Asia-Pacific Writing Partnership

FIFTH UTAN KAYU INTERNATIONAL LITERARY BIENNALE

Bogor & Jakarta, 20-24 October 2009

Almost a decade from its inception, the Utan Kayu International Literary Biennale 2009 returns once again as a literary traverse across the Indonesian archipelago and participating countries. This year, the festival showcases the crossing over between literature and fine arts, particularly in the forms of poetry, narrative, music and visual arts.

In its fifth incarnation, the Biennale heralds the theme “TRAVERSING” (or MERANDAI in Bahasa Indonesia) to discuss traversing as “locomotion from one locale to another at a same level, none being above or below another.”  Authors and artists from different countries and cultures share their experiences at this festival, exploring their own scope of experiences before traversing to other distant scopes of experiences, bridging literature with other arts such as music and visual art.

Besides the readings and discussions that have become a staple diet in literary festivals, the works of Biennale participants have been selected by a team of curators and interpreted into music compositions and paintings by participating musicians and visual artists. This juxtaposition of three art forms within a literary framework promises to surprise with creative leaps and bounds. 

Readings and Discussions

7-9PM @ Teater Salihara

21 October

Heroines and Concubines

How are women portrayed in literature? Dacia Maraini writes of women and war, Reggie Baay explores the indigenous mother (earth) as concubine to colonial powers. The heroic, tragic and mythic aspects of the feminine inspire. But to what ends?

 22 October

Spaces and Traces

The imagery in the poetry of Agus Sardjono and Alfred Schaffer, among others, moves on and on, continuously. Among this constant locomotion, is there anything fixed and constant in literature?

 23 October

History and Irony

Historical characters find new life through the irony of AS Laksana, whereas Drisana Deborah Jack revives the past through the metaphors of salt, sea and typhoons. In what way, and to what effect, can literature be an alternative to history?

 24 October

Traversing

In a traverse, one moves from one point to another at the same elevation. But is there such a thing as difference without hierarchy in the eyes of poets Sapardi Djoko Damono, Moon Chung-hee and their contemporaries?

 Rooftop Poetry Slam

Every night during the festival, from 9.00pm onwards, there will be funky music performances and readings under the stars. Three indie bands have been asked to compose musical interpretations from selected poems of the festival participants. The dynamics between the poets’ reading of their poems and the band’s responds on the same works is sure to astound.

 A Poetry Slam session will follow, giving the audience an opportunity to exhibit their literary talent here. Everyone is encouraged to take the stage and perform their own work. Each night, winners will be judged by audience applause and can take home a special prize from Teater Salihara. Registration opens at 6.00pm for the same evening. Claim the stage as yours, it’s an open-mike event!

 Contact Details

Utan Kayu Literary Biennale 2009

Komunitas Salihara

Jln. Salihara 16 Pasar Minggu, Jakarta Selatan 12520 Indonesia

Phone: 62 21 7891202, Fax: 62 21 7805180

For direct contact with the festival organisers, email  Kadek Krishna Adidharma on dek.kris@gmail.com