communities in three distinctly different types of environment. Sardono had an indirect impact on visual artist Eggy Yunaedi, who, respecting the older artist for his pioneering work, created Bancaan Rupa in collaboration with the salt farming community of Dasun Village in Central Java. Dancer Lina Marliana Hidayat, one of Sardono’s students, created a new dance work, Ritus Bunga Desa , adapted from the Ngarot ceremony of Lelea Village of coastal West Java. Choreographer Alfiyanto Wajiwa, another Sardono student, collaborated with the youth of Ciganitri Village of Bandung Regency to create a protest dance-drama entitled Ciganitri Kiwari. The three performances demonstrate the unique relationship each community has with its natural environment and the use of communal art to highlight it.