TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The sound of seruling (flute) was pitching as the curtain opened. The dimming light started to reveal a glimpse of a man with long hair. Tattoos on both of his arms, that shown ornaments typical to Kalimantan province, poking out from beneath the safe, Kalimantan’s traditional vest. Same ornaments were printed on his vest and the fabric that he worn.

The figure of a Dayak Kenyah young man, Amoris --a.k.a Uyau Moris-- continued to be more apparent when he stood up while playing his sape’, a traditional guitar from Kalimantan. The rhythm of various other instruments played by 20 young men accompanied his performance in an art exhibition entitled “Borneo, Sound of Journey’ at Societet Building, Yogyakarta Cultural Park, yesterday night.

The sound of sape’ was dominant despite the background rhythm from Javanese traditional music instruments.

“This depicts my journey in Java,” said Uyau.

Uyau arrived in Yogyakarta in 2010 to study at the Ethnomusicology major of Indonesian Institute of Art Yogyakarta. His repertoire was the final assignment as a student. His love for traditional music instruments has forged him to become a character that appreciate differences. He shown it at the stage that night.

Uyau presented eight repertoires where he was the player and the composer. He transformed the sape’ into a cello, by sometimes picking up the string of the instrument.

“This is a part of my exploration on sape’,” said Uyau who have been playing the instrument since he was 8.

All of the compositions reflects his life journey as a man from Dayak tribe, Setulang Village, North Kalimantan. Each of the repertoire was performed with different tempo according to the meaning that he wanted to present.

PITO AGUSTIN RUDIANA