Jakarta - Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer has announced that the giant puppet theater company, the Snuff Puppets, was hosting a residency by Indonesian artist and stage manager Johan Didik Handianto from October to December 2007.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the Snuff Puppets to continue their creative collaboration with the artistic community of Indonesia," the Ambassador was quoted as saying by an Australian Embassy media release on Wednesday.
It said Farmer and his wife were among the thousands who gathered at Yogyakarta`s Alun-Alun Utara in June to enjoy a spectacular and highly amusing blend of Australian and Indonesian creative excellence.
"These people put on a great show together," Farmer said.
The Snuff Puppets are a giant puppet company based in Melbourne, Australia, which combines puppetry, live music, and visual and physical theater to create a unique and comic performance language.
In May and June this year, the Snuff Puppets collaborated with the Bagong Kussudiardjo Arts Centre on the People`s Puppet Project to entertain the people of Yogyakarta during the Yogyakarta Arts Festival 2007 with a performance of giant puppets at the Alun-Alun Utara.
Johan -- a lighting and stage designer -- was a key participant in the creative process leading up to the performance.
Through his eight-week visit to Melbourne, Johan will gain an understanding of the Snuff Puppets theatrical model and its productions.
The Gajah Mada University graduate will also be able to contribute to the existing network of creative cooperation between artists and arts organizations in Melbourne and Yogyakarta.
The longstanding bilateral residency program is supported by the Australia Indonesia Institute, an Australian Government Initiative, in cooperation with the Ford Foundation.
The residency program is managed by University of Melbourne`s Asialink and the Kelola Foundation.
Source: www.antara.co.id (26 Oktober 2007)
