Yoshi Fajar Kresno Murti is an architect, archivist, activist, and gardener residing in Yogyakarta. However, his multi-discipline commitments are based on his involvement in organizing, documenting, and advocating urban villages as space and social entities. In 2000–2008, he worked in Yayasan Pondok Rakyat, and became a lecturer in some universities. In 2009–2016, he worked as the Program Research and Development Coordinator in the Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA), and now he becomes the Foundation Director for IVAA. Together with his friends, he built Sekolah Budaya mBrosot in Kulonprogo, Museum Bergerak 65, and Galeri Lorong.
He has been developing Ugahari (literally means ‘moderate’), which is an architectural practice that has social-environmental, relational, resource-based, and process-oriented nature since 2008. Employing anarchy as the perspective, Ugahari architecture aims to take over the space production authority back to those who live in that particular space. Yoshi’s writings can be found in Katalog Data pada Seni dan Isu Sosial (IVAA 2011), Pating Tlecek Ruang Arsitektur (2012), Performing Contemporary Indonesia (2015) titled “Babad Kampung: Merayakan Sejarah dan Identitas Kampung” in Yogyakarta, and Halaman Rumah (2017) titled “Urbanisme Halaman Rumah”. His editorial works can be read in Arsipelago: Archival Work & Archiving Art and Culture in Indonesia (2014).
Yoshi presented the installation, space, event/momentum, and deconstruction of hotels as well as our way of thinking about space (in Southeast Asian region). His work presented a conceptual installation of a hotel by providing several bedrooms, shared bathrooms/toilets, selfie spots, and relaxing porch. Through his works, Yoshi was responding the site specific around the hotel construction area in Yogyakarta. He wanted to invite us to “challenge” the standard, corporation-based global hotel concept, serving as the center of all things. With the extreme conditions in the region (riverbanks, roadside crowds, city centers, sidewalks, etc.), this work was established conceptually, contextually, and responsively to the socio-cultural-political-economic challenges of the region, along with all its technical problems.
Photo source: diy.c2o-library.net
