Tanah Merah
Jatiwangi, Indonesia, 2025
film
Tanah Merah (Red Clay) is a film about the beauty and rhythm of the terracotta roof tile-making process. The film was shot in Jatiwangi, West Java, Indonesia, where a strong culture and tradition surrounding terracotta is prevalent, and which is home to many jebors (roof tile factories). The architecture of bamboo and roof tiles, nestled among the rice paddies, and the relationship between the worker and the clay make the jebor a special place.
The film shows the various steps in the production process, from raw clay to baked roof tiles. Each step is a process of repetition, but each step has a different rhythm: the movement of the hands, the rhythm of the press, and the repetition of the action. Because it is a human process, there are moments when the rhythm is interrupted or adjusted. The film reveals the beauty of both the attention to repetition and of unexpected change. It invites you to look and listen attentively to the rhythm and sound of the clay.
The music in the film was created using live scoring. The musicians of Cabletrack responded live to the images of the film. Improvising on the terracotta and roof tile instruments, a new interaction emerges between the rhythm of the images and the sound.
The screening was held on November 28, 2025, at the jebor (roof tile factory) where the film was shot, accompanied by live music. The audience included factory workers, who watched themselves in the film. Behind the screen lay the mountain of clay that appears in the film, and the remains of that day's work were placed around the audience. That evening, the images of the clay, the music of the terracotta, and the factory's surroundings all came together.
The film Tanah Merah is a collaboration with music duo Cabletrack by Tedi Nurmanto & Yussan Ahmad Fauzi. And was made possible by Jatiwangi art Factory.
Jatiwangi, Indonesia, 2025
film
Tanah Merah (Red Clay) is a film about the beauty and rhythm of the terracotta roof tile-making process. The film was shot in Jatiwangi, West Java, Indonesia, where a strong culture and tradition surrounding terracotta is prevalent, and which is home to many jebors (roof tile factories). The architecture of bamboo and roof tiles, nestled among the rice paddies, and the relationship between the worker and the clay make the jebor a special place.
The film shows the various steps in the production process, from raw clay to baked roof tiles. Each step is a process of repetition, but each step has a different rhythm: the movement of the hands, the rhythm of the press, and the repetition of the action. Because it is a human process, there are moments when the rhythm is interrupted or adjusted. The film reveals the beauty of both the attention to repetition and of unexpected change. It invites you to look and listen attentively to the rhythm and sound of the clay.
The music in the film was created using live scoring. The musicians of Cabletrack responded live to the images of the film. Improvising on the terracotta and roof tile instruments, a new interaction emerges between the rhythm of the images and the sound.
The screening was held on November 28, 2025, at the jebor (roof tile factory) where the film was shot, accompanied by live music. The audience included factory workers, who watched themselves in the film. Behind the screen lay the mountain of clay that appears in the film, and the remains of that day's work were placed around the audience. That evening, the images of the clay, the music of the terracotta, and the factory's surroundings all came together.
The film Tanah Merah is a collaboration with music duo Cabletrack by Tedi Nurmanto & Yussan Ahmad Fauzi. And was made possible by Jatiwangi art Factory.
film still - 04:42
film still - 08:10
film still - 11:56
film still - 13:18
On November 28 2025 the film screening was held at the roof tile factory SUPER FAJAR JATIWANGI in Jatiwangi, Indonesia. The same place where the film was shot.
Photos by Prabowo Setyadi and Alma Noxa
Photos by Prabowo Setyadi and Alma Noxa
