Common Room

Common Room applies artistic strategies to disaster risk reduction in the Cipatagelar indigenous community in rural West Java. The non-profit’s work blends personal and symbolic artworks with multidisciplinary projects that merge art, culture, information communication technology, and digital media.

In Sawen Lembur, Arum Dayu and Yoyo Yogasmana depict protection rituals that seek to ward off bad spirits from homes and surrounding villages across the Banten Kidul indigenous compound. The School of Community Networksproject supports the development of community-based internet infrastructure in remote areas across nine provinces. In Mangrove Hacklab, Common Room plans to tackle tidal floods impacting residents of Lembar Selatan Village, working in collaboration with village leaders as well as regional and local authorities. Proposed activities include developing early warning systems for tidal floods using internet-connected (IoT) sensors and smartphones, and strengthening mangrove conservation efforts through ecotourism and mangrove friendly aquaculture activities for local residents.

Yayasan Mitra Ruang Kolektif, also known as Common Room Networks Foundation (Common Room), is a non-profit organization based in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Founded in 2006 as the Bundung Center for New Media Arts, Common Room’s work spans a vast area of activities aimed at creating a space for civic empowerment and freedom of expression by facilitating multidisciplinary projects that bring together art, culture, science, media, and technology. Since 2013, Common Room has partnered with national and international actors to establish a platform for rural-urban collaboration that emphasizes innovation, creativity, and social entrepreneurship.