armani and garuda

Armani Apologizes Over
Garuda Eagle And
Lawmakers Ease T-shirt
Fury
Lawmakers on Wednesday said
there was no need to make a
fuss over the Armani T-shirt
bearing a logo similar to
Indonesia ’s national symbol,
after the Italian fashion house
issued an apology.
Armani Exchange had been
selling the $42 Studded Eagle T-
shirt on its Web site. The
garment featured what the firm
described as a military-inspired
eagle but it looked very similar
to the Garuda Pancasila symbol.
It was removed from the firm’s
Web site on Tuesday after
several protests and even calls
for the label to be sued.
Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar
had reportedly said that the
Garuda Pancasila symbol was
patented by Indonesia.
“This is really Garuda Pancasila,
the symbol of our identity as a
sovereign nation, ” said on
enraged Indonesian, Arianto
Suryowibowo, on Facebook.
“Armani Exchange should clarify
in their T-shirt description that
this is a ‘Republic of Indonesia-
inspired eagle logo,’ not a
military logo from who knows
where. ”
Armani Exchange, in a statement
e-mailed to Reuters, said the T-
shirt had been withdrawn from
its Web site.
“The issue was brought to our
attention and the item was
removed from our Web site
immediately. We apologize for
any offense this may have
caused, ” the statement said.
A lawmaker from the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P), Gayus Lumbuun, said
that “Armani deserves
appreciation for its quick
apology, ” saying there is a
difference in perception
between countries in regards to
state symbols.
In Indonesia, the use of the icon
is regulated by law. “We must
accept the apology but they also
have to withdraw the item and
stop its production, ” Gayus said.
Eva Kusuma Sundari, also from
PDI-P, told the Jakarta Globe that
the issue was settled.
“Armani has shown its goodwill,
we accept it and that’s it,” Eva
said.
Ramadan Pohan, a lawmaker
from the Democratic Party, said
the T-shirt is merely a form of
creative art. “I don’t see [what’s
featured on the T-shirt] as our
national symbol although it looks
very similar, ” Ramadan said,
adding that Armani’s apology
shows that the fashion house is
“ sensitive” to the possibility that
its product may stir controversy.
Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen
said earlier that for most military
officers, the eagle symbol used
by Armani is not anything like
the state symbol.
“That is not the Garuda
Indonesia. [For us] it’s a sparrow,
a very big sparrow,” Tamboen
said.
He urged people to stop making
a big deal over the shirt.
Reuters, JG

taiko drum beat from Japan

Japan's traditional drums are
called taiko. They come in
various shapes and sizes, and
produce a range of captivating
sounds that most Japanese
associate strongly with festivals
at shrines, where drums create
an exciting atmosphere for
everyone present.
These days, taiko are enjoyed by
audiences around the world in
the form of energetic
performances by Japanese
drumming groups. But originally,
the taiko was not a musical
instrument; it was a way to
summon and entertain a deity.
One example was Raijin, the god
of thunder, who was believed to
beat out a rumbling rhythm on
his own drums in the heavens.
Drumming came to be associated
with prayers for rain and good
harvests.
Recent developments include the
use of taiko in arcade drumming
games that have even been
adapted for use in physical
rehabilitation for the elderly. Japanology invites you
into the world of Japanese
culture, both traditional and
modern, explaining how
traditions evolved and the part
they still play today in people's
everyday lives. from NHK world

