“GUANG: Ariel William Orah & Bilawa Ade Respati”, 20 Seconds

GUANG, 20 Seconds, Issue 9: The Archive

I was very happy to prompt a conversation between Ariel William Orah and  Bilawa Ade Respati about their recent “concert–lecture” GUANG commissioned by Ballhaus Naunynstraße. It’s published in 20 Seconds, Issue 9: The Archive — print only, so get your copy here!

GAUNG, a “concert-lecture” devised and performed by Ariel William Orah and Bilawa Ade Respati, was commissioned by Berlin post-migrant theatre Ballhaus Naunynstrasse for its Decolonial Frequencies (2021–22) program and was recently revived in February. In it, the artists perform alongside archival texts, films, and images, notably bringing two collections of instruments and their associations to bear on each other. Gamelan borrowed from Rumah Budaya Indonesia Berlin (the House of Indonesian Cultures) are juxtaposed with numerous electronic instruments the artists have personally acquired. While gamelan has long fascinated musicians trained in European traditions, from Claude Debussy to Philip Glass, it is also a sign of Indonesian identity and culture; a courtly “instrument of power.” In recent years, Indonesian artists have made a significant impact in Europe, at times upsetting German sensibilities. GAUNG negotiates these tropes, recalling mythology, history, and national politics.