Jay Sumarna is a participant in the 2019 Creative Arts and Design Professional Practicum from the University of New South Wales. Jay is studying a Bachelor of Media Arts. Jay received a $3,000 New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant to support his participation in this program.
Q: Why did you decide to undertake ACICIS’ Creative Arts & Design Professional Practicum?
ACICIS appealed to me because it was an opportunity to experience work in a new culture and to learn about the arts world in Indonesia, which I didn’t know was so big. It also let me experience Indonesia in a totally new way. I learnt so many new things about the country which I didn’t know about before even though I was born there.
Q: Did you receive a New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant? If so, how did this contribute to your experience in Indonesia?
I received the New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant and it helped me immensely because it allowed me to focus on the program. Financially, I only had to worry about living expenses. It also made me realise how fortunate I was to be a part of this program and this encouraged me to experience every day to the fullest.
Q: How will the Creative Arts & Design Professional Practicum benefit or influence your future career?
It taught me how to work in a professional studio and it has given me new connections. The internship has also inspired me to learn about other forms of arts as, before undertaking the CADPP, I was only working on narrative based film works.
Q: Which organisation did you intern with? What were your roles and responsibilities?
I interned with Eko Nugroho and worked at his studio in Yogyakarta. I was tasked with creating an artist profile and interview video that showcased his embroidery work. My responsibilities were to plan, film and edit the video.
Q: How is the work culture of your host organisation different to work experience you have had in Australia?
I found the work culture to be very relaxed and it had a very family orientated vibe as the studio was also Eko’s home. There is a thing called “jam karet” (rubber time) which we were taught very early on and that was one thing that I experienced a lot whilst interning; people would often stay back and leave when they wanted, sometimes even hours after the scheduled 5pm clock off.
Q: Would you like to return to work in Indonesia again in future?
I have made good friends and connections that I still talk to regularly and if the opportunity came up, I would love to go back and work in Indonesia.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time in Indonesia?
In Jakarta, I spent my free time visiting different malls and spending time with my fellow CADPP and Indonesian class students. Once I was situated in Yogyakarta, the group I was with had a plan to try and eat at a different restaurant each night we went out.
Q: Favourite place to eat and favourite Indonesian food?
There were only two restaurants that I ate at more than once whilst I was in Yogyakarta, the first was Waroeng SS and the other was Mediterranea. Waroeng SS is a traditional Indonesian restaurant whilst Mediterranea offered more Western and French cuisines. In terms of favourite food, you can’t go wrong with the chilli at Waroeng SS.
Q: Favourite Indonesian word/phrase?
Siip and BT. Siip means ‘okay’ and BT can mean a few different things, some people say it means ‘boring time’ others say it means ‘bad tempered’.
Q. What places in Indonesia have you visited during your practicum so far?
Jakarta, Bogor and Yogyakarta were the main cities I visited. During my visit to Bogor, we went on a small mountain hike, visited some waterfalls and visited the botanical gardens. In Yogyakarta we visited the Borobudur and Prambanan temples, Punthuk Setumbu, chicken church and blue lagoon.