Sardono W. Kusumo e The Family of Man and the Sea a Venezia

Sardono W. Kusumo and The Family of Man and the Sea in Venice In this paper, the author analyses the work by the Indonesian cho- reographer Sardono W. Kusumo, starting from the experience of his site-specific performance The Family of Man and the Sea. Sardono cre- ated this piece for the space of Squero on the island of San Giorgio in Venice, in October 2019. Choreographer, filmmaker, painter, ecol- ogist activist, lecturer, performer, and pedagogue, Sardono is also a politically active artist. The theme of this work is the sea meant as a space that connects and feeds people but also that destroys and kills them. In the creative process, he found inspiration in some very pow- erful images known for their intense visual effect by Delacroix and the Javanese Raden Saleh, as well as in the pictures and videos from tsunami that recently damaged Indonesia. The contemporary context is also present through the references, made during the choreographic process, to the tragedies of Boat People in Asia or to the situation of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean Sea.

L’autore analizza l’opera del coreografo indonesiano Sardono W. Kusumo a partire da The Family of Man and the Sea, un site-specific ideato per lo spazio dello Squero dell’Isola di San Giorgio a Venezia e andato in scena nell’ottobre 2019. Coreografo, film-maker, pitto- re, attivista ecologista, conferenziere, performer, pedagogo, Sardono, artista totale e civilmente impegnato, ha creato un’opera ispirata al tema del mare come elemento che unisce e nutre i popoli ma può anche distruggere e uccidere. Il coreografo prende le mosse da alcune immagini di forte impatto visivo: i quadri di Delacroix e del giavanese Raden Saleh, le foto e i video di alcuni tsunami che hanno colpito recentemente l’Indonesia. La contemporaneità è presente anche nel pensiero che Sardono ha rivolto, durante l’ideazione del progetto, alle tragedie dei boat people asiatici e dei migranti mediterranei.