Membongkar Tembok-tembok Tak Terlihat: Hadir-Hadir Bersama-Bersatu

Membongkar Tembok-tembok Tak Terlihat: Hadir-Hadir Bersama-Bersatu

The famous Nepali proverb ‘we born alone and die alone, has truth in it, but, in-between, we are conscious social beings and interdependent by nature. We humans are born with immense capacities, limitless imaginations and possibilities. Whether we are from – top of the Himalayas or the base of the Ocean, our basic natures and instincts are not different, regardless of our differences of gender, caste, class, race, religion, geography and otherwise. As living on this planet we all are connected through five elements – earth, water, air, fire and aether.  We are born as an Island but surviving within a Ring. 

When Politics of Power overshadow human beings, the very nature of bond among peoples get scattered into pieces – as isolated islands. Powerful ones enjoy divide and rule whereas the powerless find it a constant battle to exist – coexist – unite.

Un-expected and un-imaginable Pandemic – covid 19 hit the world, fragmented the world-continents-countries-states-neighborhoods-houses-rooms-beds-corners… seemingly external flow paused but the time keep moving, this pause created the fear and vulnerabilities within each individuals. Invisible walls arose..

In this time of the Pandemic, through our collaborative-conversation process, we at LASANAA and SIKU have been connecting, communicating, collaborating and understanding each other through various social media while being isolated. Predominantly, we are seeing things through our ears, sighting with eyes on the digital frames, tasting and smelling things with words, while feeling warmth and imaginary touch. Regardless of the distinct division within and beyond borders, we are sharing our individual vulnerabilities, caring for our identities, cherishing  the coexistence and celebrating our resilience; our unique narratives of life unites us again in this world . 

Sound is everywhere. Existence of sound comes with the presence of life even in situations where we think there is silence. Silence can not be diminished into ‘nothing’ even if we think it is not audible. Usually, with everyday repetitive nature of sound, our senses a-customized to it and start un-noticing their presence. In order to hear them, one’s ears need to be more attentive and alert while other senses become subordinates. Each one of us visited our locality both in Nepal & Makassar through sound-scape. Instead of eyes, we proposed to see with our ears and experience and understand the environments, nature, culture, politics and more. In this process of exploring, experimenting and expressing ourselves, there is no distinct beginning or the end but the process runs in a spiral seemingly never ending. 

Our collaborative-performative-narratives examine the present global  scenario  – living with Pandemic – fluidity of situations suspended between hope and despair, resilience and vulnerability, evolution and adaptation. The collaboration raises important questions about some of our ‘famed’ humanistic values and characteristics such as compassion, honesty, simplicity and trustworthiness. It allows us to ask troubling questions concerning the existence of a being and a citizen in a global context.