Ayorek! Building urban knowledge dynamics as a foundation for creative and collaborative participation

Azali, Kathleen and Budiman, Andriew and Prasetya, Bayu and Tanuwidjaja, Gunawan (2012) Ayorek! Building urban knowledge dynamics as a foundation for creative and collaborative participation. In: ICCI2013 ICCI 2013, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CREATIVE, 01-01-2012 - 01-04-2014, Surabaya - Indonesia.

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Abstract

Abstract—Creative industries are predominantly viewed within the frame of visual make-up or gimmick buzzwords, reduced to highly marketable, gleaming spectacular add-ons to certain lifestyles. Within popular discourses in Surabaya, partly due to the dependence on large mainstream media, corporate and state outlets, local scenes are generally considered too unremarkable to merit public discourse, often disregarded for more international, exotic issues, talents and products. Yet without any contextual local knowledge of what actually takes place across many areas—particularly in terms of how local economies operate, how decisions get made, how available resources are put to work—the sense of what is possible is limited and often not related to the real interests and capacities of residents as either the producers, distributors or consumers. Ayorek! was initiated as a platform to balance the uneven knowledge production and distribution processes within the existing infrastructures of Surabaya. Set to kick-start within a period of one year (March 2012 to February 2013), Ayorek! aims to: (1) generate and circulate knowledge in and about Surabaya, (2) connect and facilitate dialogues between various disconnected circles within Surabaya and beyond, and (3) provide a platform where diverse media, popular cultures and critical research can intersect. While these aims are taking longer than the estimated period to realise, nonetheless some rewarding experiences and practical ends have been achieved through a monthly discussion called cangkruk, regional exchange programs, community history workshop, urban research and writing workshops, publications in multimedia formats (website, books, booklets), and directories of creative initiatives and spaces in Surabaya. Ayorek! is still at its early stage, and has yet to achieve all its intended aims, but by generating and building the access to local urban knowledge, interlinked with other cities, it has witnessed the slow emerging of more creative interactions and collaborations among different groups, and is working on subsequent stages of building, publishing and circulating the projects.

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