Art Performances during the Outbreak Era

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Diva Tarling (flute guitar) pantura Diana Sastra sang a number of songs through YouTube\'s channel from Studio Dian Prima Management in Megu Gede Village, Plered District, Cirebon Regency, West Java, Wednesday (4/1/2020). In the #Ngamendirumahaja# event, Diana wants to kill the boredom of her fans who stay at home. Covid-19\'s disease threatens anyone out there.

“Still on a break, Sir, because of the outbreak. So, there is no income.” It was the response of a traditional puppeteer when Kompas asked him about his condition. "Sir, do you want to buy a guitar and violin? A friend of mine wants to sell them. He needs money," said a keroncong (traditional music) singer on the behalf of his friend.

This is the grim picture of artists impacted by the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19. Of course, artists are not alone in bearing the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak. Other professions, as well as industries and corporations, have also been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Also read : Don’t Be Lulled by the Easing of PSBB

Some have found solutions. The Swargaloka Wayang Drama puppet show group used the internet to livestream a puppet show with the title The Guardian of the Heart on 8 May 2020. The group initially planned to perform on 31 March but it was postponed due to the outbreak.

The effort to present such a virtual art performance can be realized, but it is not known if the performance can generate income from the sales of tickets or sponsors as much as they received from regular shows. Most likely "not" or "not yet". This is also the impression that we get when reading an article in this daily that said most artists were not yet ready to monetize on virtual performances (Kompas, 13/5/2020).

Also read : Prevent Further Spread of COVID-19

SREEN CAPTURE YOUTUBE/BUDAYA SAYA

Screenshot of Cilay Ensemble\'s live performance on Youtube channel, Budayasaya, Saturday (05/02/2020). Cilay Ensamble is a music group from Jakarta that presents ethnic Minangkabau music to the world stage.

We don\'t know when the coronavirus outbreak will end and when life will return to normal. However, experts believe there will be a “new normal”. For the arts, too, it is likely that the virtual space will become a new stage in the new normal era.

In the Kompas article, it was mentioned that artists were not ready yet to monetize or to make money from the virtual space. We know that those who succeed in utilizing virtual space are mostly those engaged in e-commerce. Due to the outbreak and the social restrictions, transactions through the online marketplaces are even bigger than on normal days. It was based on the observation of special staffer at the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry on the Digital and Creative Industries, Ricky J Pesik.

We get the message that artists need to prepare themselves to migrate to the virtual space as the consequence of the emergence of the new normal. However, theater performer Elyandra Widharta warned that migrating to digital technology requires a long learning process. We underline the process that must be taken. However, we also want to give a message to artists that digital technology and virtual space provide new opportunities. If we can learn how to do it right, it can get generate income even faster.

We need to think about the fate of artists who have lost income-making opportunities due to the outbreak.

One thing emphasized by musician and the chairman of the Federation of the Indonesian Musicians Union, Candra Darusman, is collaboration among artists. We want to encourage collaboration between artists and information technology experts. We emphasize this because presence in virtual space requires the expertise of digital graphic designers.

In closing this discourse: first, we need to think about the fate of artists who have lost income-making opportunities due to the outbreak. Second, we encourage digital experts to volunteer to promote creative art performances and artists themselves so that they can ease their burden during this difficult situation.