Yogya art festival

Well known for its vibrant
culture and creative art scene,
Yogyakarta is a wellspring of
talented artists and artistic
inspiration.
Jogja Biennale, an art and culture
festival organized every two
years, aims to strengthen this
reputation for the city, which is
also known as Jogjakarta. The
festival has become one of the
city’s most eagerly anticipated
events for both local and foreign
tourists.
The 10th edition of the
monthlong event begins on
Thursday, under the name “Jogja
Biennale X: Jogja Jamming, An Art
Archive Movement. ”
Wahyudin, a member of the
festival ’s curating team,
explained the theme: “Just like
music jamming, we want people
from different kinds of
backgrounds to enjoy art
through this festival. We want
people to see that everybody
can enjoy art and everybody can
be an artist.”
He added that the focus on an
“ art archive movement” was
because “we don’t have
documentation of many things
from the past that shaped art in
Indonesia and Yogyakarta today.
We are asking people, especially
artists, to be aware of the
importance of the history of art. ”
Ong Hari Wahyu, a member of
the festival committee, said the
first festival took place in 1988.
But initially the focus was only
on painters. In 1992, a diverse
group of artists organized a rival
festival, called
“ Binal” (“Naughty”), as a
response to Jogja Biennale and
to make the point that art
involved more than just painting.
In 1997 in answer, Jogja
Biennale diversified its focus to
become a festival inclusive of all
kinds of art. “We realized that art
was not exclusively about
paintings and painters, ” Ong
said.
This year the festival will include
indoor exhibitions with works
from 130 artists, street art
created by at least 150
participating artists and groups,
an art archive exhibition and
public events such as
discussions, lectures and
workshops.
The festival will present some of
today ’s biggest names in art, as
well as works by emerging
artists. Entang Wiharso, a veteran
artist who recently participated
in the Prague Biennale, will
exhibit his latest creations —
huge aluminum statues — at
Jogja National Museum during
the festival.
“These figures look great —
they’re up to five meters wide
and three meters in height,”
Wahyudin said.
People can also see Indonesian
expressionist painter Putu
Sutawijaya ’s works at the
festival. Famous for his
depictions of people, this young
painter is one of Indonesia ’s
most in-demand artists. In 2007,
his painting “Looking for Wings”
sold for Rp 1.3 billion ($138,000)
— the highest price paid for the
work of an Indonesian artist that
year — at a Singapore art
auction, Wahyudin said.
Samuel Indratma, from the
festival ’s curating team, said the
main attraction for many visitors
would be the unique and
unusual artworks on display on
the city ’s streets.
He said artist Wilman Syahnur
plans to take a fiber-glass figure
of US President Barack Obama
around the city on a becak (a
traditional bicycle taxi) to meet
the people of Yogyakarta.
“This is Wilman’s way of
criticizing the first black US
president for sending more
troops to Iraq, despite receiving
a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this
year, ” Samuel said.
Samuel also said a group of
artists — Farid Vstevi Asta, Bayu
Widodo, Tatang Tatsoy and Bob
Yudhita — would make over
several public toilets in
Yogyakarta.
“These artists are going to try to
transform dirty, smelly public
toilets into artistic ones, ” Samuel
said.
He said the artists would
decorate the toilets with
drawings and accessories, and
add music to the toilet blocks.
Another artist Samuel mentioned
was Joko Sulistiyo, who together
with some of his neighbors
collected trash and recycled it
into statues of people. Joko ’s
figures will be displayed hanging
from a city billboard.
The festival will also include an
art archive exhibition featuring
works from previous festivals
by a number of well-known
artists, including Tisna Sanjaya,
Nasirun and Edi Prambandono.
Although expectations are high
for this year ’s event, 2007’s
Biennale Jogja IX was criticized
in the local media for being
disorganized, and art activists
protested a proposed auction at
the event.
Kusworo Bayu Aji, this year’s
operations manager for the
festival, was reluctant to discuss
the issue, saying there would
always be critics of any festival.
He added, however, that changes
and improvements had been
made.
This year there won’t be any
sales of artwork, he said. “Unlike
our previous events, we just
want artists to focus on the
quality and creativity of their
artworks. ”
He said that this year’s festival
would be more inclusive, with
the people of Yogyakarta invited
to participate directly in the
festival. Kusworo also
emphasized that this year ’s
festival organizing team
consisted of people with both art
and management skills.
Wahyudin said he was optimistic
about the success of the
upcoming festival. “We are going
to fill the whole city of
Yogyakarta with artworks and
we are going to turn it into a
nonstop art festival. This is
something people won ’t want to
miss.” source jakartaglobe