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Leviathan Lamalera: monsters, whales, and multimedia

Eastern Flores comes to Bali 


Leviathan is the name given to a giant underworld monster from the bible and Lamalera is a small village on the island of Lembata off the eastern tip of Flores known for being home to traditional sea mammal hunters. Leviathan Lamalera is the name of Prehistoric Soul's multimedia art and social exchange project led by Javanese artist and anthropologist Jns Sestakresna exploring the giant threats facing these island people. 


For many hundreds of years, the men of Lamalera have been setting off on small wooden boats to hunt numerous sea mammals including giant whales. The whale hunt for which they have become known is conducted as part of their overreaching cosmo-vision and although the people of Lamalera are now Christian, they still practice many of their cultural customs as a way to maintain harmony.  The women of Lamalera are avid weavers who still use natural dyes to color their hand-spun yarn, They do not join the men at sea but they do play a role in the whale hunt and every single person in Lamalera is given a portion of the meat from the hunt.  


The customs of the people of Lamalera are currently threatened both by environmentalists who protest their whale hunting and also by the tides of commercialization and tourism. For hundreds if not thousands of years, the people of Lembata island have engaged in trade with their fellow islanders. Those in the mountains trade fruit and vegetables for meat and salt from their coastal neighbors. With the increasing amount of commercial goods from other parts of Indonesia making their way into their marketplace come both benefits and challenges. In recent years, increasing numbers of tourists have also started coming to visit Lamalera.


Prehistoric Soul became interested in exploring some of these challenges, particularly in relation to how the younger generation can maintain their traditions while participating in the complexities of global economics and the cultural influences that follow. Focusing both on the way of life that is intimately tied to the whale hunt and other skills that have value in the global marketplace, Prehistoric Soul spent a month preparing for a multi-media performance on the coast of Lamalera. 


The multi-media project involved constructing a giant bamboo stage that evoked the shape of a boat and whale, and preparing audio-visual material to be projected on and around this structure using video mapping as well as scenography for the performers. Throughout the month, young villagers were taught how to work with bamboo, how to capture, edit, and create audio-visual material as well as staging. Through a series of informal workshops given by the Prehistoric Soul crew, the youngsters learned both hard skills but perhaps more importantly, they learned to have a sense of pride for their traditions as a relevant part of contemporary times and how these traditions can be shared with others in a way that is satisfying to all involved. 


The performance took place on the shore of Lamalera on August 17th, to honor Indonesia's independence day and the motto of the nation "Unity in Diversity. The elders of the village were honored and excited about the event asking the crew to return again next year. Following the performance on Lembata Island, Prehistoric Soul brought the project to Bentara Budaya Bali. On September 16-17, there was a video mapping workshop given by Jonas Sestakresna, Yudi Chandra, and Bimo Dwipoalam to some 30 enthusiastic youngsters. Actors from Sanggar Purbacaraka and Senja Theater performed the adapted version of Leviathan Lamalera to a full house on September 17 in Bentara Budaya's Bali's gallery that was transformed into a virtual Lamalera. 


The walls of the gallery hosted a photographic exhibition by Dwianto Wibowo who had joined the expedition to Lamalera. Unlike in other parts of the world where unwed women lack respect and in some cases are fully ostracized, women in Lamalera who choose not to marry are known as "tata" and are considered valuable members of society. In the case of the whale hunt, for example, these women are given an equal portion of meat. The photos of the exhibition depicted some of these women and described some of their activities, including one woman who opened a small library to encourage young people to read. 


During the performance, the audience was transported to Lamalera, experiencing the slow but steady pace of daily village activities and the dramatic break in routine that the monumental whale hunt brings. Leviathan Lamalera plans to visit coastal villages throughout the archipelago in the coming months.

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written by Gabrielle Thibaudeau, Published in September 2017 by International Bali Post

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