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'Prepper' art: Benny Wicaksono imagines SF-art hybrid for dystopian future
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'Prepper' tech: Benny Wicaksono models his cyborg-like mask, 'Proyek Insitu', which was inspired by the masks people wear for protection against COVID-19. (JP/Ivan Darski) (JP/Ivan Darski)
New media artist Benny Wicaksono presents a “prepper” perspective through pieces that anticipate a dystopian future.
Benny Wicaksono always seems to have something new to share.
The living legend of new media art was clad in his “signature” all-black attire, his eyes peering out from behind thick-framed glasses beneath a crop of unruly gray hair, holding his latest project, a cyborg-like mask, when he met The Jakarta Post on Oct. 1, 2021 at his residence on Jl. Siwalankerto in Surabaya, East Java.
“I spend my days daydreaming and taking notes, down to the most random thing. Because imagination can arrive at any time, I always carry paper to take notes and assemble the fragments of my work. Basically, I'm writing down whatever craziness I might [spit out]," he said, laughing loudly.
Benny is unlike the majority of people. While most of us were self-isolating during the pandemic, he was walking another, creative path. He considers the pandemic “a historic moment” that would go to waste if he didn’t create something to mark the occurrence. Over the past year, Benny has created two pandemic-inspired works: Proyek Insitu (in situ project) and Japamantra (repeated mantra).
COVID-19 and our response to it is the obvious common thread winding through the two works. Proyek Insitu is the cyborg-like full face mask made from electronic waste, while Japamantra is based on a traditional Javanese practice to evoke a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
"Because during a pandemic, humans compete to survive through the chaos caused by the virus. Perhaps these designs will be useful in the future. If the pandemic doesn't subside, or happens again in the future, we have prepared ourselves as well as possible," said Benny, explaining the “why” behind the two works.
