Dear friends,

sorry for this standardized information letter, but my computer starts to fail and I want to inform all of you who helped to realize this idea fast about our progress at this point. The first and most difficult part of creating this 'sanggar` has ended. The house exists with three rooms to sleep, a small stage, a garden with flowers and ponds, fish and vegetables for our food. The first small work hall is on its way to be constructed. Now we have to find out what we can do with this so fortunate situation. I hope the ideas I am suggesting here, serve only as an inspiration to continue to think. This house is now our responsibility. How to make it work for us in the best, most exciting and economic way?

I. THE IDEA FOR THIS SANGGAR

1. The traditional Balinese artists or groups, like Pak Sija should be able to use this house as a work and rehearsal space to remember and develop performances which are about to neglected and forgotten. They could use this international forum to relate in form of theater and related arts their specific religious philosophies and ways of living.

2. The house could inspire young Indonesian artists to play and perform for or with our foreign artists, exchanging their experience and forms of expression in workshops, discussion or performances. These mostly very brief meetings, our guests travel with a tight schedule, should be documented on video and tape. Our guests should be allowed to take these recordings to enjoy them at home with their friends. This hopefully inspires them to come back for a longer period to seriously work.

3. The house could enable artists and performers from different countries to create with or without the help of Balinese artists, as one cultural unit or mixing with each other as they feel necessary. These productions could be shown abroad.

4. Artists could create scripts, concepts, compositions or work in the field of fine arts individually and independent. We should have enough material, such as tools, paint, paper, music instruments, masks, video and tapes and books to help our guest to start their work.

II. FOR THE BEGINNING

1. For our artistic work we bought some tools for carving wood and stone, simple equipment for painting, a still very small library for books and super 8mm video films, (really very small). Rick Emmert donated an excellent DAT tape deck and many empty cassettes to record events and Yukari Nakajima a Walkman to make copies for friends to take home. Some of this home made music programs are already copied and delivered.

2. In September 1989 we discussed with Pak Sija to prepare a small production for the opening of this new house and for our project AWAKENING. This dance-drama opened April 1. 1990 to inaugurate the SANGGAR PARIPURNA and was shown again on April 15. 1990 in the Temple of Batur.

Pak Sija and his group created a very interesting, even for Balinese a new performance, but rooted in his tradition and philosophy. The production became very big, helped by about a hundred people on stage as dancers and music group. We supplied donations to help buying the shirts for the group, wood to create masks, and to assist the creation of the costumes. The production was not presented in our new house but in a rented hall, since it cannot hold such an enormous production in respect to actors and equipment and big audiences.

3. During the same time we discussed and tried a small event describing in songs, music and improvised actions a day in the life of a Balinese armer. We found that there are songs from the sunrise to night, from birth to death. We are trying to understand the text to translate them into English to help us understand the tradition of the people we live with here in the village, to learn about their thinking, fears, happiness and philosophy.

Other programs could be suggested to Pak Sija so he can help us to appreciate his culture even more. Discussions with friends who already visited this house showed that there are many other possibilities, such as seminars of artists of specific fields, collaboration with foundations abroad, in order to supply study grants for artists to visit Bali, or maybe assist Indonesian artist to visit other countries. But I am sure many ideas better than these may develop. We are present here, when we come and use this place to our advantage. If we don't come it will be fruitless and empty center. I want to really thank everyone very much and hope to hear from you soon.

III. FINANCES

Enclosed you find a list of the donations which were send or brought and a list of our expenses til April 15.1990. From funds we still have we will start to build the first work-hall and pay the elctricity when it finally will be installed. The areas which are not built yet are serving meanwhile as a vegetable garden. In the ponds around the house and in the back we raise fish. Hopefully we can eat soon from this nature.(potatoes, peanuts, corn, all kind of vegetable, fish, pigs, ducks and chicken and others)

Our guests since December 13.89: