Sound of X Jakarta: Invisible Comfort by Lie Indra Perkasa & John Navid

Invisible Comfort is part of the digital project Sound of X, an initiative highlighting video soundscapes created by artists and musicians. Using sounds, noises and acoustics as the basis for their urban re-imaginations, artists and musicians explore their sonic environment to propose a unique way to reconnect with the cities and spaces we live in, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced people all over the world into isolation.

While working on this project, Indra Perkasa and John Navid travelled around all the corners of Jakarta, in search of the lost comfort. One thing that they discovered is that most comfort, which they used to know in the past are actually still there, hidden in plain sight. You may not always see it coming, but you can still hear it among the crowd, between the routines.

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Sound of X was initiated by the Goethe-Institut as an international, digital project before the coronavirus crisis struck. In its first phase, artists from Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand were invited to capture their hometown in a short video, without words, solely based on sounds, and local acoustics that are condensed into a musical work.

The resulting video soundscapes address diverse urban and cultural identities, across different localities in regional and global contexts, each performing its own sonic complexity and perspective on their urban environment.

In times of isolation, social distancing and severe travel restrictions, Sound of X offers a unique way to explore distant places through artistic contributions.