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‘Mugejeg’ exhibition showcases photos of Mentawai in augmented reality
Visitors of the exhibition can view a professional's photographs of the Mentawai people after scanning a particular QR code at the venue.
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Professional photographer Ditto Birawa traveled to Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra to capture the lives of the Mentawai tribe natives. His works are being exhibited in Mugejeg, an exhibition at Galeri Foto Paramata in Tebet, South Jakarta, from Oct. 14 to 27. (-/Ditto Birawa)
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any photographers rely on printed photographs to display their works. For Aditya “Ditto” Birawa's debut solo exhibition, however, augmented reality technology is the medium of choice.
The exhibition, Mugejeg (the Mentawai word for "traveling"), runs from Oct. 14 to 27 at Galeri Foto Paramata in Tebet, South Jakarta. Mugejeg displays 22 of Ditto’s works that came from his adventures in Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, which he visited on and off from 2013 to 2016.
“I used the technology because it’s effective, efficient and has lower cost of mobility,” Ditto told The Jakarta Post in a phone interview.
To enter the venue, visitors are required to have the Picta app to scan a provided QR code. From then on, they can view photos and their captions on their smartphones. The customized Picta app was developed by four people, including Ditto. It is available on the Google Play Store and currently waiting for approval from Apple's AppStore.
Ditto’s non-traditional way of presenting his works may raise eyebrows, especially from other photographers. “Photography [...] can be presented using a projector, a piece of paper or a smartphone. In the end, it’s still a photo,” he said, adding that going paperless was part of his campaign to fight against illegal logging, mainly in Mentawai.
Read also: The last Mentawai tattoo bearers
Ditto’s interest in Mentawai grew after he found that the tribe – one of the oldest in the country – strongly embraced a traditional way of living despite existing in a modern era. “They wear clothes, but their houses don't have electricity and there is no mobile phone signal,” said Ditto, the owner of photography studio Birawa Photo-Motion. “They keep pigs underneath their houses, eat sago and bath in a river.”
Reaching Mentawai is not easy. Visitors need to travel from West Sumatra using either a ferry or a speedboat. It takes four to 10 hours to reach the islands, depending on the weather. “The time has to be exact. It’s difficult for boats to sail in the dry season, but it’s also impossible to sail during the rainy season due to flooding,” Ditto explained.
After landing on Siberut Island, part of Mentawai Islands, Ditto had to walk 60 kilometers to reach the nearest uma (traditional Mentawai house), where a single family lives. He has traveled to Mentawai four times, with each length of stay lasting no more than 14 days.
Ditto said that although it was easy to bond with members of the Mentawai tribe, he advised that visitors hire a guide. “They’re very warm and welcoming to travelers, but they can’t speak Indonesian,” Ditto said. “I stayed under the same roof with them to understand how they felt. I also joined them in hunting for dinner, sailed on a boat and entered the forest.”
Ditto said he wanted to look deeper into Mentawai tattoos for his forthcoming project and travel to Merauke regency in Papua, Maluku, and Timor in East Nusa Tenggara. He plans to document his journey, including his time in Mentawai, in a book about Indonesia. (wng)
