Sound of Borobudur International Conference
Sound of Borobudur International Conference
Theme:
“MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music”
I. Background
Borobudur is the evidence of a grand civilization that our ancestors established 13 centuries ago. In addition to being a site with an impressive and fantastic architecture, this temple also becomes a massive “library” that presents literature that comprise values of knowledge and moral messages passed down by our ancestors for later generations through its reliefs.
On the walls of the temple that was built in the time of the Shailendra dynasty, there are beautiful carvings comprising 1,460 story relief panels and 1,212 decorative relief panels that become the literature and documentation for the journey of our ancestors.
Taking the origins of a discussion on a photo book created by Kassian Cephas on the Karmawibhangga relief present on the Borobudur Temple, the Sound of Borobudur movement was initiated in the middle of October 2016. This movement originates from the idea to bring back the sounds of the various musical instruments whose forms are carved on the reliefs of the temple and become the evidence of the grandeur of an ancestral civilization that had flourished during its time.
In the literature of the photo book created by Kassian Cephas, it was discovered that the photos contained musical instruments on the Karmawibhangga relief, whose forms are clearly depicted. An idea was conceived to be able to resurrect the musical instruments depicted on the Karmawibhangga relief in a physical form and to bring back their sounds.
The initiators of this movement agreed to reconstruct three string instruments, whose forms were taken from the Karmawibhangga relief. After they were successfully reconstructed, the three string instruments were launched and revealed to the public in December 2016.
Then, the Sound of Borobudur team continued to progress to explore, research, realize, and bring back the sounds of the various musical instruments carved on the Karmawibhangga, Jataka, Lalitavistara, Avadana, and Gandavyuha reliefs on the Borobudur Temple.
The results of the exploration led to the finding that more than 200 reliefs found on 40 panels on this temple depicted over 40 kinds of musical instruments, such as chordophones (plucked), aerophones (blown), idiophones (struck), and membranophones (by membranes). Various scientific literature were then examined further, and a number of archeological studies and research were discovered that involved the study of Hindu-Buddhist performance arts by examining these reliefs. These included the works of F.D.K. Bosch (Local Genius en oud Javaanse kunst – 1952), Jaap Kunst (Hindoe Javaanse Muziekinstrumenten – 1927), and Edi Sedyawati (1977), which were then followed by other researchers such as Roosenani Kusumastuti (1981), Pieter Ferdinandus (Alat Musik Jawa Kuno – 2003), M. Dwi Cahyono, and others.
Data collection, interviews, literature studies, and reconstructions of the musical instruments whose forms were taken from the carvings on Borobudur reliefs were conducted from 2017 to 2019, including the collection of various musical instruments that today are still present and played across the Nusantara (Indonesia). At present, reconstructions have been achieved for 17 string instruments made of wood and created according to concert grade standards, 5 instruments made of earthenware, and 1 idiophone instrument made out of steel. In parallel with the preceding efforts, this movement initiated by Trie Utami and Dewa Budjana also attempted to “bring back the sound” of those musical instruments. After it was initially launched at the end of 2016, Sound of Borobudur has been recorded to be performed five times in events.
Now, Sound of Borobudur has developed into an orchestra that involves 30-40 musicians in the process of creation, arrangement, and recording of an album containing 12 musical compositions, all of which are played with various instruments that originate from Borobudur reliefs, with Purwa Tjaraka as the Executive Producer. For the scientific accountability of the idea of bringing back the sound of musical instruments that originate from reliefs on the Borobudur Temple, the Sound of Borobudur movement had conducted an online seminar and workshop activity titled “Borobudur as a World Music Center [Borobudur sebagai Pusat Musik Dunia]” previously in April 2021.
This activity brought together speakers from circles of researchers of culture studies, archeology, history, anthropology, and ethnomusicology, and involved no less than 700 participants, online through the Zoom Meeting software application and broadcasted live through the YouTube web site.
The speakers scientifically examined the topic of the temple of Borobudur as a reference point for civilization, constituting the most complete repository of its time for the existence of musical instruments that are recorded in a historical site.
The 226 reliefs of musical instruments carved on 40 relief panels depicting more than 40 kinds of musical instruments indicate that 13 centuries ago, this site was one of the cultural centers of the world, in this case in a musical context. No other site in the world in that era depicts reliefs of musical instruments as many as those present on Borobudur.
