Turn on Our Imagination for Jakarta

Four years ago, one of my photographs was declared as a nomination of Color photo of Jakarta in 2011 winner and published into the photography compilation book with the title The Best Photos of Jakarta. The work that I titled Jakarta's Tram was made on a hot weekend afternoon in Ancol. That day I really felt entertainment and wanted to travel outside Jakarta for refreshing. But I chose to be a brief vacation in Ancol because of my spare time availability. As usual my refreshing activities ultimately tinged with photographing activity. At first glance it was nothing special with the results of my work.

Actually, my wife's photograph was also nominated in that photo contest. We captured pictures alternately around the same location with the same camera but the object was different. But if I more focused on the infrastructure, my wife actually turned his attention to human activity. The original title of my wife's photograph is Vrolijk en Vrij (Dutch) that the race committee official title is written as Happy and Free. At first glance it was also nothing special with the photo.

In the third quarter of 2015, we return to Jakarta after exploring various places and stayed in several cities. Jakarta that we know relatively unchanged compared to the previous: dirty (at least in most of its parts), crowded with people but less togetherness, modern city but 'far' from nature, too busy but lack of expression and joy, and perhaps less imagination! When I open the book The Best Photos of Jakarta, I discover special values of our two photographs. Happy & Free is a simple description of some values that are getting lost from Jakarta and we must imagine them to get back these values. Jakarta's Tram also invites us to imagine further in view of the problems of spatial and infrastructure. "Thousands Picture speaks a word!" But of course what the message of these pictures/photos also depends on our imagination.

First I interpret that Jakarta was still beautiful though seen from the dark side. The composition of colors in Happy & Free describe the atmosphere was not too excited because it only consists of a pale brownish-yellow color with the main object of the course is a silhouette in black. So is the background in the form of silhouettes of buildings and the color of the sea water looks dark because the shooting angle facing the light source. But overall composition invites us to rejoice.

The second is I would highlight the importance of unity and solidarity, something that continues to be degraded. We don’t know if a bunch of men in the photograph object family, coworkers, college friends, etc. But we only know that they choose to spend time together to enjoy Jakarta. We often hear about someone who is not familiar with its neighbors for many years after occupying a house in the residential complex. We are too stuck on individualistic life in the jungle capital.

The third is about our interaction with nature. In Jakarta we are relatively more active in the room. Even if the hours are outdoors most as well as traffic on the trip without too interacted with nature except sting sun and rain. This picture tells us that Jakarta has a beach and coastal we look at the various corners rare. Even some of us maybe don’t know that Jakarta had beach. Sunrise and sunset are daily natural phenomenon which we always ignore. Or boat with a screen that movement depends which one natural component: wind!

Fourth that Jakarta is a place for expression. Body language of objects in the photo, whoever they are, actually seen being free expression. My wife surely did not know them and also did not communicate with them so their expression was natural. But it is precisely the silhouette they teach about happiness.

Fifth is the importance of imagination! Jakarta's tram is a photo through space and time. Either at some point, in the past or the future possible, Jakarta requires imagination to build modes of transportation. Jakarta also need the wider imagination to improve spatial and generally for a better life. Crowded earth's surface and underground complex, and further with the related issues of political-social-economic-cultural is the real challenge of the improvement of transportation and infrastructure of Jakarta. I'm not too concerned with the tram. But the important point of the picture is "let's fly in our imagination, surely we will see another side of Jakarta!"

Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. I see that Einstein's sentence can’t be understood narrowly so we must put aside knowledge. What is said by Einstein actually an empirical facts of what happened during he become scientists that many of his theory (knowledge) are come from imagination.

Our writings and photographs are certainly nothing compared to the struggle of the civil/public servants who are building and repairing Jakarta. But we hope that if we reflect a little and turn on our imagination, then there may be a change in ourselves to a better direction. Our families will change. Our environment will change. And maybe there will be a cumulative impact on the capital Jakarta which we loved! Let's imagine!