Wukir Suryadi is one of the most recognisable figures on the Indonesian experimental scene – a musician, instrument maker and member of the duo Senyawa. His work balances between original instrument construction and performative intensity, which has earned him invitations to festivals and collaborations with artists from around the world.
Wukir’s roots lie in theatre: as a young artist, he collaborated on performances where he began to shape his approach to sound. It was his theatrical experience and work with local theatres and composers that shaped his understanding of sound as a tool for narration and resistance.
In his solo work, Wukir explores cycles, rituals and the voices of place – documented, among others, on the album Siklus dan Doa, which reveals the relationships between improvisation, field recordings and the social context of sound. His concerts and recordings are often like a spiritual practice and a conscious reflection on reality.
This interview aims to get to the heart of this practice: to ask about his theatrical beginnings, the process of constructing instruments, the role of field recordings and collaboration in shaping sound – and to find out how Wukir perceives music as a form of social memory and a tool for action.
Artur Mieczkowski
Artur Mieczkowski: How did your adventure with sound and instruments began – how much of it was a conscious choice, and how much was instilled by your passion for theatre?
Wukir Suryadi: It all started when I got assigned, as a musician, for “The Boor” – a one-act comedy drama created by Russian writer Anton Chekhov, and “Nakamitsu” – a classic Japanese drama script by Zeami (Seami) which is the adaptation of “Namaku Suto” – a famous poem by WS Rendra, who was the founder of Bengkel Teater Rendra, where I had the chance to collaborate with composer Iwayan Sandra while making the famous “Sobrat” play. I also worked as an illustrator of the 1-act drama script “Malam Jahanam” by Motinggo Boesje and the Tanah Malang Theater Tour titled “Roh”. Getting further into the musical exploration I started creating sound with the Surabayan “Kommoditas Luar Pasar” group. The above activities were carried out with full awareness, and the theater had a great impact on how the sound exploration process occurred.
A.M.: Repetition and ritual are important in your solo work – do you treat performance as a spiritual practice or rather as a tool for social reflection?
W.S.: As a tool for social reflection as well as an individual spiritual practice.
A.M.: The album Siklus dan Doa seems to talk about cycles, prayer and contemporary crises – what were your intentions with this album and how did the pandemic/global conflicts influence the material?
W.S.: The real intention was conveying audio documentation to the public about how limitations trigger the delivery of external and internal conditions, which is very susceptible to influence.
A.M.: You are socially and politically engaged through your music – do you think artists should comment on current issues (e.g. political repression, the environmental crisis) and how do you do this?
W.S.: Since almost all of my solo performances are improvised, impulses stemming from various issues—political reputations, ecological crises, etc.—become the impetus for creating sounds that represent them. Live, improvised performances become a way to express all these emotions.
A.M.: What does your recording practice look like: how much material is created through live improvisation, and how much is later edited and processed in the studio?
W.S.: 80 percent of the material is created through direct improvisation, 20 percent is about editing, it actually depends on the actual needs too.
A.M.: What is the role of field recordings and ‘voices of place’ in your sound narrative – do you care about the geographical contextualisation of individual recordings?
W.S.: The role of field recordings and ‘sounds of place’ in my narrative works as a connection with the natural world within – do I pay attention to the geographical contextualization of each individual recording?
In the future, geographical choices will be crucial for strengthening meaning beyond the sound itself, so I will definitely consider this if I’ll work out appropriate support for it.
A.M.: You have collaborated with artists such as Keiji Haino, Damo Suzuki and others – what did these encounters give you and how do they influence your solo work?
W.S.: Collaborating with them is like sharpening the courage to listen, accept, and then throw the sound back, so repeatedly until the sound grows like a snowball. The most noticeable influence on the solo is the honesty in recording, choosing the appropriate sound character is the freedom that is currently available.
A.M.: Please tell us about the Instrument Builders Project – what does working with other instrument makers mean to you, and how does this practice benefit local artistic communities?
W.S.: The project was curated by Kristi Monfries aka Halfjavannese and Joel Stren, I became their assistant co-curator, you can see it on the website ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition
For almost 1 month we carried out the process of building the installation, between visual artists and musicians. We opened the gallery during the process, so people could observe or talk with the artists who appeared there.
A.M.: How did the Senyawa duo come about, and what was your shared vision at the beginning? What guided you?
W.S.: From improvisation to documenting, more will come along with time. I just believed.
A.M.: In Senyawa, the relationship between your instruments and Rully Shabara’s voice sounds like a dialogue between two equal forces. What does your creative process look like – where does structure end and improvisation begin, and how do you build tension between sound and voice?
W.S.: We do it over and over again until we can measure how far the sound should be released, repeating it over and over again, until we are familiar with the character of the sound.
A.M.: Senyawa often sounds like a ritual – intense, physical, almost trance-like. Do you treat this project as a form of spiritual practice or contemporary ritual? What idea or energy do you want to convey through this music?
W.S.: No. Noise can lead to a deep understanding of anything according to each person’s imagination.
A.M.: Your album Pangkur Jeung Hujan Bedog, in collaboration with Jaydawn – what were the assumptions behind this project and how did the creative process differ from your previous works?
W.S.: It is an effort to document and dedicate the events of the local community’s struggle against government eviction.
The difference is how, when sound is tasked with wrapping, refracting, and releasing each agreed-upon bar and beat. In my personal process there is no agreement except with myself.
A.M.: What are you currently working on? What creative activities, recordings, and collaborations can we expect in the near future?
W.S.: Currently completing the audio recording with Matt Canaguier from Aluk Todolo, and several other collaborative projects, but this one’s the closest.
Preparing for a solo concert at Pendopo Cak Durasim Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. As a form of flashback artistic response to everything that is happening now, the title is “Titir”.
A.M.:
Thank you very much for the interview. I wish you the best of luck
with your plans.
W.S.: You’re welcome, Amiien.
Bandcamp Wukir Suryadi
Bandcamp Senyawa
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