TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Unique communities keep it real at expo

With an extraordinary collection of groups gathered together on a warm Saturday, one could expect to see a unique mix of passion and interest

Prodita Sabarini (The Jakarta Post)
JAKARTA
Sun, November 22, 2009

Share This Article

Change Size

Unique communities keep it real at expo

W

ith an extraordinary collection of groups gathered together on a warm Saturday, one could expect to see a unique mix of passion and interest.

Here was a community who braved Jakarta's crowded and polluted streets on bicycles; a group could complete the Rubik's cube puzzles in less than twenty seconds; a gang who create music from games consoles; and people who collect the Beatles memorabilia - to name a few.

The groups were part of the third Indonesian Consumunity Expo, organized by Prasetya Mulya Business School and Swa magazine, in Senayan, Central Jakarta, which is running from Nov. 21 to 22. ("Consumunity" stands for consumer community.)

This year's expo has gathered around 150 communities and targets to attract 80,000 visitors. It also aims to bring together different communities and link them with business producers.

Flashy motorbikes belonging to a community of Honda and Yamaha lovers were lined up outside; a group of young people were patting a slithering snake near the pond; a rock band was ripping into ballads; and all the while a futsal match was going on.

The groups were allocated booths and were classified into sections focusing on music, sports, hobbies, the environment, internet-based groups and automotive.

The Green map community held a talk show on places to spot animals in Jakarta, as well as a demonstration on waste management. On Sunday the group will host a tour of Jakarta's open green spaces.

In the Jakarta Rubik's Cube Club, two people were competing to solve the Rubik's Cube puzzle. Abel Brata, who holds a World Cube Association record of 14.44 seconds, said around 600 people were members of the club.

"We hold coaching workshops every week," he said. Abel said the group, which has organized national and international Rubik's puzzle championships, took part in the expo to promote the colorful cube.

"It's a matter of memorizing patterns," Abel said. An advanced Rubik's solver could memorize 77 patterns to complete the cube puzzle in less than 20 seconds, he said.

In another booth, a member of the chiptunes community, Norman Tri Permadi, sat in front of his laptop with a game boy next to it. Norman's community makes music, which they call chiptunes, using old computer game consoles from the late *80s to early *90s.

"The music is unique because it reminds us of our childhood when we played Mario Brothers or Zelda," Norman said. There are around 150 chiptunes musicians in Indonesia. "Around 30 to 35 in Jakarta like to hang out and play music together."

Further on communities involved in physical activities, ranging from pencak silat traditional Indonesian martial arts to the contemporary urban sport Parkour, showed off to visitors what they had to offer.

Parkour, or "free running", is a physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, trying to face obstacles in the most efficient way.

If one has ever seen the French film Yamakasi, where traceurs (Parkour practicioners) run and jump from one building to another, the Parkour group in Jakarta is local version of that.

Founded in 2007, Parkour Jakarta now has around 50 members.

"Every Sunday, we train beginners at Krida Loka Park," Parkour Jakarta member Argam Fauzi said.

Argam said through the expo the group hoped to attract more people to the sport.

"However, this is not a sport where people just want to act cool. It needs discipline and hard work. Usually when a person just does it because they are following a trend, they give up quite quickly," he said.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.