Raslene

A short introduction to Farocki Now - A Temporary Academy: convened by representatives of artists’ collective, study group, or university program invited by the Harun Farocki Institut, the academy unfolds over workshops, keynotes and informal discussions that aim at activating and actualizing the work and thought of filmmaker, writer and teacher Harun Farocki (1944-2014); to present their months-long research extending from Farocki’s practice and to explicate their potential for future engagement with contemporary and historical image-making.

Organized by the Harun Farocki Institut (HaFI), as a component of the

“Harun Farocki Retrospective” in collaboration with n.b.k. (Neuer Berliner
Kunstverein), Arsenal. Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V., silent green kulturquartier und Savvy Contemporary.

harun-farocki-institut.org

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A short copy of a copy of a history in the making is a digest cut I made to re-read what happened in 1965, who only experienced this part of "history in the making" through a film by Arifin C. Noer. The history of coup d'état in 1965 was made into a film in 1984, as an interpretation of the director in 4 and half hours—eventhough there is another version of 3 and half hours. Being screened every year since 1984 to 1998, this film, Traitory of 30th September Movement, might be the only clue and (state confirmed) version to recognize the cruelty of the Indonesian Communist Party back then.

Until today, we could say that we still living along with New Order regime products as the immortal ghost—oh yes, they never die. A surprising thing to know, they could transform themselves into anything “new” and keep living in any other future regime, which happens by politic work relevance: state, media, society. Most of the things are still alive, such: stereotyping, uniformity, good dietary habit (4 sehat 5 sempurna or later called as Pedoman Gizi Seimbang, and rice as main course), population control (KB), educational standard (wajib belajar 9 tahun), media domination (TVRI focusing on Jakarta news and content), and any other development strategies or term—but poorly only focused in Java—and even military as tool of state.

It’s a gruesome idea to recall the collective memories of how traumatic the (cinema) experiences were. By re-reading this part of history from a copy of a-history-in-the-making, this film work leads me to cut my own version, a short copy, which technically, I do (re)produce history and (re)narrate images, and making interface between antiquated historiography and a new technical one.

Focusing on the horror part, we could see how well made the reflection of fear is, aesthetically and technically, by the director, then renewed and refreshed by the regime itself. New Order Regime knew it well, how to use film to “teach” not only through the brain but through the whole body (experience sensation) by yearly screening of the film through TV or cinema in school time—and it was a strong obligation to watch. 

Proving on how terror built by glance, with image guidance and dialog, also quoting from Farocki that “Cinema translates most sensation of touch into glances”—the film Traitory of 30th September Movement translates the terror, fear, scare sensation of torture, physically. The sensation stays forever in our head, through film as media because the utile of images works better than the aesthetic of images, as operative or technical tools better than as a film alone.