Talk
Kota Kita Nanti Talks: Mindful Actors, Sustainable Networks and Social Design

Discussion of the results of the Kota Kita Nanti project and prospects for further steps

17.12.2021 | 4 PM

Online

The city is a forum for its residents in which they sound out their activities and interact with other living beings, be it their fellow human beings or biota in the city. The totality of the interactions of all residents form the culture and characteristics of a city in an organic way. Since this cannot be separated from the existing infrastructure in the city and the access possibilities of its residents, the question is how the city itself changes through the development of infrastructure and technology and whether these changes are shaped by adaptations to the development of the population or the other way around.

As part of the Kota Kita Nanti project, we invited twelve creative workers from different areas to intensively consider what a sustainable city can be and formulate what properties it should have in order to support the creative activities of its residents. The results of this project serve as a trigger and as food for thought to see the city more inclusively. In order to continue reflection on the project results, we have invited Prananda Luffiansyah (anthropologist), Aat Soeratin (cultural expert) and Valentina Karga (professor at the University of Fine Arts, HFBK, Hamburg) for a discussion entitled “Mindful actors, sustainable networks and social design”. The Kota Kita Nanti project curators Artati Sirman and Keni Soeriaatmadja introduce the discussion. With a view to their own working methods and experiences, each speaker will discuss how the interactions of the citizens shape a city and which plans or strategies should be examined in order to recognize the needs of society in the city and, conversely, what the city should do to support the activities of its residents.

This event will be implemented virtually through Zoom.

Kota Kita Nanti is a collaboration between Goethe-Institut Bandung, Keni Soeriaatmadja and Artati Sirman, Bandung Design Biennale and POT Branding House as well as twelve interactive booklet contributors: Arekha Bentangan, Emeraldi Paramaeswara, Febryan Tricahyo, Gadis Prameswari, Grace Sahertian, Mei Suling, Misha Ahmad Azizia, Ratna Ayu Budhiarti , Reyza Ramadhan, R. Yuki Agriardi, Tarlen Handayani, and Yanuar P.F. With an exhibition, a workshop series and a publication in November and December 2021, Kota Kita Nanti brings together twelve perspectives on how to design a more sustainable life in Bandung.

Aat Soeratin: artist and director of theater, music and dance performances and other performances. He founded the public cultural meeting place “Rumah Nusantara” and co-founded the “Bandung Art Creation Depot” with Harry Roesli. He sees himself as a cultural and environmental activist with a special focus on the Indonesian archipelago.

Prananda L. Malasan: PhD in Social Sciences on Crafts and Design Practices with a focus on the day-to-day activities of craft communities. He carried out a series of ethnographic research projects in several villages in Indonesia where handicrafts are practiced. He is convinced that design plays a major role in problem solving and in shaping the future and that every designer must therefore always take into account the socio-cultural context in which design activities take place. He is co-founder of the Lab Desain Etnografi (Ethnographic Design Lab) at the Faculty of Art and Design, Institut Teknologi Bandung and a main curator of the Bandung Design Biennale 2021.

Valentina Karga: artist whose work spans art, design, science and architecture. She combines elements of socially committed practice and hypothetical experiments that question the existing social and physical infrastructure in the areas of energy, economy and sustainability. She has been a guest at the Berlin Center for Advanced Studies in Arts and Science / Graduate School, Universität der Künste Berlin as well as a Saari fellow in Finland. She was a guest at the NTU-CCA in Singapore and received a Vilém Flusser scholarship for a stay in Berlin. Her work has been exhibited internationally. She has been a professor at the University of Fine Arts (HFBK), Hamburg, since 2018.

Artati Sirman completed her BA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London, and obtained her MA in Art Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art London. Her main interests focus on art market research and arts management. She was an Assistant Director at ROH Projects for 3 years before relocating to Bandung in 2019 where she has been providing consultancy on commissioned projects for Gormeteria, and is now handling the PR & Media at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space (SSAS), Bandung, Indonesia. 
 
Keni Soertiaatmadja, Graduated from Ceramic Studio, FSRD ITB in 2002, Keni received the Ganesha Prize Award which gave him a scholarship for a short module in Museology at The Amsterdam School of The Arts. Keni completed his master's degree in Anthropology at FISIP UNPAD in 2019.  
From a grant from the Kelola Foundation, in 2015 Keni founded Sasikirana KoreoLAB & Dance Camp, a forum for the development of contemporary dance. Currently, he is developing DokumenTARI, a story-telling platform that is expected to be a source of studies for dance performers from various regions in Indonesia.