"Keupat Reundang is performed by Ciung Wulung traditional music group at Kasepuhan Ciptagelar Village during the Nganyaran event on 14 June 2013. The song consists of music made from Angklung Buncis, a bamboo musical instrument in which is played together with Dogdog, a bamboo percussion that is usually using deer skin as its membrane. Two ladies dancing and singing while others play the music. They sang a song about the story of daily lives of villagers to accompany the Nganyaran rituals; sometimes in freestyle approach. This particular ritual is an initiation of annual activity in pounding the rice that was harvested every year.

Usually they perform in turn with other groups while the villagers at Kasepuhan Ciptagelar are practicing Nganyaran tradition. This particular event is one of special activities during the harvest time in Kasepuhan Ciptagelar Village; when they pounding their first padi seeds during the harvest season of the year. In the background we can hear the sound of villagers pounding the padi seeds into rice using Lesung that is made from solid wood. Sometimes they call this as 'ngagendek', 'ngagondang', or 'tutunggulan', as they compose a certain percussive rhythm while grounding the padi seeds together with other villagers.

Kasepuhan Ciptagelar village is located in the deep forest of Halimun Mountain which is also part of the Halimun National Park; around 40 km from Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java Province. The village is known for its indigenous culture that resembles ancient Sundanese civilization; especially for its unique agriculture tradition. This particular village is also part of around 568 villages that are distributed widely around the hilly mountain at Halimun National Park. Their agriculture tradition is already known for a very long time. One of the records says that they already had their first Seren Taun (Harvest year) back in 1368."

Keupat Reundang by Ciung Wulung

Karya ini terinspirasi oleh narasi tentang Sungai Cikapundung, sungai utama yang membelah kota Bandung dari arah utara. Hulu sungai ini terletak di Bukit Tunggul yang berada di Kampung Cikapundung, Desa Suntenjaya, Kecamatan Lembang. Wilayah Kampung Cikapundung secara administratif berada di bawah pemerintahan Kabupaten Bandung Barat.

Dementia Cikapundung

Komposisi ini kami rekam ketika tengah mendengarkan informasi terkini dari kondisi Gunung Merapi melalui siaran streaming JalinMerapi (http://merapi.combine.or.id). Direkam oleh Gustaff H. Iskandar dan Iman Zimbot di Common Room pada tanggal 28 Oktober 2010. Karya ini kami dedikasikan kepada semua korban bencana alam di Indonesia, khususnya masyarakat yang menjadi korban bencana alam di Wasior, Pulau Mentawai dan Gunung Merapi. Selain itu, karya ini juga kami persembahkan bagi para relawan yang sampai saat ini terus membantu dan memonitor beberapa daerah yang tengah terkena bencana. Semoga dapat mengobati luka. 

Mendengarkan Merapi

Sejenak mencipta komposisi bebunyian di kota Nijmegen. Pada suatu siang tetiba ada suara bag pipe di perlintasan jalan. Di dalam sebuah lorong yang letaknya tak jauh dari lapang terbuka, seorang tinggi tegap memainkan alat musik tiup ini. Sementara itu lonceng berdentang setiap siang di menara Gereja. Suaranya menyebar ke segala penjuru. Terdengar nyaring dari dalam kamar di Extrapool.

Saya tambahkan suara mesin kopi di dalam komposisi ini. Muasal suaranya dari pabrik Kopi Aroma yang terletak di daerah Banceuy. Ini pabrik kopi kebanggaan kota Bandung yang didirikan sekira tahun 1939. Pak Widya Pratama, generasi ke-3 pemilik Kopi Aroma telah berbaik hati berbagi cerita dan membiarkan saya merekam suara mesin-mesin di pabriknya. Berulang kali saya datang ke pabrik untuk mendengar cerita Pak Widya dan mendengar suara mesin yang berfungsi baik walau telah dimakan usia. Tempat ini seperti museum hidup yang saban hari menyiarkan narasi tentang kopi.

