The theme of this academic forum is:
“Making New Cultural Tradition for Sustainable City”
12th Urban Research Plaza Academic Forum
Time : March 8, 2014
Venue : Campus Indonesia Institute of Arts Yogyakarta (ISI) Jl. Parangtritis, Yogyakarta
Time : 08.00 – 15.00 WIB
Panelists : from Osaka City University, Indonesia Institute of Arts Yogyakarta (ISI), and Universitas Gadjah Mada
Urban area can be defined as a meeting place where individuals from different places with diverse cultural backgrounds interact. Although people lives in urban area are often considered as passive cultural producers, in fact they are also cultural producers. Through inclusive interaction, they create distinctive characteristics of urban culture which is often referred as modern or popular culture. In many cases urban area has been transformed into a ‘melting pot’ as a result of intensive interaction. Such a production of culture is largely achieved through cultural events. The 12th Urban Research Plaza Forum 2014 will discuss “Making New Cultural Tradition for Sustainable City”. It will emphasize on how people lives in urban area produces culture on their own way. In this case, culture is understood as a dynamic thing that will never stop to proceed, especially in Japan and Indonesia.
By delivering this theme, the attention will be drawn into how space and cultural events in urban areas can merge into wider social interaction and become a short of new culture. It is important to learn how this so called new culture has shaped the live of urban community and it has become a vehicle for the agents of culture to explore its potential in the present and future to articulate their ‘voices’ and existency in the communities.
It is necessary to reconsider the relationship between art and culture as it can be used as a tool to create greater social access and engagement within marginalized community. It also can be used to develop networking and to expand a community’s role from audience to active participants. It always offers a new model for art in the urban context. Art and cultural integration is absolutely needed when used as a tool to provide wide access for community in solving increasingly complex social issues, particularly in urban community.
The forum is open for public.
Please kindly send your request to participate at urp.fib@ugm.ac.id
or contact person:
Zahrani Balqis (085228049401)
Wulan Astuti (08122717332)
Arum Candra (081804034956)
Introduction
URP (Urban Research Plaza) of Osaka City University
The Urban Research Plaza was established in April 2006. It is a brand new research center created by Osaka City University. The University has put its energy into urban studies, and produced results befitting a metropolitan university. As its name indicates, the strongest feature of Urban Research Plaza is its framework, based on the image of a ‘public square.’ Unlike ordinary graduate schools and research institutions, Urban Research Plaza does not house permanent facilities or staff members who do research within the facilities and contribute to society with their research results. Instead, the Urban Research Plaza features small, re-locatable satellites (‘field plazas’ and overseas centers) to be opened in Osaka and foreign cities, in addition to the small number of staff and core facilities (Takahara Hall) located at the university campus. Its staff members constantly go out into the field and go abroad for research and activities for community development. With this in mind, the Urban Research Plaza serves as the center of networks for research and urban revitalization, or an open forum where people gather
and meet around the theme of ‘cities.’
Cities are supposed to be an arena where new knowledge and culture is created through encounters and discourse amidst a gathering of a large number of people unknown to each other. The Urban Research Plaza is aimed at creating a research organization in urban settings of the 21st century that will implement a wide variety of endeavors with its unique structure and approach.
Osaka is currently a ‘city of suffering’ which faces the greatest problems in Japan in more ways than one. The philosophy of the Urban Research Plaza is to be a research institution in accord with Osaka City’s communities, and to share pain, pleasure and rage with the citizens.
Urban Research Plaza Yogyakarta Office
The Urban Research Plaza (URP) Yogyakarta Office was established by Osaka City University in cooperation with the Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) as one of overseas satellite centers of URP in Osaka, Japan. It is located in Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and was first known as Urban Culture Research Center (UCRC). Though the cooperation had been started long ago since year 2003 but the sub-center had just been effectively running only after year 2006 following name-shifting from UCRC into URP.
Very small number of officials does not hamper the office to actively inviting local scholars, practitioners and governmental elements the sub center annually holds an international forum to discuss urban issues aiming to spread the spirit of urban studies and to find the best possible solutions for urban problems.
The panelists of 12th URP Academic Forum are as following:
1. Dr. Widya Nayati (Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM)
2. Hesti Rahayu, S.Sn., M.A. (Faculty of Visual Art, ISI)
3. Y. Joned Suryatmoko Ndaruhadi, S.I.P (UGM)
4. Dr. Citra Aryandari, M.A. (Faculty of Performing Arts, ISI)
5. Yulita Kusuma Sari, S.T., M.Sc. (Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM)
6. Mr. Shinichi Takaoka (Graduate School of Engineering, OCU)
7. OCU delegation (in confirmation)
8. UGM Architecture Department (in confirmation)
