Use of drone in Indonesian sound art within the context of ‘Lawing’ put forward by Anugerah

Year 2024, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 219 - 244, 30.06.2024

Rahul Sharma Rıta Milyartini

https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20241226

Abstract

Nursalim Yadi Anugerah is an Indonesian modern contemporary artist, who uses the drones of Kledik, an instrument from Kalimantan in his artwork called ‘Lawing’. Anugerah has engaged in addressing socioenvironmental concerns through an interdisciplinary approach. His unique approach towards drone and sound art makes him an appropriate choice for this research. The primary objective of this research is to inquire the use of drone in Indonesian Sound Art within the context of ‘Lawing’ put forward by Anugerah. The research methodology adopted for this study is Sound Ethnography. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and literature review. Manual coding and triangulation were used to analyse and interpret the data. Various themes and subthemes were derived through the analysis of the interviews and observations. The researcher found relevant themes like aesthetic and experiential quality of drone, and innovation with drone. This study examines the aesthetics of lawing including tone, texture, resonance and noise within the context of drone. The concept of Lawing is the connection of humans and breathing at a personal level. Anugerah used an air compressor for his performance, which is an innovative way of approaching Kledik to create drone. Ambisonic sound systems and specialized microphones have been purpose-designed to craft such artworks, creating a unique spatial experience, and distinctive experiential dimension for the audience. The incorporation of technology with ethnic music in these artworks, emerges as a central driver of creativity and novelty. The study of ‘Lawing’ illustrates Anugerah’s innovative approach to transform the melodic rhythmic drone of the traditional Kledik into a continuous drone with various density in texture. Anugerah has been actively creating sound art, fusing philosophical and cultural underpinnings of Dayak’s with contemporary technology. ’Lawing’ not only presents the Dayak people’s belief, but also provoke listeners to understand the environmental issues faced in Kalimantan.

Keywords

sound art, technology, ambisonics, drone, kledik

Ethical Statement

This study was produced first author master thesis. Additionally, we acknowledge the support Education University of Indonesia for providing the resources, and ethics clearance-reference Number: B-038/UN40.B.4.3/KP/2024 to conduct this research.

Supporting Institution

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Thanks

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nursalim Yadi Anugerah for his invaluable insights and contributions to this study on the innovative use of drones in sound art, particularly in the creation of ‘Lawing’. His expertise and passion for exploring the intersection of technology, culture, and environmental themes have been instrumental in shaping the research direction and enriching our understanding of contemporary sound art practices in Indonesia. We want to thank Gatot Danar Sulistiyanto for his insights on ambisonic systems. We also extend our appreciation to the sound art community in Indonesia for their openness, collaboration, and willingness to share their experiences, which have been essential in illuminating the diverse perspectives and creative processes involved in this dynamic field. Additionally, we acknowledge the support of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia for providing the resources, and ethics clearance-reference Number: B-038/ UN40.B.4.3/KP/2024 to conduct this research.

