Jatiwangi art Factory (established in 2005) is a community that embraces contemporary arts and cultural practices as part of the local discourse in a rural area. Their diverse activities, always involving the local public, include a video festival, a music festival, a residency programme, a discussion series, the development of a Collective Forest called ‘Perhutana’, and a TV and radio station. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the clay industry in Jatiwangi made it the biggest roof-tile producing region in Southeast Asia. A hundred years later, in 2005, using the same clay, JaF encouraged the people of Jatiwangi to create collective awareness and identity for their region through arts and cultural activities. In doing so, JaF aims to cultivate clay with more dignity and to enhance the collective happiness of the community. Currently, Jatiwangi is striving for its regional identity to become ‘Kota Terakota’ and has been approved by the Head of the Regency Government to be included in the City Detailed Spatial Planning Plan.
Since 2005, Jatiwangi art Factory has organised numerous public programmes and festivals involving various citizen groups and artists. Together with musicians, they formed a band consisting of police, soldiers, and the sub-district head as a vocalist. Collaborating with local and central governments, Indonesian and international artists and collectives, environmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations.
In 2022, Jatiwangi Art Factory was one of the collectives invited by documenta fifteen in Kassel. In practice, Jatiwangi art Factory works together by involving various organisations and the local community of Kassel. Until now, they still maintain continuous connectivity to develop various collaboration possibilities in multiple disciplines.
The project 'Clayground' is a collaboration between esea contemporary and Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF), with kind support from the British Council Connect Through Culture Grant.
The project focuses on two themes: clay and forest, rooted in JaF's research in the Jatiwangi region. The edible clay initiative explores the relationship between land and inhabitants, while the forest initiative aims to reclaim and conserve land amidst urbanisation. Participants in the forest initiative receive land lots, contributing to environmental conservation efforts. The Jatiwangi region, historically known for its clay roof tile production, has faced challenges due to urbanisation driven by major infrastructure projects. From its colonial history to recent industrial growth, the landscape has transformed significantly, impacting social dynamics and industries such as roof tile manufacturing. JaF's community art practice engages with these urban dynamics and infrastructure changes, influencing regional development.
During this residency, JaF will continue their ongoing projects, connecting them to the city of Manchester and the UK ecosystem. The project aims to creatively address urgent transregional environmental justice issues through cross-cultural exchange.
Elgea Balzarie (b. 1997) explores positive psychology through various artistic approaches. Her focus is grounded in psychological development, exploring this through the medium of clay. Balzarie’s practice experiments with the materiality of this medium in order to connect with daily cultural needs, such as clay soap, masks, and skincare. In navigating human-environmental relations, her work revolves around activation through public programmes, gameboard psychology, community development art, social and mental health, and education.
Balzarie works with Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF), a contemporary art collective that celebrates local lands and their amalgamation with art and multidisciplinary collaborations, with their discourse centred on local life in the area of Jatiwangi, West Java, which is the largest tile-making centre in Southeast Asia. Jatiwangi art Factory examines the ways in which contemporary art and cultural practices can be contextualised with the everyday in rural areas, both in form and ideas.
Currently, Balzarie is the Director of Department Lovegood Production, the founder and a teacher of Bitebeat Learning Club, as well as part of the management team of Perhutana. Her recent experience includes being the Director of Jatiwangi art Factory in 2020.
