A Reputable and Limitless New Media

It starts as a young community, with various backgrounds and ideals. They want to do whatever they wish, but with a natural inclination to create by the spirit of togetherness. There is no ambition to work simply for personal profit. They create for themselves, their family, and their environment. This is the basis for the first actions and commitment between them.

The house of natural fiber, Yogyakarta, is a New Media art laboratory, founded in 1999. They concentrate on the principles of critique and innovation. Since the beginning, the house of natural fiber has consistently focused on cultural development and New Media art, running numerous New Media art projects and workshops. In every project we concentrate on interactivity with people and environments. Thinking forward, positive and creative is becoming a vision for this community. In the implementation of this vision, in every program, they work towards the development of art with technology. This desire to contemplate the future of technology and art, is an important endeavour for the technology itself.

Venzha seeks to have a limitless space in which to experiment various ideas, working to realize his vision. With Irene “Ira” Agrivina, Istasius “Itaz” and Tommy “imot” Surya, he begins to work together, in response to great ideas in their community. Venzha is an interior designer who is technology and UFO maniac. Ira is a fashion designer, who likes reading and writing poetry. Itaz is a graphic-designer, who is a skilled comics artist. Imot is a VJ who working on web and interactivity projects.

The basic idea is to communicate something about New Media that focuses on limitless ideas, neglecting whether outcomes belong to an ‘art’ scene or not. Venzha believes everything can be an art and everyone can make a work of art, with various forms and definitions. It is legal throughout the reason and its responsibility in it. Even though finally Venzha and his community make some works interactivity projects, technology research, media art festival, DIY gathering, workshops, media performances, lecturing, electronic music movement, etc, this is perhaps because of their bargaining position, drawing on from their various supporting backgrounds.

Their concern with the younger community is expressed though the Education Focus Program (EFP), which proposes various workshops for children, and ‘newcomers’ to New Media technologies. It is also simply about sharing a vision, and not neglecting the surroundings one works in. This environment sustains them, as people and as artists, to continue working and living.

The house of natural fiber is merely a name created by Venzha, for a place to share ideas and to make something real while it has a purpose and use for people and their environment. The concept of this community is not to become a permanent group with a static membership and a leader, but rather to focus on an awareness of integrity in doing anything which is meaningful to them and their surroundings. This awareness allows Venzha to encourage everybody to freely join in. The only commitment is to work together. This freedom has allowed the community to survive to the present day. People join in as their lives allow them, and leave if the need arises, which is only natural.

Many are and were involve(d) on every HONF projects. collaborators, artists, scientists, professors, communities, activists, practitioners, students, institutions, universities, schools etc.

Text edited by Olivier Krischer (AUS/FR, media artist)