A Community Art Film Project, 12 minutes, Bahasa Aceh, english subtitles, made on Pulo Breuh, Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Ideas, costumes, music & acting:
Agus Nur Amal, Fachrurrazi Ogut Smak, Syahrul Qadri, Mirza Felani, Alif Al-Ghifari, Gilang Zulkahfi, Ramadhan Moeslem, Yulfa Haris Saputra, Perdana Romi Saputra, Rahmiana Rahman, Adli Dzil Ikram, Fahri, Rafa, Bulkhaini, Afdal, Kak Rini, Anak Anak SD Lapeng, Alfred Banze, Christine Falk.
Camera & editing:
Alfred Banze
Institut Seni Budaya, Rumah Relawan Remaja, Kebun Impian Lapeng, Komunitas Tikar Pandan, Masyarakat Desa Lapeng Aceh Indonesia, Camping Akademie e.V. Berlin Germany.
Thank you to all the people of Lapeng Village, Pulo Breuh, Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.
A Dream Garden Production © 2024
Christine Falk and Alfred Banze, Germany (members of the artist group Baan Noorg Collaborative Art & Culture) and Agus Nur Amal, Indonesia, met during documenta15. The idea arose to do a joint project in Banda Aceh, the home of Agus Nur Amal. He also invited other artists, communities and educational institutions, including the Indonesian Arts and Culture Institute (ISBI) Aceh, Komunitas Pandan Tikar, Rumah Relawan Remaja and Kebun Impian Lapeng.
The project took place on the island of Breuh. It is located in the northwest of Sumatra and is a rather forgotten region; there is only one boat connection there every day. The involved artists developed an idea: a film about plastic waste, based on traditional stories and anecdotes from the island´s residents.
During the ongoing monsoon season with its strong easterly winds, a lot of plastic waste washes up on the island’s beaches, both international and national waste, and this is a huge problem for all residents.
The film wants to bring a very relevant topic to the attention of a broader public; it wants to show that plastic and sweets are two things that cannot be separated from each other. Because almost all sweets are packaged in plastic; Cola Cola, Fanta, Silver Queen etc. That’s why the title of the film is “Sweet Plastik”. According to Agus, the art project on Breuh Island is also a piece of criticism of the art of the capital of Banda Aceh province, which is simply not moving forward.
The process of creating the project was always very spontaneous. Every time there was an interesting idea, it was immediately implemented, in the creation of the props, in the acting and in the music. In addition to the artists, residents of the village also took part, especially the children from the neighboring school. For ten days, people performed, filmed, made music and painted, created objects and discussed everything. The film, including editing and post-production, was completed on site.
On the last evening on the island there was a party with almost all the residents of the village. The film premiered in an open-air installation called “The International Museum of Plastic Waste”. There was a lot of laughter and smiles, and the shop owner sold sweets (in plastic packaging).