by Ariel William Orah, Umi Maisaroh, Ghaliz Fikhair Haris, and Yusuf Alazhar on behalf of Soydivsion Collective Berlin. Premiered in Pforzheim Pf in collaboration with Sedekah Benih, restaging at Documenta 15 and Ausufern Festival 2022.
TANAMANTRA
is a site specific performance and interactive installation piece inspired by focuses on “Sambal”, an Indonesian chili condiment. Sambal is not a mere condiment in Indonesian dishes, it signifies and catalyzes the harmony of human-nature co-existence. It reminds us that everyone has a complementary role to each other, just like a dish meal feels incomplete without Sambal. According to a study, there are 322 sambal varieties in Indonesia, almost every province and major region has its own unique ones. Every sambal has its own story and it’s symbolized as a symbol of embracement for diversity.
In each edition of Tanamantra, the soydivision team will conduct research and interact with the surrounding community/neighborhood where the show is held. Research is conducted to find out more about what plants grow in the surrounding area that can later be used as raw materials for the “sambal”. In addition, research is also carried out to investigate the phenomena and social dynamics that take place in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, interaction with the community is carried out to investigate their awareness and imagination with and about the surrounding nature. The results of this site specific research will determine the construction of the performance that will be executed. While the results of audio recordings with the surrounding community will become artistic material in making installation works.