Collaborations with Jeffrey Gan (US)
W139 Amsterdam, NL
2022
+
Cohen New Works Festival
Austin, TX, US
2021
+ Selematan for Austin
Jeffrey Gan and Helena Sanders connected over their shared Indo* (Dutch-Indonesian) identities and family, with all the complexities and (not so) nuanced expressions of Dutch, Indo, Indonesian, and American culture that entails. Jeffrey Gan is a US-based scholar, dramaturg, and researcher from San Diego, which is also home to a large community of Indos who resettled there from the Netherlands in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Jeff invited Helena to collaborate on two occasions as he was preparing for, and later in, the Netherlands doing PhD research on cultural expressions of Indo identity in community dance, performance, and popular culture.
Een Plaatsje in de Zon : a screening of a film of the same name produced by the Dutch government in 1961, and a potluck, hosted at W139, Amsterdam.
A propaganda documentary aimed at recent refugees from the former Dutch colonies of Indonesia, “Een Plaatsje in de Zon” (a little place in the sun) was directed by Jan Van Hilo with the intent to encourage tropical “repatriates” to abandon the Netherlands for the sunshine of the California coast.
60,000 people would make that choice. The newly-digitalized version of the film was screened for research and discussion purposed, and subtitled in English by Jeffrey Gan. The screening was held in the front of the W139 exhibition space, turned into an informal meeting and eating space for a few days to host gatherings and discussions, decorated with tropical plants and a record player with a collection of Indo rock records.
(Worth noting that during our promotion for the screening, a woman in California recognised her own recently-deceased Aunt in one of the film stills, and reached out to us. Her Aunt and her sisters had never seen the film and we were able to connect and share a photos, stories, and the film.)
Selematan for Austin : An online cooking show hosted by Jeffrey for Cohen New Works Festival in Austin, TX.
A ‘selematan’ is a Javanese name for communal feasts held during important events and celebrations. They often feature a giant, impressive “tumpeng” rice cone. It’s an act of sharing and gratitude. Throughout Selematan for Austin, Jeffrey held an online remote cooking show, asking family members and Indo friends to share favorite recipes while they cooked together from their respective kitchens - Jeffrey in Texas, others scattered around the globe during the final days of pandemic lockdown.
Helena (from her tiny kitchen in Amsterdam) shared a ubiquitous Dutch-Indo recipe for Sate Ayam (chicken satay) Madura, made with as many pre-packaged Dutch grocery chain store ingredients she could find at the Albert Heijn. The flavours of “home” we grow up with are so often experienced through these hybrid products as a result of regional tastes, global travel and time. Conimex Brand peanut sauce and bami flavour packets were the taste Helena grew up with back in Texas, an imported product by way of the Netherlands made for Dutch people who like Indonesian food without too much hot spice.
*Indo is a recognised identity which referres to people of the former Dutch East Indies (Dutch-occupied Indonesia) who were of mixed Indonesian and Dutch descent, and to their descendants.
Date