References

• Arteaga, D., & Laboratories, D. (2023). Introduction to Ambisonics Introduction to Ambisonics (Issue May). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7963105
• Albinsson, J. (2022). Sounding Matters [Stockholms Universitet]. https://www.divaportal.org/smash/get/diva2:1730459/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Bresler, L. (2006). Embodied narrative inquiry: A methodology of connection. Research Studies in Music Education, 27(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X060270010201
• Bhattacharyya, B. (2022). The Changing Ecology of the Kolkata Tanpura. South Asia: Journal of South Asia Studies, 45(6), 1095–1111. https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2022.2118480
• Bolden, B. (2017). Music as method: Musically enhanced narrative inquiry. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 18(9), 1–19. http://www.ijea.org/v18n9/v18n9.pdf
• Chrisan Alya, W., Putrianti, E., & Negeri Yogyakarta, U. (2021). Komik Online Alat Musik Dayak Kalimantan Barat: Inovasi Kreatif Dengan Transformasi Digital Sebagai Pendukung Konservasi Alat Musik Tradisional (West Kalimantan Dayak Musical Instruments Online Comic: Creative Innovation with Digital Transformation to Sup. Seminar national-2022-NBM Arts, 1–8. http://repository.uhn.ac.id/handle/123456789/7087
• Clinica, L. A., & Orrore, D. (1980). Act of Indian classical music on la montes. 413–420. https://www.academia.edu/34786713/Act_of_Indian_Classical_Music_On_La_Monte_Youngs_Drone_Music
• Cox, C. (2009). Sound art and the sonic unconscious. Organized Sound, Cambridge Journal;, 14(1), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771809000041
• Drever, J. L. (2002). Soundscape composition: The convergence of ethnography and acousmatic music. Organised Sound, 7(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771802001048
• Elliott, D. J. (1989). The Concept of Creativity: Implications for Music Education. Suncoast Music Education Forum, January 1989, 14–39. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234651274_The_Concept_of_Creativity_Implications_for_Music_ Education
• Gershon, W. S. (2013). Vibrational affect: Sound theory and practice in qualitative research. Cultural Studies - Critical Methodologies, 13(4), 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532708613488067
• Ghozali, I. (2018). Enculturation of Kledi Dayak kebahan Penyelopat (Inheritance, Organology Study, and playing techniques of Traditional Musical Instrument in remote area of West. Terob, 10(1), 39–65. https://jurnalterob.stkw-surabaya.ac.id/index.php/TEROB/article/view/81
• Gilmurray, J. (2016). Zvonenje alarma: Uvod v ekološko zvočno umetnost (Sounding the Alarm- An Introduction to Ecological Sound Art). Muzikoloski Zbornik, 52(2), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.4312/mz.52.2.71-84
• Gulati, S., Bellur, A., Salamon, J., H.G., R., Ishwar, V., Murthy, H. A., & Serra, X. (2014). Automatic Tonic Identification in Indian Art Music: Approaches and Evaluation. Journal of New Music Research, 43(1), 53–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/09298215.2013.875042
• Guillaume, X., & Grayson, K. (2021). Sound matters: How sonic formations shape the nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation regimes. International Political Sociology, 15(2), 153–171. https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olaa024
• Hawk, B. (2018). Sound: Resonance as Rhetorical. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 48(3), 315–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773945.2018.1454219
• Lam, J. S. C., Barz, G. F., & Cooley, T. J. (1999). Shadows in the Field: New Perspectives for Fieldwork in Ethnomusicology. In G. Barz & & T. J. Cooley (Eds.), Notes (Vol. 56, Issue 2). Oxford University press. https://doi. org/10.2307/900002
• Legard, P., Decay, S., & Harris, J. (2017). Inner-Sense and Experience: Drone Music, Esotericism and the Hieroeidetic Field Phil. Sustain//Decay (Eds. Owen Coggins & James Harris). Void Front Press, 2017. https://www.academia.edu/29728934/Inner_Sense_and_Experience_Drone_Music_Esotericism_and_the_Hieroeidetic_Field
• Levin, T. C., & Edgerton, M. E. (1999). The throat singers of Tuva. Scientific American, 281(3), 80–87. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0999-80
• Luna, I. (2021). Noise is Not Volume Alone – Ambiences and Drony Experiments in Music and Sound Art. Revista Vórtex, 9(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.33871/23179937.2021.9.2.2
• Menzies, D. (2007). Holophonic Synthesis Of Musical Sources. Proceedings of The International Symposium on Musical Acoustics, December. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228586957_Holophonic_synthesis_of_musical_sources
• Muka, S., Raditya, M. H. B., Chandra, B. A., Michael, H. B., Pustaka, B., & Haryanto, I. (2015). Musik suku dayak (music of the dayak tribe). http://digilib.isi.ac.id/3611/1/Bukuversi Agustus 2018.pdf
• Nazemi, M. M. (2010). Soundscapes as therapy: An innovative approach to chronic pain and anxiety management [Simon Fraser University, Canada]. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/85004209.pdf
• Paquete, H. (2024). OOO Sound Art and Technology as Speculative Realism. Avanca | Cinema, 14, 422–432. https://doi.org/10.37390/avancacinema.2023.a526
• Parmadil, Bambang, B., & Muktadir, Abdul, W. (2023). Sokora’s Kecapi as Performing Art of The Geneology Study of Assimilation Art in Identity Mukomuko Aristocratic Community. Lekesan: Interdisciplinary Journal of Asia Pacific Arts, 6(1), 38–50. https://doi.org/10.31091/lekesan.v6i1.2275
• Perkins, D. N. (1981). The Mind’s Best Work. Harvard University Press, 1981. https://books.google.co.id/books/about/The_Mind_s_Best_Work.html?id=t8FDEfEbHHEC&redir_esc=y
• Powell, K., & Gershon, W. (2020). Sound Ethnography. Anthropology, July. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199766567-0248
• Purves, R. (2020). Subject of the drone. Metal Music Studies, 6(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1386/mms_00010_1
• Putriani, N. E., Marwati, S., & Mudra, I. W. (2018). Interpreting the Tri Mandala Concept on the Motif of Gringsing Wayang Kebo Woven Cloth. Lekesan: Interdisciplinary Journal of Asia Pacific Arts, 1(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.31091/lekesan.v1i1.343
• Schneider, B. (2009). On drone music. The Platypus Affiliated Society. https://platypus1917.org/2009/10/10/on-dronemusic/
• Straebel, V. (2008). Technological implications of Phi Niblock’s drone music derived from analytical observations of selected works for cello and string quartet on tape1.
• Organised Sound, 13(3), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771808000320
• Subba Rao T V, & Raghavan V. (1956). The XXIX Madras Music Conference 1955: Official Report. The Journal of the Music Academy Madras, XXVII, 1–46. https://musicacademymadras.in/catalogue/files/journals/Vol.27_1956.pdf
• Suryani, A., Saifulloh, M., Muhibbin, Z., Hanoraga, T., Nurif, M., & Trisyanti, U. (2019). Education for Environmental Sustainability : A Green School Development. IPTEK Journal of Proceedings Series, 6(6), 65–72. https://iptek.its.ac.id/index.php/jps/article/view/6347
• The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sound Art. (2020). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sound Art.https://doi.org/10.5040/9781501338823
• Trisnawati, I. ayu. (2018). Deconstructing The Meaning Of The Representation Of The Sanghyang Gandrung Dance. Lekesan: Interdisciplinary Journal of Asia Pacific Arts, 1(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.31091/lekesan.v1i2.383
• Westerkamp, H. (1988). Listening and soundmaking: a study of music-asenvironment. Simon Fraser University. Canada. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/56369606.pdf
• Williamon, A., Thompson, S., Lisboa, T., & Wiffen, C. (2006). Creativity, originality, and value in music performance. In Musical Creativity: Multidisciplinary Research in Theory and Practice (pp. 161–180). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203088111
• Zhai, W. (2022). Innovation and Research of Digital Artwork Design Based on Big Data and Integrated Media. Journal of Function Spaces, 2022(Special issue), 100. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6333688
• Web Sites Web 1. https://1beat.org/people/nursalimyadi-anugerah/. (n.d.).
• Web 2. https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursalim_Yadi_Anugerah. (2023).
• Web 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrUBvx_RQik
• Web 4. https://www.nursalimyadi.com/about