Singing in the Streets of Jakarta
Street busking in Jakarta is so important to the capitals current political climate with dictatorship running until 1997 meant that the country and the capital were angry and wanted freedom. Currently, Jakarta is busy and full of poverty. The street buskers although predominantly ignored by passers byers and people commuting speak the current troubles of the people. With the most famous busker Iwan Fals whose lyrics were shouted and sung as the students raided the capital during protests.
I watched the trailer for the documentary about the buskers in Jakarta. You can really see the importance of their work. Despite what they do they speak about the city, the politics the culture. All for little money, it’s really inspiring. The way they hop on buses and present themselves in places they aren’t welcome to bring music to the people that don’t even ask. I find it’s almost a moving sound installation. despite the term installation meaning something static in a location. This is time and space-based, as well as having the fifth dimension. Even the presentation is different. I really enjoyed this.
I also watched this teaser of the documentary specifically on this busker, it’s a short one minute clip. There is a scene of him on a bus singing “REFORMATION, REFORMATION, IT’S ALL GONE ROTTEN”. I find the idea of busking really dynamic. The busker is willingly going out to invade someone’s sonic landscape to create music. In a similar way, a sound installation could present similar views, and invade the fifth dimension mobile visitor around the space you are given to install your sonic piece into.