Godot Prakosa Response

I definitely align with Nola's post in that I was also significantly affected by the apparent politicization of the music behind the film, as well as the social meanings behind the various art forms. I thought listening to Gotot Prakosa speak was very refreshing - he definitely possessed a level of pride and reverence for his country and its inhabitants that was absolutely reflected in his work. I had not previously been familiar with the concept of "dayang," the shadow puppetry that he consistently referred to. I appreciated how intently the country was trying to hold onto this art - he mentioned that there were even preservation organizations in place to ensure the longstanding relevance and appreciation of dayang. I was definitely ignorant about the social, as well as political, implications inherent in the art structure. Gotot talked about how all films essentially revolve around the concept of dayang - even in modern film courses, dayang is considered a baseline or starting point for all things associated with the structure (with the term "structure" being used very generously). I especially appreciated Gotot's response to the question of who his target audience is generally. He explained that his films embody a variety of mechanisms only familiar to the "locals," but that the films speak an international language. I thought this was a very articulate and poetic response to such a simple inquiry. Additionally, I was previously unfamiliar with the religious divides evident in dayang. He explained that, at one time, dayang was actually used as a form of campaigning for the Muslim population. The politics of history were also demonstrated in his explanation of the concept of the "double" (shadow) present in dayang. What first came to mind for me when he brought this up was the veiled woman in his film "Kantata Takwa." She was essentially always present in states of crisis, but lacked a voice and an ability to intervene. This idea can theoretically be applied to gender roles as a whole, with women only having significance, because they are not men. They are deemed "othered" - their foreignness in turn disqualifies, and thus silences, their voices and personal identities. I am not sure if anyone else noticed this, but when watching footage of the concert in Kantata Takwa, I did not see a lot of female faces in the audience. Women provided musical accompaniment for the band, but I am not sure how present they were as "fans" or allies to the movement. I am curious as to whether this has something to do with gendered access and whether culturally, a woman's role is so far removed from the political sector that the very notion of a female attending a concert with political implications is obscure and/or inappropriate; however, I do want to emphasize that I am not familiar enough with Indonesian culture to make this claim with certainty. I was also struck, as Nola was, by his statement that "every film is my favorite." His level of passion is unmatched and I think there's a great amount of hope for the future (cliche aside) with individuals such as Gotot pushing to get his voice, and his social messages, represented in a society that renders political access not feasible.