Kisah kopi di Bandung merekam sebuah periode yang diistilahkan sebagai era Preanger Stelsel (Sistem Priangan). Sistem ini mulai dikembangkan pada 1720 dan menemukan puncaknya pada abad ke-18 (1830-1870). Awalnya Preanger Stelsel diinisiasi persekutuan dagang Belanda (VOC) di bawah kendali Gubernur Jenderal Johannes van den Bosch, yang mewajibkan para petani di wilayah Priangan menanam komoditas yang diperuntukan bagi pasar Eropa kala itu. Diantara komoditas yang wajib ditanam di Priangan adalah teh dan kopi. Di kemudian hari Preanger Stelsel berkembang menjadi Cultuur Stelsel, sistem tanam paksa yang beroperasi selama berabad lamanya di kepulauan Nusantara.

Tweede Walstraat 5, 31 Oktober 2012


Nijmegen Displaced Vol. 01

Free and improvised session with Budi Setiawan, Jan Van Den Dobbelsteen, Iman Jimbot, Danielle Lemaire, and Frans de Waard during the opening of Schaduwspel Gado Gado Exhibition at Artspace Flipside - Eindhoven, 2 November 2012.

The Flipside Session - Eindhoven (Live)

I try to make a composition using pulsing star (pulsar) sound from Camelopardalis star constellation in the northern sky (info: http://bit.ly/fQKYvT). The name of this particular pulsar is PSR B0329+54 (http://bit.ly/13K1Rws), in which has a period close to 0.71452 rotation/ second. I am using the pulsar sound as a loop and adding new sound on top if it for several times. Using different source of sounds, including gamelan, drum machine, voices, guitar & sound effect. Enjoy! 

Visitation (Pulsing Star - rawmix)

This piece is using layers of radiowave signals from the Sunspot that was recorded in year 2012 by Bosscha Observatorium in Lembang, West Java (http://bit.ly/10kE963). The rajah (Rajah Bubuka) is performed by Budi 'Dalton' Setiawan, in which was recorded for Karinding Attack back in 2012 (http://bit.ly/YPAi1i). Rajah is an ancient poetry for a praying in certain Sundanese rituals. It often recited in the opening and closing of spiritual practice among Sundanese people in order to reflect good hope and guidance; connecting the past, present, and future; as well to embrace human existence and it's universe.

Rha-Jah with Budi Dalton

This performance is an art-science collaboration between Bosscha Observatory, Flukeminimix, Gustaff H. Iskandar, Budi "Dalton" Setiawan, & Ine Arini. Recorded live at Bosscha Observatory in Lembang, West Java during the 90th Anniversary of Bosscha Observatory in Saturday, 20th of April 2013. The program was also organized in conjunction with Indonesia Scientific Culture Festival 2013 (Bulan Budaya Ilmiah). 

The opening was started with Rha-Jah (http://bit.ly/17KlHbf), a composition that consist layers of radiowave signals from the Sunspot that was recorded in 2012 by Bosscha Observatory. In this section Budi "Dalton" Setiawan reciting Rajah Buhun, an ancient Sundanese praying for good hope and guidance; as well a story of human origin and the creation of universe. The rajah from Budi "Dalton" Setiawan was originaly recorded for Karinding Attack in the same year. (Info: bit.ly/YPAi1i)

The second composition is exploring pulsar sound from PSR B0329+54, in which has a period close to 0.71452 rotation/ second. In this part Ine Arini was performing with free improvised composition from Flukeminimix and Gustaff H. Iskandar, combining electro-acoustic sound mixed together with sampling of radio signals from universe. This performance is dedicated for Bosscha Observatory, K.A.R. Bosscha, and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Ex oriente lux, the light is from the East.

Bandung, 21 April 2013

Pulsating Star (Live at Bosscha Observatory, 2013)

Gustaff H. Iskandar (born in 1974) graduated in 1999 from the Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Art & Design, Institut Teknologi Bandung (FSRD – ITB). Since 1999, Gustaff was active in arts management program, in addition to writing and participating in various art exhibitions. 

In the year 2000 – 2001, he initiate the publishing of Trolley magazine, an independent publishing company that disseminates information on contemporary art, design, music, fashion, visual culture and media technology in Bandung. By the end of 2001, along with R.E. Hartanto, T. Ismail Reza and Reina Wulansari, Gustaff founded Bandung Center for New Media Arts, an organization that engages in research and development of media arts and multidisciplinary artistic practice in Indonesia. 

The organization was later changed to be non-profit organization called Common Room Networks Foundation (Common Room) in 2003, and becoming an open platform for arts, culture and ICT/ Media. Currently Gustaff is live and work in Bandung, where he works on his art, writes and speaks in several discussion, seminars and symposium.

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