Hysteria – Humans are creatures who like to play (homo ludens) indeed. Practically since birth man has destine to have an instinct to play. Age playis almost certainly as old as human civilization itself. Passion to play is often synonymous with children’s behavior, though in truth there is no age restriction on the game involvement. Of course we still remember the game in our childhood. For someone that has experiences of living in the village, its still fresh in the memories howthe excitement of gobak Sodor, hide and seek, hopscotch, ship toy made of zinc, tops (gasing) and much more. As the development of the age, these games are often forgotten. Its not impossible if many children nowadays are unfamiliar with this game because accustomed to Playstation or even online gaming.
Recalling the spirit of the traditional game is what ultimately selected by Karamba Art Movement and students from art major of Semarang State University as their exhibition theme in Grobak A(r)t Kos, Stonen street / 29, Sampangan Semarang (December 29th, 2010). Various traditional toys reappear in different versions. There is some toys displayed as it is, visualized with two-dimensional and some are made in the excessive size (eg giant top or gasing). Tribute to the traditional toy apparently agreed by young artists as a major issue of their exhibition. Besides evoke memories and nostalgia, this exhibition aims also to learn the local wisdom contained in each game. There are sportsmanship, activity, collectivity, and independence is contained in the traditional toys. This differs from the Playstation that have limited interaction and without any significant movements.
However, it seems not obvious what the critical message conveyed by these artists. Toys are presented as mere artifacts without any analyses. Memorabilia simply outspread and has not been studied more seriously and critical. Of course their experience and knowledge will affect how they play the visual signs in the future. Does not mean necessarily the exhibition becomes unattractive, it’s just that the issues isnt so well-explored. The coloring of local urban toys that held was quite fresh and worth watching.
