The annual Printemps Français is back, bringing French and Indonesian artistes from different fields to 11 cities across Indonesia in its 11th edition.

A performance by Parisian band Fancy opened the festival, lighting up Taman Suropati in Central Jakarta with heavy pop tinged with rock and funk sounds.

The festival, which is organized by the French Institute in Indonesia (IFI) and runs until June 16, will then travel to Bandung in West Java; Bali, Surakarta and Semarang in Central Java, Malang and Surabaya in East Java, Yogyakarta, Medan in North Sumatra, Padang in West Sumatra and Pontianak in West Kalimantan.

IFI director Bertrand de Hartingh said that as the festival entered its second decade, it wanted to emphasize more on the Franco-Indonesian identity that represented the close cooperation between the two countries.

'€œThe first decade was like the time for us to introduce French arts to Indonesia, but now we want to share what we have with our Indonesian partners,'€ he said.

This year, he said collaboration between artistes from both countries would be the highlights.

One of the highlighted forms of collaboration is between French indie-rock band Gran Kino and Indonesian indie band Sarasvati.

Risa Saraswati, Sarasvati'€™s vocalist, said the band first shared the stage with Gran Kino in Printemps Français in 2013, and the collaboration continued off-stage as they later produced an album together.

'€œGran Kino said they wanted to work on a theme that was very Indonesian, so we decided to translate old Sundanese literature Bujangga Manik into music,'€ she said.

The songs on the album, slated for release by the end of May, will be played in Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Bali.

Puppet show: Association Rebonds and Komunitas Gayam 16 collaborate in a theatrical show that will bring French puppet character Guignol and Javanese puppet Punakawan quartet together. Courtesy of Printemps Français

Didier Vuillecot, IFI cultural attaché, said the festival would also organize classical music gigs.

The String Orchestra of Surabaya will perform pieces by French composers, such as Claude Debussy, Georges Bizet and Jacques Offenbach; Ensemble Doulce Mémoire will entertain music lovers with the recreation of sounds from the French royal court in the 16th century; Ensemble Trielen will offer the 20th century work of Henri Tomasi, Jacques Ibert and Darius Milhaud, among others.

'€œWe will also have two keroncong divas, Sundari Soekotjo and her daughter, Intan Soekotjo, performing in the festival,'€ Vuillecot said.

In the visual arts field, Printemps Français will feature works by Indonesian and French artistes and photographers.

Yannick Cormier will exhibit photos that he took while in Yogyakarta at exhibitions held in Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

Erik Prasetya will also showcase seven shots that were taken along Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

'€œThis exhibition is an opportunity for me to give back what I have taken from the streets, to the streets,'€ Erik said.

Meanwhile, Agus Koecink and Jenny Lee, who were tasked with conceptualizing the Indonesian space in the Museum of Natural History in Rouen during their residency in France, will showcase their works inspired by the city.

Standards - Courtesy of Printemps Français

Vincent de Lavenere - Courtesy of Printemps Français

The festival will also feature the eight-piece Dernière Minute hip hop dance group that presents energetic choreography at the Jakarta Playhouse (GKJ) and Sheraton Hotel in Surabaya.

Another highlight comes from collaboration between Association Rebonds and Komunitas Gayam 16 in a theatrical show that will bring French puppet character Guignol and Javanese puppet Punakawan quartet together.

Still in theater, Bandung-based Merchant of Emotion will participate in the festival by presenting its latest creation, Dawn of Sunset, which combines theater, dance and video mapping.

Apart from performances, Vuillecot said the festival would also organize a seminar featuring speakers from various disciplines to discuss public awareness on ecology.

'€œParis will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in December this year, so we have also organized a series of scientific seminars, workshops and exhibitions under the theme of climate change.'€

For more information, visit www.ifi-id.com