TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - What comes to mind when your hear the the sound of splashes?
This is the question that was raised at the Bagong Kussidiardja Hermitage Institution - where four artists performed a stage play entitled ‘Kecipak-Kecipuk’ - which roughtly translates as ‘Splashes’ - last Saturday. Around 100 members of the audience attempted to answer the question posed by the host, Si Thenk.
Some had answered that it was the sound of the rain, another guessed it was the noise made by someone who waded in a puddle, while others said that it was the sound of a shower being used.
The audience was left dumbfounded when they found out that it wasn’t mere splashes that they were hearing - it was a tune sung by vocalist Silir Pujiwati, which was accompanied by Benny Fuad Herawan and Danang Rajiv Setyadi on the ukulele. The poignant feel evoked by the song was further enhanced by the dim lighting of the venue, which made the entire performance felt quite intimate - peaceful, in fact.
Then the audience was once again left wondering when the soulful tune suddenly changed into a harsh, deafening noise which came from Purwanta’s rubber sandals, when he - with his tall and large stature, and hair which went all the way down to his waist - made his abrupt entrance onto the stage.
Purwanta stomped his feet as he closed in on the stage, before finally taking them off and throwing those at one corner of the room. Danang then put them on, and stomped the way Purwanta did right before him, after which he passed it on to Benny, who clapped the sole of the sandals together, to imitate the sound of a slap.
The noises grew louder as the three performers - who are known to be active members of the Kua Etnika music group - played ‘engklek’, or hopscotch, while stomping loudly on the stage. “We tried doing it with expensive sandals, but they didn’t make as much noise as these cheap ones,” laughed Purwanta, after the performance.
The trio did not only use sandals as their medium during the performance, as the also experimented with several buckets filled with water.
Purwanta explained that ‘Kecipak-Kecipuk’ is a rather playful performance, designed to seem as if its is devoid of any deeper meaning. To them, music could also be produced through unconventional instruments, as opposed to mainstream instruments such as guitars, keyboards, and cello. “Music does not necessarily have to be expensive. Those [conventional] instruments are could generate a sound the way a sandal, plastic bag, and even rain drops could.
“If [conventional instruments] are needed as a pre-requisite to be able to master music, then when can everyone begin to learn and practice their music,” said Purwanta.
PITO AGUSTIN RUDIANA
