SUARA PUTRA BRAHMA [2010. 4 min. Stereo/No Dialogue. BW-FC. MiniDV]

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• published: 28 Sep 2012
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Brahmaputra River is the only river called by man's name in India. It's located in Northeast India and enclosed by five country: Nepal, China, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh. This river divides the Northeast India into two territories, north and south. In this region, pluralism became strong because it consist many ethnics and religion, also tangent directly with Southeast Asia, Mongoloid peoples. This old river keep many of ‘man’ story, war, that happened since Saraighat War (1671) until now when some groups appear to secede with the parent island. Since 1970s, appears more and more militant groups who on behalf of the separatist movement in Assam. Some of them are United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Adivasi National Liberation Army, Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Outside of that conflict, Assam's people still live in peace and take the advantage of Brahmaputra River as potential natural resources. Therefore, the harbour become a melting pot, exchange of information, transaction point and strategic culture mobilization for people who mainly activities are related to the river. Just like a 'mother', pulse of their life. Assam's harbour is the biggest income for this city. In other side, there are also illegal harbours created by people themselves, which have their own rules and norms outside the government official rules. The illegal harbour located in the middle of the urban city, Guwahati-Assam. It is one of mobilization and transfer point between people who live in north to east or otherwise. This video is trying to narrated the north and south relation, with "cross" and "boundary" concept. The north is tend to be rural and influenced by the culture of Nepal and China, while the South has a lot more economic activity in urban situations and influenced by Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), and Bangladesh. Mahardika Yudha b. 1981. He works as coordinator in Research and Development Division at Forum Lenteng and Development Video Art Division at ruangrupa. From 2003 until 2005 he worked as laborer at factory in North Jakarta. He was researcher and curator assistant for archive exhibiton of Jakarta Arts Council 2006‐2007. In 2008 he participated in residency program at Guwahati, Assam, India. He held his first solo exhibition entitled Footage Jive at RURU Gallery in 2009. From 2010 until 2011 he co‐curated Media Art Exhibition in commission with Art Department, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia. OK. Video FLESH is his premier curatorial program. He is one participantt of JENESYS Programme 2011-2012, Japan Foundation (http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/jenesys/cultur