Atarashii Historia

Year of Production: 2025
Format: Participatory Installation
Size: Variable
Materials: Mixed Media

Atarashii Historia is an interactive artwork created through a collaborative project between artist Imai and the educational organization Kampung Lali Gadget in Sidoarjo, Indonesia.
The work combines the Indonesian traditional song-based game “Jamuran”, Indonesian traditional foods, and Imai’s own work “Human Norimaki,” merging the play cultures and traditions of both countries into a single participatory experience.

In this project, the instructions within the play are transformed so that participants “become” one of four traditional dishes: three from Indonesia—Wedang (herbal medicinal tea), Lapis (layered steamed cake), and Ingkung (whole chicken ceremonial dish)—and one from Japan—Sushi.
Each dish has four units, allowing 16 participants to play simultaneously.

The work was exhibited at the East Java Biennale (Biennale Jatim) in Gresik, Indonesia, from August 24 to September 20, 2025.

About the Title “Atarashii Historia”

The title Atarashii Historia is a coined phrase combining the Japanese word for “new” (atarashii) and the Indonesian word for “history” (historia).
In Japanese, it can be read as “Atarashii Rekishi,” and in Indonesian, as “Historia yang baru.”

The naming originated from an experience during Imai’s cultural research in Indonesia.
While visiting a museum dedicated to traditional Indonesian games, she encountered exhibits documenting the history of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia—a moment that prompted deep reflection.
When she shared the complexity of this history with members of Kampung Lali Gadget, they responded:
“We can create a new history.”

Inspired by this idea—that through cultural, educational, and artistic collaboration, people can shape a “new history” together—the project and artwork were titled Atarashii Historia and developed as a starting point for that shared vision.

Play Video

A video showing how the games are played (with Japanese subtitles).
It explains how each food element is used in the play experience.

Composition of Atarashii Historia

This work is inspired by Satsuki Imai’s signature piece Human Norimaki.
The composition consists of:

the traditional Indonesian singing game Jamuran, and
a set of three-dimensional sculptural pieces modeled after Indonesian and Japanese dishes, created as new tools for reimagining and playing Jamuran.

Element ①: Jamuran

Jamuran is a traditional play in which participants walk in a circle while singing.
A leader standing at the center gives instructions such as “Form pairs and give each other a piggyback ride!” or
“Form groups of three and turn into a truck!”
Participants then cooperate with the people around them to complete each instruction.

Nizar, who participated in this project, also said in an interview:
“Jamuran has a kind of cycle of life within it, and it expresses growth.”

Element ②: Four Foods from Indonesia and Japan

In this project, we incorporated “food” from two countries—Indonesia and Japan—as core elements of the work.
From Japan: Norimaki (seaweed roll sushi).
From Indonesia: Wedang, a traditional herbal tea; Lapis, a steamed layer cake; and Ingkung, a whole chicken dish served at religious ceremonies.

Just like my own work, Human Norimaki, we created these elements at a scale that allows a person to physically enter and “become” the dish. To ensure many people could participate, we made four sets of each food, resulting in 16 pieces total, so that 16 participants could play at once.

Norimaki (Seaweed Roll)

A traditional Japanese dish. Rice is spread flat over a sheet of seaweed (nori), topped with ingredients such as egg, tuna, or kanpyo (dried gourd), and then rolled into a cylindrical shape.

Lapis

A traditional Indonesian steamed rice cake.
It is characterized by its beautiful, colorful layered stripes.

Wedang

A traditional Indonesian herbal tea. It is a nourishing drink made with local herbs such as ginger, cardamom, and cloves, all commonly used in Indonesian traditional beverages.

Ingkung

A traditional Indonesian ceremonial dish made using a whole chicken.
It is typically served on a large round bamboo tray called tampah, woven from bamboo.

■ Ingredients / Components

① Human Norimaki
Participants run toward the norimaki, one person lies down on the rice mat, and the others roll them up with force, creating a giant “Human Norimaki.”
The seaweed was made from leftover fabric found at Kampung Lali Gadget.
The rice was made from both recycled styrofoam and newly purchased styrofoam—1,200 grains in total.
The fillings were produced by local craftspeople who usually work on cushion covers and similar products in Indonesia.

