Archivethanol: Converting 1942 - 1945
Performance, archive copies, fermentation, distillation, hydraulic, open laboratory, objects
at Teater Kecil Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta.
Cooperated with Jakarta Art Council, Antariksa (researcher at KUNCI Study Forum and Collective), Fandy Hutari (independent researcher), Afrizal Malna (art critic/writer/curator).
Collaborators: Ella Wijt, Ristian Dwi Anugerah, Kurt Peterson, Ridwan Raurau, Jason Donavan, Putri Wartawati, Tukul, Ricky Unik
Archivethanol is a speculative project that simulated bioethanol manufacture (C2H5OH) based on archival copies (papers) that stored in museums and archive institutions in Japan and Indonesia. This experimental work attempted to utilize the lignocellulosic compound present in the paper archive copies to did a hydraulic and fermentation process by adding sugar and yeast. After the fermentation process, liquids that have 14-20% alcohol content are then filtered from their waste and reprocessed using distillation techniques. It aims to purify the liquid and raise its alcohol content to be suitable for bioethanol as an alternative fuel.
This project try to imagines and give utopian vision about how the past history have a positive impact on nowdays life through the metaphorical act. Thus, this project tries to relate it in today's context, how we live today to understanding the history (past)? To then live in the future?
Today, the fuel oil crisis is one of the global problems due to its massive use of non-renewable fuels (fossil), while energy in large quantities every day is needed for the needs of human life. Starting from that issue, I was interested to experiment about processing copies of paper archives containing the past history of Japan empire in Indonesia during 1942-1945. And converting them into a bioethanol fuel product. This work is a my personal interpretation of history and seeks to offer utopian bids how art practice can provide solutions for life. And also transfer the archive from the old to the new form, using history as the theme of the work without getting stuck with the construction of that history.