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IdeaFest 2022 wraps up main event with star-studded talks
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Mingling artists: Japanese artist Takashi Murakami (left) talks with singer-songwriter Hiroaki Kato on the last day of IdeaFest 2022 at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Nov. 27. (Instagram/IdeaFest) (Instagram/IdeaFest)
Thousands attended the fourth day of IdeaFest 2022 to seek a greater understanding of the world and themselves.
This year’s IdeaFest conference gathered notable figures to deliver talks on topics from creativity to success in the modern world at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) from Thursday to Sunday.
The main conference session on Sunday started with IdeaFest cochairman and cofounder Ben Soebiakto discussing the speed of societal progress and the development of new platforms.
“Why did we decide on a theme called ‘Re:ality Re:defined’? Because there were so many changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that forced us to redefine how we work, etc., especially Gen Z who have only started to look for jobs in the professional world,” Ben told the audience.
Now in its 11th year, IdeaFest approached local communities this time around. The goal was to have audiences learn about the processes and practices of content creators, filmmakers, nonprofits and public figures, among others, in an ever-changing world.
“We can’t be small players anymore. We need to bring our work out even more and scale up regionally and globally,” Ben said.
Many of the day’s speakers explored similar ideas.
Haswar Hafid, head of brand partnerships at ByteDance, discussed the successes and sensory qualities of TikTok and how it had generated viral content for younger generations. Representatives of sign language learning platform Silang followed with a talk on how to better communicate with the deaf community.
Unilever representative Dr. Amadeus Driando Ahnan-Winarno shared how the Indonesian culinary staple tempeh was superior to beef in some respects, and another Unilever representative, Gita Saraswati, underlined the importance of menstrual education.
Big names also drew audiences in. Manoj Punjabi, CEO and founder of Indonesian film company MD Entertainment, described the creative process of bringing the Twitter-thread-inspired KKN di Desa Penari to life. The film has become the country’s biggest box office success to date, surpassing Marvel blockbusters like Doctor Strange and Spiderman: No Way Home in Indonesia.
Other big names included Maudy Ayunda and Cinta Laura, both singers and actresses popular with younger Indonesians. Maudy talked about how “cool” it was to care about social issues, asking why the term social justice warrior (SJW) should carry a negative connotation.
“We need to own it,” she said. “‘You care too much,’ they say. Well, I do care too much!”
Meanwhile, in a teary session, Cinta Laura talked about living a purposeful life and recommended that the audience spend less time on their phones to savor the little things in life.
“Passion is not enough. You need purpose,” Cinta said.
Many creators across the country spoke about their paths to success, from Aji Handoko Purbo of local shoe company Compass to Denica Riadini-Flesch of clothing shop SukkhaCitta. Riadini-Flesch mentioned how not ditching clothing after only a few wears could lessen harmful environmental impacts.
The event was topped off by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who served as its only international speaker. Following a presentation about his career, he talked about the future of art in the digital realm and the Indonesian art scene, mentioning the local artist Machine56 as his favorite from Indonesia.
“The Indonesian [art] market is very healthy, I think,” he said.