② Wedang

Participants hold elements of Wedang—ginger, cinnamon, and other herbal ingredients—and enter a large cup inspired by the marble-patterned cups often used for Wedang.
A participant holding lemongrass stirs inside the cup, just like making real tea.
The cup was made using printed fabric, while the ginger and lemongrass were crafted from recycled cardboard and other materials.

③ Lapis

Lapis is a traditional Indonesian steamed cake characterized by colorful layers.
Participants each enter a sleeping-bag-like fabric based on a single layer color.
They lie down and press their bodies together to form a Lapis.
The closer they stick together, the more it resembles real Lapis—resulting in lots of laughter.
The fabrics were purchased at a market in Sidoarjo and sewn by the mother of Iefandi, the representative of Kampung Lali Gadget, who works professionally as a tailor.

④ Ingkung

Ingkung is a traditional Javanese dish consisting of a whole chicken.
One participant becomes the finished chicken dish, while another fans them to cool them down.
The 1.5-meter bamboo plate—called tampah—was custom-made from scratch by bamboo craftsmen in the city.

展示

Project Documentation

Throughout approximately one month—from August 9 to September 11—we conducted meetings, site surveys, material gathering, production, playtesting, video editing, installation, exhibition, and the final participatory event.
Here, the process is shown in chronological order.

Meeting at Kampung Lali Gadget

Immediately after arriving in Indonesia, we began meetings.
I had sent preliminary documents beforehand, but the Kampung Lali Gadget team (Irfandi, Nizar, Gista, Alfian, Dany) expanded on them and proposed several new ideas.

Site Visit

We visited the exhibition venue, Pudak Gallery Gresik.
Since the site is near the coast, local fishermen kindly served us lunch.

Second Meeting → Material Search

After visiting the venue, we met again to refine ideas for materials and began sourcing them.
The first place we visited was a recycling depot.
Unused corrugated cardboard and other materials were available at very low prices.
Because these types of depots do not exist in Japan, this was a refreshing and inspiring experience.

Artwork Production

Creating four sets each of Human Norimaki, Lapis, Wedang, and Ingkung—a total of 16 pieces—was a major challenge in terms of volume.
With help from the Kampung Lali Gadget members and university interns, we completed the production in about two weeks.

For Human Norimaki, although we knew the method, we did not have the same materials as in Japan, so replicating the experience required much trial and error.
For the other three works, no one had ever made such objects before, so we repeatedly discussed:
“How should we create this?”
“How can we ensure safety while keeping it fun?”
Both aspects were carefully considered.

Commissioning Indonesian Craftspeople

Some components were made by local artisans.
The Norimaki fillings and the Ingkung bamboo tampah plates were specially commissioned.
The fabric artisans, who normally make cushions and bedcovers, tackled the unfamiliar right-angled shapes using their expertise.
The bamboo craftsmen—who usually make 30–40 cm plates—created four 1.5-meter plates in just a few days so that a person could sit inside.

Playtesting

Throughout production, we repeatedly conducted playtests.
We adjusted the Lapis fabric sizes and purchased new cloth,
changed the Wedang cup from a painted-cardboard structure to one covered with printed fabric,
and continued daily trial and error.

Completion of the Works

After completing the pieces, we conducted test plays and filming.

Video Editing

Since we had a team member with video production experience, we collaborated to edit the final video.

Preparing for Exhibition

We prepared for transportation to the venue, which is about two hours by car from Kampung Lali Gadget, and transported everything with the team.

Exhibition Opening

After successful installation, we participated in the opening event.

Member Interviews

We produced a video compiling interviews and activities of the main project members—
Irfandi and Nizar from Kampung Lali Gadget, and myself.
It includes conversations about how the project began, language and cultural barriers, balancing the project with Kampung Lali Gadget’s main business operations, and more.
(Video Director: Alfian)

Exhibition and Events at Biennale Jatim