This work refers to a key incident in Indonesia’s turbulent history. The historical site of the incident is located in Jakarta and called Lubang Buaya [transl. “Crocodile’s Pit”]. Lubang Buaya is a well where in 1965, during the 1 October coup attempt of the 30 September Movement, the bodies of seven murdered army officers were dumped. There are still question marks about the “real” story of this massacre and about the role of the Indonesian Communist Party and General Suharto played.
The work ‘Lubang Buaya/ Crocodile’s Pit’ invites the viewer to place their head inside a hole in the crocodile skin whilst attempting to piece together details of the event by listening to interviews about the incident. I interviewed approximately 30 people from different generations and backgrounds about the meaning of Lubang Buaya. The responses show how unclear the image of this dramatic incident is, even today. This traumatizing event is still part of peoples lives and the healing process is very slow, due to unclear government-led reconciliation processes.
The two videos show two men receiving kerok. Kerok is an alternative healing therapy in which the skin is oiled and scratched and tapped with a blunt object like a coin, resulting in red streaks or blisters on the skin.