Labtek Apung
Floating at Citarum Estuary. In a journey waving mangroves, the waves, brine, aqua-farms, long-tailed macaques, langurs, and flock of birds. How is their interaction there? We are curious.
Kerabat Lama (More than Human Kinship) encompasses our attempt to rekindle connections with fellow cohabitants in Muaragembong.
One time, the interlocutor said to us, “the salt water is sparkling”. That is the way they notice a difference.
The flock of birds flying freely above. It’s a phenomenal attraction happens in a daily basis, but unluckily, sometimes there are hunters who slipped and—“Dorrr!”—they pull the trigger. They are after them.
This is a spectral story telling from the mangroves. We make the invisible visible. That is how we know what they say.
Kerabat Lama consists of as a series of workshops that aim to introduce contemporary ethnographic experiments: collaborative, transdisciplinary, multimodal, and multispecies.
The title Kerabat Lama illustrates our historical, shared cohabitation, and derives from the concept of “nonhuman kin” (nichtmenschliche verwandte) that has thus far underpinned our approach to Muaragembong.
What kind of wildlife is there at the edge of Citarum?
This is the langur. They are endangered animals that cohabit in Muaragembong area, more so in the mangrove forest. This shy animal is often in a multispecies conflict as there is a water crisis going on because of the long drought.
In collaboration with pppooolll and Rakarsa, we collected a variety of water samples, installed two solar still prototypes, introduced mangrove forest to elementary school students, and created and painted with natural coloring agents. These activities are the culmination of several months of research, artistic, and design experiments.
This is Jeruju. One of the mangrove varieties found in Muara Gembong.
This is the life you can see in Citarum Estuary.