Figure 1. Theoretical framework and proposed contribution for the research. Image credit: Ardhana Riswarie.

 

Centering the Community in Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Action

Ardhana Riswarie

My journey into exploring the intersection of art therapy and disaster preparedness began in 2009 with my undergraduate project working with children affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in Banda Aceh. This experience, combined with volunteer work in West Sumatra following an earthquake that same year, established the foundation for my future work. After training as an art therapist, I surprisingly found myself drawn back to community work in disaster contexts while teaching at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia, rather than pursuing a typical clinical practice career.

From 2018 to 2023, I participated in various post-disaster projects supported by ITB’s community service grants. In 2019, I began considering contributions to disaster mitigation and preparedness, leading to my work in Cikahuripan Village during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Cikahuripan Village in West Bandung Regency faces unique challenges. Home to over 13,000 people, it sits between Mount Tangkuban Perahu and the active Lembang fault, making it vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite government initiatives like the “Disaster-Ready Village” program in 2016 and the formation of local disaster management organizations, the village struggles with sustaining long-term improvements.

My work in Cikahuripan evolved over three years, from creating a children’s book in 2020 to supporting a community-led village festival in 2022 (Fig 2). These experiences highlighted critical areas for exploration: the evolution of community arts practices in Indonesia, the complex relationship between humans and nature in peri-urban areas, and the challenge of defining community resilience and agency.

Figure 2. Previous projects in Cikahuripan (2020-2022) funded by ITB | 2020: a children’s book; 2021: a co-designed blueprint for Disaster Awareness Tourism in Cikahuripan; 2022: Village Festival for the 102nd Anniversary of Cikahuripan Village. Image credit: Nabila Yasmin and Ardhana Riswarie.

 

Despite existing critiques, I believe community arts practice remains relevant and worthy of exploration within the Indonesian context. The proliferation of these movements demonstrates the dynamic nature of civic engagement in Indonesia. As the country navigates global trends in community arts, including potential ‘gentrification’ of social practices, a more nuanced, self-reflective approach is essential – one that harmonizes ethical considerations with artistic integrity, authentically empowers participants, and responds to both local needs and global discourses.

I also believe that the ‘disenchantment’ of nature has manifested in Indonesia through modernization and development processes that can be viewed as contemporary colonialism. These processes have led to the systematic disenfranchisement of local communities, particularly in peri-urban areas, through prioritizing corporate interests, displacing Indigenous peoples, and allowing uncontrolled development. This systemic disenfranchisement fosters a disconnect from nature and a perceived inability to effect change, contributing to environmental indifference.

To effectively build resilience, communities must practice care in ways that acknowledge and work through the challenges they face. This involves holding ambivalence – recognizing tensions between affective care and practical action, hope and despair, individual and collective responsibilities. By embracing care practices that acknowledge these tensions, communities can develop more nuanced approaches to managing vulnerability in both short and long term.

For my PhD research, I am employing Socially Engaged Art as a methodology to generate knowledge by actively involving communities and addressing social issues (Fig 1). I explore how artistic practices can provide marginalized communities with space for creation and reflection on environmental concerns. By integrating climate justice principles, this approach highlights the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits while promoting community-led initiatives that address both ecological sustainability and social equity – engaging communities on immediate concerns while building resilience to long-term environmental challenges.

 

 

Posted by Elyssa Sykes-Smith.
  • Ardhana Riswarie is an ANZACATA-credentialed art therapist and a lecturer at the Faculty of Art and Design, Insitut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia. Her PhD research at the Australian National University explores how community arts can cultivate environmental agency, with a focus on people living in peri-urban areas.
  • Elyssa Sykes-Smith is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and climate psychology researcher, and Media Officer at AHNNA.