Research for my Future Project have brought me to watch unhealthy amount of Indonesian horror movies, from old, new, and trailers of upcoming movies, on top of that, I listen to numerous episodes of horror podcasts searching particularly for stories of Javanese themed horror and occultism for the sake of evidence to be presented for my Future Project proposal. I know it will not be difficult, but I am not expecting to find so many evidence of suggested narratives that contributes to the aberration of Javanese cultural practice. One that is close to me is the song Lingsir Wengi from a horror movie titled Kuntilanak (2006), the song itself is inspired from an actual song titled Kidung Rumeksa Ing Wengi, a devotional song composed by Sunan Kalijaga, one of the Nine Saints to spread Islam through syncretism with Javanese culture of nêmbang (singing), the success of the movie over shadowed the source material of the song, and people mistook the song as a forbidden song that is used to conjure evil spirits to do evil biddings, both song has “jin setan” (djinn and devil) which not really help to differentiate both. Back in the early 2000s this song is often used to scare or prank people, people start to believe that it is a legit forbidden song, a mantra that must not be singed or played in their iPod especially at the evening or night. I particularly use it quite often to scare my sisters and friends, this trend manages to withstand the grinding of time, it didn’t get crushed, it somehow morphed into a well polished crystal in the worst possible way due to millennial parents pranking their children and Gen Z nieces and nephews. Thus, the tradition of scaring people with Lingsir Wengi is well preserved, along with the demonised perception of Kidung Rumeksa Ing Wengi.
During intensives for Story Roots for Indigenous Future, a reading material by Hilde Lindemann in Damaged Identities, Narrative Repair (2001) mentioned about how Counter stories that provide alternate and counter narratives can fix cultural identities, especially those that has been imposed by majority community group, authoritative institutions, or government through populist narrative that significantly damage or altered the original value and narrative of a culture or practice. This brings me to dive into a different rabbit hole other than horror and the occult, I start exploring to find evidence of narrative repatriation and conservation efforts, to (not) my surprise it is not that deep of a rabbit hole. Very little exposed initiatives for the matter, especially in Javanese cultural practice context. I suspect that the sensationalizing Javanese cultural practice has been so profitable that even Javanese community ourselves don’t really mind, or worse, justify the cultural aberration that happens recurringly. Other than one initiative by the cool kids of South Jakarta that tries to recontextualize wastra (traditional Indonesian textile) all I could find is government initiatives that is Java centric, which instead of increasing positive sentiment towards Javanese culture, Java centrism risks giving the contrary response from Indonesian society who have 1300+ cultural identities who already feel neglected.
Juggling between deadlines and busyness that doesn’t feel so different with working a full time job (I really hoped for a more chill life when I do my Master’s degree, guess I made a fool of myself), all those classes who seemingly random at first surprisingly help me to formulate the form and argument of my Future Project, I am impressed at how it intertwines with each other in the end. The final form is no longer an issue, an activation, got it! Venue is difficult to find here in Edinburgh, I get a permission to exhibit it in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, problem solved! The institution is even interested to include my Future Project in their upcoming program—an exhibition about Javanese cultural process. Source person has all agree to be interviewed, the only problem left is they expect me to conduct the interview and installation of the activation in person in Indonesia, which brings me to the ultimate problem of all research project, budget! Oh, to be broke with lots of desire and dreams!
Now, my main focus is to apply for a research grant from my currently in political turmoil government with my main concern of it not being approved due to my vocal criticism towards its undoubtedly lacking grey matter policies.
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