The Calcutta Project is a short art project organised by MILISIFILEM Collective for 9 participants of the seventh batch, Teratai, with a 3-month preparation period that will be presented at the Jogja Fotografis Festival 2024 (JOFFIS) exhibition. Starting from the study of films, the participants jointly watched three films from the Calcutta Trilogy directed by Mrinal Sen (Interview (1971), Calcutta 71 (1972), and Padatik (1973)). Each participant parsed their respective takeaways from the film trilogy, and translated them visually by drawing, which was divided into image-based and text-based. From a massive amount of paper, 10 works per participant (90 images), the participants have different works, but are united by a single medium: pencil on paper. The ideas of each participant were brought together and re-examined at regular meetings. Responding to JOFFIS’ theme of Matrix, the participants dissected the films of the Calcutta Trilogy and turned them into a matrix of data. The data matrix in the works then produced a new matrix in the form of drawings on paper. On a regular basis, the participants maintain the intensity of their work by meeting once a week. With different understandings and backgrounds, they gathered, showed their works one by one, lined up, arranged, and selected according to a suitable and coherent visual composition. This was necessary considering the different visual outcomes of the participants, as well as the different methods of working. “Mapping and language, these two tools which mediate everyday life always carry a partisanship which reveals the complexity of power relations and dynamics of reality. They are hidden through scale, size, and selective representation.” The quote from the curatorial note illustrates the idea of the Calcutta project which emphasizes on narrating a new language from the small narratives of individuals. These small narratives will become something massive when combined and brought together. This small narrative is an alternative to the spoken language that has dominated everyday life. On 16 August 2024, the participants left for Yogyakarta. The next day, the participants carefully organised their works together. Planning the installation of the works took one day. The wall measurements and installation required careful preparation and had to be measured. On 19 August 2024, JOFFIS officially opened. 84 out of 90 pencil on paper works were successfully presented. The results of approximately 3 months of collective work, compiled and installed together produced a large-scale work. Entering its second year, the theme of matrix is used to describe “[…] a way of framing an object with a certain approach using the help of row and column dividing lines […] The above definition is intertwined with the social domain, where the social matrix lemma emphasizes the mapping of all intersections that occur in the background; that the socialization (values, norms, beliefs, and so on) that individuals receive throughout their lives will affect how they behave and act in their environment.” JOFFIS also invited several other collectives and artists such as Raqs Media Collective, Total Refusal, Forensic Architecture, and others. In the exhibition, we can see a diverse presentation of collectives and artists responding to the theme of Matrix, which has their own political propositions on storytelling, from the use of materials, forms to technology. This was also demonstrated by the Teratai batch. The search for a language to frame an issue or object, to be conveyed to the general public becomes important. The Calcutta Project offers a universal language to enable both local and international readers to understand how small narratives can also have a powerful influence when put together. The participants in the Calcutta Project are: Aldhila Pamungkas, Ananta Wijayarana, Dahlan Khatami, Dyah Nindyasari, Rahmania Nerva, Riyan Putra Jaya Kelana, Nur Ilham Natsir, Tuba Fallopi, and Wildan Iltizam Bilhaq. Year Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2024
Calcutta Project by Milisifilem Collective at JOFFIS 2024
