Sustainability in art doesn't always come in the form of green landscapes or even explicit environmental messages. At ARTJOG 2026: ARS LONGA: GENERATION, the idea actually emerged through wells, corn husks, plastic waste, and textiles that are able to respond to touch.
The following three works show how “blankets” sustainable can present a work in different ways. Some discuss the community's right to water, others revive discarded materials, and still others weave a connection between technology, tradition, and ecology.
Sinaba Well: Protecting Water, Maintaining Life Together
Through Sinaba WellSirin Farid Stevy and Paseduluran Nandur Banyu present two contrasting depictions of wells. The first well is constructed of limestone, wood, jugs, and other objects reminiscent of traditional life. The other, a metal well structure filled with plastic bottles, gallon jugs, and everyday consumer packaging, is a striking example of this.
This contrast demonstrates the changing way people view water. Once, wells were communal spaces cared for by communities. Now, water is increasingly available in packaging, entering distribution systems, and then being traded as a commodity.
This work stems from the activities of the Paseduluran Nandur Banyu (Nandur Banyu) group in Gunungkidul, which plants conservation trees, maintains water sources, and explores local knowledge. Through wells, they challenge the narrative that Gunungkidul is solely suffering from water shortages. The issues also concern management, access, and land use change.
Here, plastic is not just a symbol of waste, but a sign that the common source of life is slowly shifting into a product that must be purchased.
Resonance: When Waste Has a Voice Again
Dahana Rupa Interior Lab. BINUS Jakarta invites visitors to enter a corridor made from recycled plastic, textile waste, corn husks, natural dyes, and various other materials.
Titled ResonanceThis installation goes beyond visual perception. Visitors can feel the texture of the material, smell its aroma, and hear the sound of dry corn husks rubbing together. Waste, usually discarded from everyday life, is reinvented as a bodily experience.
The materials used in this work come from industrial waste, markets, and commercial areas around West Jakarta. Plastic, food waste, and used clothing reflect the rapid pace of urban consumption patterns.
However, this work does not simply say that trash can be turned into something beautiful. Resonance questioning how humans place value on objects. Materials considered useless actually hold history, function, and new possibilities.
Sustainability also exists as an effort to understand the journey of an object, from when it is produced, used, discarded, until it is finally passed on to the next generation.
Knitwork: Weaving Technology, Tradition, and Ecology
In a blue room, six textile panels over seven meters high rise like futuristic mountains. That's it. Knitwork by Irmandy Wicaksono, an installation made from recycled polyester, spandex, thermoplastic, and conductive thread.
The textile isn't a passive object. Its conductive fibers can respond to visitors' touch and movement, and then directly activate sound. The fabric acts as a link between the human body and the digital system.
Inspired by the wayang mountains, each panel imagines a different future world: solar-powered cities, underwater life, biotechnology, outer space, and even a meeting between mythological creatures and robots.
Knitwork expand the discussion about sustainabilitySustainability isn't just about using recycled materials, but also about the kind of technology humans want to build. Will technology further distance us from nature, or will it help us foster a more sensitive relationship?
These three works demonstrate that art can provide a platform for a broader perspective on environmental issues. Sustainability isn't just about waste management, but also about preserving resources, local knowledge, culture, and intergenerational relationships. At ARTJOG 2026, the future isn't just imagined; it's questioned and then woven together.