Efforts to realize and bring back the sound of musical instruments from the past are conducted by artists not only in the effort to bring out the sounds of stories from the panels of Borobudur, but also as an overview of the wealth of musical instruments of the Nusantara and the world, for which the information and historical evidence has been carved on the reliefs of Borobudur Temple. If the Europeans had often stated that the orchestra system of ensemble music is as the symbol of civilization development that has existed since the 14th century, then through the evidence of the traces on the reliefs on Borobudur Temple, it can be concluded that our ancestors had already preceded them 700 years earlier.
Music becomes a tool for communication, as well as a medium for diplomacy. This has occurred at least since 13 centuries ago up to today, in contexts across nations as well as across regions and across ethnicities in the Nusantara. This may be proven by the presence of musical instruments that are depicted on the Borobudur relief, of which a portion today still exist and are still played in the 34 provinces of Indonesia and in more than 40 countries around the world. Meanwhile, uniquely, a portion of those musical instruments presently no longer exists within the arts that are present in Java.
From this reality, it can be concluded that in the past, Borobudur had been a meeting point across nations and across cultures, and a set of those musical instruments were brought from outside to be brought to Borobudur. Alternatively, the inverse may also be true; starting from Borobudur, the dispersion of those musical instruments then occurred across the Nusantara and to various parts of the world.
In the context of culturally protected areas, the UNESCO has established the temple as a World Heritage Site since 1991. In addition, in the realm of tourism, the Government of Indonesia has established Borobudur as a Super-Priority Destination.
Therefore, in modern conditions, Sound of Borobudur may then be reinterpreted in various utilizations. The “derivative products” of this movement may be made to function in various forms. They may be as the musical instruments themselves, as handicrafts, as performance arts, as a facility for education, and even as a soundscape destination that is distinct and unique, and may be accessed through both online and offline means.
Through Sound of Borobudur, the world society may “perceive” Borobudur without having to set foot on the temple, and may position Borobudur not only merely as a “background” for self-photography (selfies). Sound of Borobudur transforms into an ambassador of cultural diplomacy that can induce other people to appreciate Borobudur and even appreciate Indonesia.
Visual and auditory recordings of the Sound of Borobudur musical compositions may travel across the world, bringing the existence of Borobudur far across many continents, informing the world about itself, and telling the story of how the spirits, knowledge, technology, and noble values remain alive in the hands of their inheritors. These values regard that each person is in essence a bearer of culture for their individual customs and traditions, who roam and disperse to all parts of the globe, interact and conduct the process of acculturation, create lives within change and diversity, exchange values jointly, share knowledge, influence one another, and make mutual utilization of kindness.
It is very much possible to be able to translate and revitalize the collective of noble values during the height of civilization in the golden age of Borobudur through usage of appropriate methods of interpreting cultural reflections and mechanisms of proving, and composition of strategic steps through integral programs and activities that are effective, appropriately targeted, and sustainable. This may be realized in current times, in the era of the millennial generation, even without disturbing, damaging, or touching the physical form of the temple.
The stages in the Sound of Borobudur Movement take after the value sequence pattern of the universe: tata salira – tata nagara – tata buana. Without fundamental change in the concept of the self and personal thinking patterns (tata salira), it is impossible for a person to be able to become a good member of society (tata nagara), and therefore will be unable to maintain the environment and nature (tata buana).
This is in line with the existence of Borobudur as a spirit: the self of a person who has achieved humanism and divinity (tata salira) allows the person to be able to work in diversity and build the nation with knowledge (tata nagara) and thus be able to conserve and manage natural resources as well as to maintain the ecosystem of life as a resident of the earth (tata buana).
With the above philosophical background, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, in cooperation with the Padma Sada Svargantara Foundation as the initiator of the Sound of Borobudur Movement and Kompasiana as the media partner, intends to organize a conference entitled “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music”. This conference has the objective of finding a shared formulation in a scientific and innovative manner, in relation to the way of creating a shared movement at the global level to uncover and revitalize transnational marks of brotherhood that have been passed down by our ancestors through music, as has been depicted in the carvings on the relief panels of the Borobudur Temple.
II. Title and Theme of Activity
This activity is a Conference entitled the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference”.
The theme that is promoted with this activity is “MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music”.
Iii. Intents, Objectives, and Targets
The intent of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is to provide recommendations to the Central Government and Regional Governments in order to encourage the realization of the synergy and collaboration of various stakeholders to develop various beneficial derivatives from the Sound of Borobudur movement in sustainable programs at the international, national, regional, and up to local village scales.
The objective of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is to formulate sustainable strategies of development for the Sound of Borobudur movement, and to contribute to the development of tourism, empowerment of local people, increase of added value, and conservation of culturally protected areas and local resources.
