On Monday, September 28, 2026, participants in the Malako Kociak residency held a series of
knowledge-sharing events on the seventh floor of the Soegondo Building at the Faculty of Cultural
Sciences, UGM. These events took place through various formats: a residency exhibition, board game sessions, zines, and cultural discussions. The researchers in this residency included Ulima Nabila Adinta, Afifah Golda A., Muhammad Ade Putra, Brilliant Dwi Izzulhaq, and Yuniardo M. Alvarres, who also served as the photographer for the research project. They conducted a one-week research residency with the Kanagarian Malako Kociak Indigenous Community, located in Tanjung Beringin Village, Kampar Kiri Hulu Subdistrict, Kampar Regency, Riau Province. As part of the series of events held on the seventh floor, the first activity organized was a board game session.
The five participants in the first session played together on a map depicting a natural landscape,
specifically the area around a river. A guide provided instructions on how to play the game. The five participants played intensely for about an hour, until the participants of the second session arrived at the game location. After an hour, the players switched, and the participants from the first session were guided to watch the exhibition explanation led by the guide. The exhibition took place in front of Room Soegondo 709, featuring multi-exposure photographs printed on fabric, photographs printed on small pieces of paper, several figurines, and a piece of fabric imprinted with fish-like textures.
The guides explained the context behind the photographs—such as the relationship between the
Malako Kociak community and fish and the water, their interactions with the datuks whose portraits were displayed on the fabric, and the activities of the children there. “This is the favorite datuk of the residency participants, but if you were to chat with him for two nights, the conversation might not even be over,” remarked Muhammad Ade Putra, pointing to a photo of one of the featured datuks. In addition to the photo and visual exhibition, the researchers also provided a zine that can be accessed both in person and online as another means of disseminating knowledge. In this way, the Malako Kociak residency participants demonstrated that knowledge dissemination can be carried out in a multidisciplinary manner.
Author: Leonard Dimas
Photo Contributor: Leonard Dimas
