February 5, 2024

During the September mid-semester recess, a group of students travelled for a week-long fieldtrip to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as part of SE2214, “Beyond the Frame: Arts and Lives in Southeast Asia,” taught by Jan Mrazek (Department of Southeast Asian Studies), an expert on Southeast Asian and particularly Javanese arts, as well as a practicing performer of traditional music and theatre.

The Yogyakarta area is the site of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples (the World Heritage sites Borobudur and Prambanan are among the most famous, but there are many more), and it is a vibrant centre of both traditional and contemporary arts. Situated between the imposing volcano Mount Merapi and the Southern Ocean, the city is centred on the massive kraton, the palace, which serves as the residence of the ruling sultan as well as a space of various living traditional arts and culture.

On the fieldtrip, the emphasis was not only on visiting cultural sites, but also meeting and learning from various “artsy” people and on experiential learning. We also worked with a group of students from the local university, who participated in some of our activities. Our students got to know the city and the people; they visited the temples, batik shops, the palace, museums, art galleries, artists’ studios, and a community cultural/art centre. They also attended performances. During these activities, they were meeting both “traditional” and “contemporary” artists, curators, community arts activists, and other people involved with the arts.

Among the highlights were a number of workshops, where the students had a chance to get an hands-on experience of making Javanese batik and shadow puppets, and of learning Javanese dance, with a brief performance at a community arts centre. Before the trip — during the first half of the semester — they had studied playing Javanese gamelan music, using the SE Asian Studies’ own set of instruments; and in Yogyakarta, they accompanied a short performance of the shadow puppet theatre, which was open to public and broadcast live “to the whole world.” There was of course free time to enjoy the day- and night-life, sample local  and localized cuisine (such as the amazing chilli-chocolate ice cream), as well as to work in small groups on research projects, which emphasized reflection on first-hand experience and creativity in presentations.

Embark on a visual journey! Click Here to explore more captivating moments from our unforgettable fieldtrip. 🌍📸