The following are the targets that are to be achieved from this conference:
a. To distribute information as broadly as possible to the world about Borobudur as a Super-Priority Destination with all its advantages and benefits as a heritage-themed tourist ecosystem together with the Sound of Borobudur Movement, which possesses a strong and complete issue in the primary “Storynomic” aspect covering culture, history, entertainment, society-based economy, and inherited values achieved by a grand civilization that are revitalized in the present through various activities in the society of the surrounding region.
b. To resound the claim of Borobudur as the Center of World Music to the world society, based on evidence found in the reliefs and reinforced by a scientific paper written by expert scholars in their fields from the aspects of Cultural Studies, Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, and History, as the results of a seminar held on April 7-9, 2021 at Borobudur.
c. To create connections and cooperation with national and international networks in relation to the development of the Sound of Borobudur movement along with its derivative programs that automatically become a facility to strengthen and support tourism in Borobudur, and to become a promotional tool for the realization of a new tourist destination alternative that is developed through two parallel lines of work, in the form of physical facilities and realization of living values (landscape and “lifescape”), for which the two can become the face of the Borobudur masterpiece that is displayed to the world, both tangibly and intangibly.
d. To enrich the wealth of musical instruments of the Nusantara and the world in relation to the Borobudur reliefs that may be directly related to the world of music education, which may be conducted in the area as an example of an activity of educational tourism (Edutourism) and musical tourism (two programs that may have hybrid execution), for which the program can become a sample for the achievement of the QUALITY TOURISM target for the Super-Priority Destination of Borobudur.
IV. Form of Activity
The form of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is explanations and discussion by speakers who possess experience and expertise in the fields of music, ethnomusicology, intangible cultural heritage protection, tourism, and cultural arts. Conceptually, this conference will be divided into two important elements: the first is the encouragement to reconnect transnational linkages through the musical instruments found on Borobudur Temple reliefs, and the second is the acceleration of cultural heritage as a working prompt to encourage the realization of a sound destination as a new destination.
Speakers who are invited to this conference will consist of expert speakers from scholars as well as practitioners from the world of musical arts, ethnomusicology, and bureaucracy who possess mastery of the creative industry of musical arts and creative economy, as well as tourist associations and practitioners of cultural art tourism who have possessed experience. This activity will also involve a transnational musical performance of playing the instruments taken from Borobudur reliefs and a session for discussion.
V. Output of Activity
The output of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is the formulation of recommendations for strategies of development of the Sound of Borobudur movement and its various derivative programs as the real form of efforts to conserve and develop the wealth of culturally protected areas within the modern context without the loss of their substance, as compiled from the results of discussions with parties on the issue of stakeholder synergy and the development of responsible and sustainable derivative products.
VI. Benefit of Activity
The benefit of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is that it is expected to be able to increase knowledge, communication, and network connections among the initiators of the Sound of Borobudur movement, scholars, actors of protected cultural heritage conservation, and music practitioners, and to provide recommendations for the government of Indonesia, in this case the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ministry of Co-Operatives and SMEs, and Regional Governments, in developing the Sound of Borobudur movement and its derivative programs that have direct effects on society and thus be able to make major contributions in efforts of conservation of protected cultural heritage as well as to conduct reinterpretation in the modern context, which can encourage the development of tourism and creative economy in Indonesia.
VII. Organization of Activity
VII. A. Location and Time of Execution
The “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is conducted at the Karangrejo Village Economy Center of Karangrejo Village in Borobudur Sub-District, Magelang Regency, and is to be executed on June 24, 2021 with the manner of execution being offline and online through the Zoom Meeting software application and live broadcast through the YouTube web site.
VII. B. Activity Participants
The “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity will involve the participation of approximately 100 invited guests, consisting of officials of the Provincial and Regency/City Departments of Tourism, Provincial and Regency/City Departments of Co-Operatives and SMEs, Tourist Enterprise Associations (ASITA, PHRI, GIPI, and others), actors of tourism, culture experts, artists, NGOs, society empowerment communities from the grassroots movement, scholars, college students, and mass media.
VII. C. Topics and Speakers
Topics and speakers of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity are divided into three categories. Below are the three categories:
Invited Speakers and Topics to be presented:
a) “Reconnecting linkages across nations through musical instruments carved on the reliefs of Borobudur Temple”
Borobudur becomes the authentic trace that in the past, a transnational connection had occurred as proven in the relief carvings depicting various musical instruments, for which today most of the musical instruments still exist and are spread out in various regions in the 34 provinces of Indonesia and at least 40 countries in the world, and in Java the musical instruments themselves no longer exist.
