> Words: shouted, blabbered, shattered in between the walls

Who Gets To See The Sun

Fransisca Angela, Indonesia 

An artificial island in Jakarta is currently being built on land reclamation. The project development spans 4 apartments, 7-shopping centers, 8 commercial sites, and 10 residential areas. All of which are connected through four bridges crossing the sea. With the ongoing development, the island opens its door to seek potential buyers while offering a short break to experience the calmness of the coast.

Following the completion of confinement restriction due to covid-19, a new outdoor trend went booming amongst urban dwellers in Jakarta. In the morning, this area was filled with people pedaling their bike in search of calmness in the midst of a global pandemic. Ironically, accesses are only granted for those who either have owned a property or befriend with someone who lives in the residential area.

Who Gets To See The Sun is a docu-fiction that document the dystopian nature of an undeveloped artificial island made from land reclamation and to show how climate change is affecting economic classes differently on a global scale.

The quiet visual and fastness of the land intended to portray the necessity of a place. The bridge and the artificial island act as a metaphor of a safe space for people who could afford to pay. While the sea remain as a threat for low class people who are living in the coastal area.

I want to reimagine a space that can bring people together; I realized that we’ve only got each other.

P.S. This series was all shot from the bike.

Biography

Fransisca Angela (b.1993) is a Chinese-Indonesian visual maker based in Jakarta whose practice combines documentary photography with a personal narrative approach. As someone who has a dual identity, she uses photography to deal with questions that she has through her life or the life of others. Her stories often revolve around people and places in relation to identity and society. In 2018, her first photo zine called In Transit: 23 was published by Kamboja Press using a risograph method.

Her inspiration comes from the community that she grows together with. Especially after being a participant of the 15th Angkor Photo Festival Workshop in 2019. It opens up her thinking that everyone have their own unique voice.

Presently, Fransisca is the Program Manager of Jakarta International Photography Festival. In 2020, she received a scholarship to attend No Man’s Land by VII Academy.