Artist
Ratri Notosudirdjo

Title
swift methods, ways of entangling

Budget CBK Rotterdam
€ 6.640,00

Request type
I&V subsidy

As a storyteller, Ratri Notosudirdjo feels a responsibility to reflect attentively and critically on the world around her. For her new research, 'swift methods, ways of entangling,' she delves into the history of Indonesian feminist labor movements and the way in which pop culture is exploited by authoritarian regimes for their own gain. Her approach is inspired by the diffraction strategy of feminist philosopher and physicist Karen Barad, who studies a specific domain using the terms, notions, and concepts of another domain. Notosudirdjo analyzes history through the lens of two key figures: Raden Adjeng Kartini, an Indonesian advocate for women's education from the early twentieth century, and contemporary pop star Taylor Swift. With this not-so-obvious combination, the artist aims to expose invisible infrastructures within the media, cultural waves, and their capacity to shape the sense of time and place. Through textiles and shadow play, she experiments with techniques to approach history from different perspectives.