Motivated by this spirit, the Music over Nations movement as brotherhood, unifier, and tool for world peace becomes one of the forms of future projections of Sound of Borobudur, based on historical overviews and present conditions. In this regard, we are able to learn and draw out references from various cultural movements through world music.
This session is expected to create discussions among related stakeholders on how to interpret the traces of ancestral spirits in the past to be projected toward initiatives of real actions in the future. Within the context of modernity and that of technological utilization, the existence of Borobudur as a substance can be “extracted” from the temple stones, in terms of values, spirits, or materials, but still without exiting from the substance corridor of Borobudur itself.
This session involves a panel discussion with these speakers:
i. Professor Emerita Margaret Joy Kartomi AM, FAHA, Dr. Phil, Full Professor at Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University, Australia; with the theme: Historical traces of the past regarding transnational linkages through music, within the review of ethnomusicology.
ii. Addie Muljadi Sumaatmadja (Addie MS), founder of Twilite Orchestra, pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and music producer; with the theme: Music over nations in the era of information technology, lessons from the movement patterns of classical music orchestras that are able to survive across eras, exceed various elements of difference, and adhere brotherhood.
iii. Dr. Muhammad Amin, S.Sn., M.Sn, MA. Director of Music and Director of Music Industry, Performance Arts, and Publication of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia; with the theme: Projecting the patterns of the music over nations movement in the future, based on the course of history of the past and present, in the framework of connecting various national interests in the area of tourism and creative economy.
Moderator of this session: Purwa Tjaraka, curator of Sound of Borobudur
b) “Creating a sound destination as a new destination, implementing Borobudur as a heritage that must be worked on”
Borobudur is an inheritance from our ancestors. Inheritance is a working prompt, for which its character is not initially “given”, but instead “made”; it is a result with various entrustments (politics, economy, culture, religion, science). It is not the end, but the beginning or the capital to initiate a movement by uncovering the roots of the past, in both tangible and intangible form, as well as across fields and across disciplines of knowledge.
Who is the inheritor of Borobudur? Ownership of culture is not the same as property ownership rights. Culture is inherited to be shared and to become a joint possession. Thus, its inheritor is whoever situates Borobudur as a presently living resource.
This movement to inherit Borobudur may be implemented in various concepts, such as the development of a sound destination as a new destination, complete with all its derivatives, including the creative industry of the creation of musical instruments, the makers, the players, the learning process, and the tourism packages to tie them all together.
This session is expected to create discussions and talks among related stakeholders regarding whether Sound of Borobudur can become a new destination as a new alternative in the world of tourism, and how to develop the movement into various creative industry derivatives that are appropriate to be presented within the domain of art and culture tourism, based on the reviews and experiences of practitioners of art and culture tourism.
This session involves a panel discussion with these speakers:
i. Prof. DR. M. Baiquni, expert of development geography, founder of Sustainable Tourism Action Research Society, and former Chief of the Master’s Program of Tourism Studies, Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University; with the theme: Sound of Borobudur as a new alternative destination in the world of tourism.
Or: Mr. Ary Suhandi, from Indecon (Indonesia Ecotourism Network), with the theme: Sound of Borobudur as a new tourist destination based on heritage as the realization of the “Storynomic” theory at the Super-Priority Destination of Borobudur.
ii. Mr. Fiki Satari, Division of Creative Economy of the Ministry of Co-Operatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia; with the theme: Developing a new potential in creating a creative economy production ecosystem in the area of Borobudur.
iii. (to be determined), UNESCO; with the theme: How Borobudur as a tangible heritage product may be developed further into intangible products that then again gives rise to derivatives in the form of tangible products, as an implementation of cultural heritage.
iv. (to be determined), speaker of international tourism (international tourism forum); with the theme: Overview from the global viewpoint of international tourism, views toward the existence of the Sound of Borobudur movement and its derivative programs.
v. One of the sons of the founder of Saung Angklung Udjo; with the theme: Learning from Saung Angklung Udjo, an example of a successful art and culture tourist destination and sound destination with an entire series of ecosystems that mutually support and jointly sustain each other.
Moderator of this session: Trie Utami, initiator of Sound of Borobudur (to be confirmed)
VII. D. Schedule of Execution
The “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity will be conducted in Magelang on June 24, 2021.
The following is the detailed schedule for execution of the seminar: (Action and Time Plan attached)
VII. E. Executive Organizer
The organizer of the “Sound of Borobudur International Conference – MUSIC over NATIONS: Unearthing Traces of Brotherhood across Nations through Music” activity is the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia (Sub-Directorate of Development and Communication of Tourist Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions).
*Composed by the Sound of Borobudur Team