​Ariel Orah - TRANSTRAUMA FM: SANDIWARA N°#01 (SATU)
(2024)

Mix media installation: radio station booth, frippertronics tape loops, linoleum print on various field recording cassettes, one channel video, multi channel audio contains ASSOY radio audio archives.

Novilla Gallery, part of Movingpoets group show “Welt Fest?”
16.08-01.09 2024

This piece zooms into the first chapter of a research trilogy, TRANSTRAUMA TRILOGY (2021-2023), where I began exploring social and intergenerational trauma from a diasporic perspective, starting within my own family. It all started during the first year of the pandemic when, after 40 years of witnessing and experiencing these themes without ever asking a single question, I finally began to ask my parents to share their complex family history, particularly in relation to Indonesia's post-independence period in 1945, the infamous 1965 massacre, and the economic and political turmoil of 1998.

What followed was a bittersweet unpacking session that highlighted the stark contrast between the two sides of my family. My father's family hails from Manado, where several generations of "anak kolong" (a colloquial term for a soldier's child, originating from the Dutch colonial period in Indonesia) served as local soldiers in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL). The term "anak kolong" refers to the mixed-race children who, due to the cramped conditions of the soldiers' barracks, often had to sleep under the bed (kolong) in the small, overcrowded dormitories. After Indonesian independence, the family split—some, including my grandfather, joined the newly formed Indonesian army, while others migrated to the Netherlands, seeking temporary resettlement as ex-KNIL veterans.

On my mother’s side, the story is different. Her ancestors were textile traders from what was then Persia, who eventually settled on the West Java coast. For the last two generations, nearly all of them became public school teachers. However, their careers were abruptly halted due to their association with Lekra and Gerwani, both cultural and social movements linked to Indonesia's Communist Party.
This family history will serve as the backbone of a multimedia installation centered around the concept of radio, where various frequencies flow between transmitter and receiver, intertwining lies and truths within a ferromagnetic universe. Through this research, I became fascinated by the significant role of media, particularly radio, in navigating and amplifying social trauma—from domestic moral building to geopolitical propaganda. On another level, I am interested in exploring how radio can serve as a medium for catharsis, fostering empathy through sound and storytelling.

This project also marks the first time I’ve uncovered the serendipities of radio within my own family. Through this research, I discovered that my late uncle, Adrian Orah, was a radio DJ and announcer in the late 1960s at Radio Sara 88, Bandung. This station began as an amateur pirate radio, founded by Adrian's friend, Yos Urbanus Kaseger, who worked at Phillips-Ralin, a Dutch electronics company producing radio parts in Indonesia at the time. Yos eventually married my late aunt, Juliana Orah. Initially, the radio station operated using radio parts that Yos "borrowed" from Phillips. It played Western music, which was banned during that era, and hosted progressive talk shows that critiqued some aspects of Soekarno’s presidency. Ironically, the station later transformed into an official radio station, primarily broadcasting Christian programs and music.

The second radio-related coincidence occurred in 2006 when I found myself hosting a radio program on OZ Radio Bandung, trying to emulate my radio idol, John Peel. Reflecting on that time, I realize that this radio show was an expression of my deep obsession with Western music during the 1990s, particularly towards the end of the decade. In 1998, I was 15 years old, at the peak of adolescence, full of curiosity and eager for life experiences. Despite the socio-political turmoil of the time, Indonesia, especially Jakarta, was once again being bombarded by Western popular culture.

Two media influences stand out most vividly from that period: the arrival of MTV in Indonesia and the excitement surrounding the film "Trainspotting," which became a sensation when it was first released on pirated VCDs. MTV introduced "alternative" culture, featuring a lot of content from the grunge and Britpop scenes, both of which were at their peak. Meanwhile, "Trainspotting" had a strong impact by introducing electronic music and spotlighting new types of drugs like ecstasy and heroin, both of which were also popular in Jakarta during the late 1990s.
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During this period, music became a new obsession for me, heavily influenced by these media. Caught up in the allure of Western culture, I found myself rejecting my Indonesian identity, seeing everything traditional as uncool. I did everything I could to "be Western," fueled by a desire to distance myself from my roots. I desperately studied English so that I could sing and compose lyrics in the language, and I began adopting the fashion styles I saw in the media. The show, called "Monday Mess," ran for six years until I relocated to Germany.
The third serendipitous moment began early this year when I started a radio residency at Moving Poets Novilla called "ASSOY," under my collaborative platform, Soydivision. For context, I founded Soydivision in 2017 as part of my transition strategy, from a career as a digital and sustainability consultant to becoming a full-time artist—(and later father). This shift was driven by my endless desire to pursue art, a passion I couldn’t fully realize back home due to societal pressures and my family's opposition to the idea. Soydivision emerged from my utopian vision of blending my academic background in economics and sustainability with my need to navigate and express the anxiety of being a diaspora minority facing identity turbulence in this country for nearly 1.5 decades.

After relocating to Schöneweide from Kreuzberg in 2023, I was fortunate to receive a studio scholarship from the Berlin Senate at Novilla-Schöneweide. This opportunity led me to connect with Movingpoets, a collective that has run an artistic project space on the building's first floor since 2014. After several collaborations throughout 2023, including curating Soydivision's program, they kindly invited me to join the association as an active member. My first proposal was to establish a continuous program in the space, which led to the birth of ASSOY in April 2024. So far, it has broadcasted 40 episodes.
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At its core, ASSOY envisions radio as a catalyst for social change, using sound to archive narratives and cultivate empathy around socially engaged themes. With a focus on the diverse diaspora of multiple Souths, both in Berlin and beyond, it serves as a platform for collaborative exploration and expression. The current and upcoming episodes aim to elevate this vision, inviting submissions and commissions that span the spectrum of sound and radio artistic practices—from immersive radio pieces to radio novellas and community-driven podcasts. New episodes currently stream every Monday. For the schedule and updates, visit assoy.soydivision.berlin.

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"TRANSTRAUMA TRILOGY" is an artistic research project by Ariel Orah, consisting of three interconnected works: "LEFTRAUMA," "TRANS_TRAUMA_FM," and "TRAUMARAMA." Each piece delves into the transformation of collective and intergenerational trauma from a diasporic perspective, translating these experiences into various artistic discourse and format. The trilogy seeks to uncover the impact of historical atrocities on cultural identity and social memory. Supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste Artistic Research Program (2021-2023).

"TRANSTRAUMA FM: SANDIWARA N°: #01 (SATU)" is partially supported by the Berlin Senate's Soundart Work Grants for 2024.


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