Training The Mind to Doubt

2018 - print on fabric, iron aluminium, leather, clothes

photography: Mie Cornoedus

Science does not teach certainty; the science of training the mind to dare to doubt.

—Karlina Supelli

This work is anhomage to all the thinkers in the world, especially those living and working in Indonesia. A research or thesis never exists by itself; it cannot be separatedfrom other research findings. These inter linkages are fascinating to me. This installation is based on four books (listed below), revolving around history, social science, religion and gender studies, which have had great impact on Indonesian scholars. I reprinted texts from these books as one long sentence on long ribbons that are rolled into heavy balls. These balls are placed on the heads ofthe performers of this piece. Originally, I created this work for thecontext of Bali, as it was first presented at Art Bali. It refers to the Hindu/Balinese belief that the head can only be touched for a higher purpose. For instance, women in Bali carry offerings on their heads, but are prohibited from carrying dirty clothes or underwear in the same way.

Books that have had great impact on Indonesian scholars:

  1. Sartono Kartodirdjo, Pemberontakan Petani Banten 1888: kondisi, jalan peristiwa, dan kelanjutannya: sebuah studi kasus mengenai gerakan sosial di Indonesia [transl.: ‘The 1888 Banten Peasants’ Rebellion: conditions, the course of events, and their continuation: a case study of social movements in Indonesia’], (Dunia Pustaka Jaya:1984, 1st edition 1966).
  2. KatrinBandel, Kajian Gender dalamKonteksPascakolonial[transl.: ‘Gender Studies in the Postcolonial Context’], (Sanata Dharma University, 2016). ArieSetyaningrumPamungkas, “DilemaPolitikIdentitas: FeminismedalamKonteksPascakolonial (PolitikBudayaModernitasLanjut)” [transl.: ‘The Dilemma of Identity Politics: Feminism in the Postcolonial Context (The Politics of Culture in Advanced Modernity)’],ArietiaBlogspot, [online review of Kathrin Bandels’ Kajian Gender dalamkonteksPascakolonial]. Uploaded on 30 April 2017, accessed on 21 March 2020.Accessible via: https://arietia.blogspot.com/2017/04/dilema-politik-identitas-feminisme.html.
  3. Ariel Heryanto (ed.), Perdebatan Sastra Kontekstual [transl.: ‘Debating Contextual Literature’], (CV Rajawali: 1985).
  4. Parsudi Suparlan (ed.), Kemiskinan di Perkotaan [trans.: ‘Poverty in Cities’], (Sinar Harapan and Yayasan Obor Indonesia: 1984).