JRSSEM 2023, Vol. 02, No. 6, 1203 – 1220

E-ISSN: 2807 - 6311, P-ISSN: 2807 - 6494

DOI : 10.36418/jrssem.v2i06.390 https://jrssem.publikasiindonesia.id/index.php/jrssem/index

KAMPUNG PELANGI SEMARANG AS SPECTACLE OF CITY

LANDSCAPE

Sherley Ika Christanti

Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

e-mail: sherley.ika@ui.ac.id

*Correspondence: sherley[email protected]

Submitted

: 15

December 2023

Revised

: 04

January 2023

Accepted

: 27

January 2023

Abstract: Kampung Pelangi is one of the trends used to dress up several villages in Indonesia so

that they have selling points to help the community develop more in advancing their villages. The

villages that become Pelangi villages have quite similar types of village problems, namely villages

that are densely populated with the majority of the population being the lower middle class. This

ward is located by the river and has a hillside site and is in the center of the city. This gave rise to a

phenomenon where an urban village became an object of public spectacle. Coupled with easy

digital access to promote goods for sale, including the beauty of the village, this has made the

village an object to be watched and enjoyed rather than simply defined as a place to live. What is

witnessed or shown is a scenario planned by the community and the village government, by

looking for the potential that exists in people's lives, then raised and highlighted as the attraction

of the village spectacle. This paper discusses how Kampung in Indonesia developed within the

scope of the city of Semarang and ended up becoming a trend of dressing up as a village in the

modern era with the case study of Kampung Pelangi to reveal the extent to which the level of

spectacle created in reality in urban areas. villages in Indonesia seen from the Kampung Pelangi

phenomenon.

Keywords: Kampung Pelangi; Spectacle; Modern kampung; City.

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1204

INTRODUCTION

In the last decade, there has been a

trend to dress up kampung in cities so that

they have a selling point and help the

community develop their kampung. The

kampung development towards Kampung

tourism included in government

regulations about the development of

village tourism, Minister of Culture and

Tourism Regulation Number: Pm.26/

Um.001/ Mkp/ 2010 Pedoman Umum

Program Nasional Pemberdayaan

Masyarakat (PNPM) Independent Tourism

Through Tourism village. In this case,

kampungs are treated as equals to villages.

Implementing this policy will certainly

have a different impact on each kampung.

Looking at the various efforts of the

government and the society to beautify

their kampung so that tourists can visit,

makes a phenomenon where kampungs are

transformed into a public spectacle object.

Coupled with easy digital access to

promote goods, it has increasingly caused

a kampung to become an object to watch

and enjoy, more than just its definition as a

place to live. What is watched or shown is a

scenario planned by the community and

the government for the kampung, by

looking for the potential that exists in the

community's life, then raised and

highlighted as a spectacle point of

attraction for the kampung, while the

community is obliged to adapt to this new

thing.

Guy Debord said that "In societies

where modern conditions of production

prevail, all life presents as an immense

accumulation of

spectacles

. Everything that

was directly lived has moved away into a

representation." (Debord, 1967) The

modern spectacle in question describes the

response given by society to that

environment. Reality depends on how

society interprets the image. This image is

created from the 'face' of the kampung

which is dressed up by the people who are

triggered by the authorities or the

government so the city’s face becomes

more beautiful.

One of the kampungs to be discussed

is the rainbow kampung. The Kampung

Pelangi is one of the solutions to the

kampung renovation that the government

has often offered several times to address

the problems of kampungs in the middle of

big cities. The kampungs that were made

into Kampung Pelangi have quite similar

types of kampung problems, namely, they

are densely populated kampungs with the

majority of the population being lower

middle class. This city kampung is on the

edge of a river bank and has a hillside and

is in the middle of the city.

In researching this phenomenon, this

paper will focus on one object of the

Kampung Pelangi in Semarang because this

kampung is considered successful in

bringing about an image change to

become a very significant spectacle for the

kampung community itself and the public

opinion of the kampung. The face of

Kampung Pelangi, which used to be a slum,

is dressed in colorful colors to cover up the

realities that exist in the kampung. The

realities in the kampung are covered up by

the beautiful faces shown in the media

which are then interpreted by the public

(spectators) as something positive, even

though they don't necessarily see how it is

behind the scenes. The people in the

1205 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

kampung also have to adjust to the new

culture to maintain their new image. But "To

what extent does this spectacle process

appear in the Kampung Pelangi?".

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this paper, research on the Spectacle

in Semarang is qualitative historical

research, by constructing an understanding

of the spectacle starting from the notion of

the spectacle expressed by Guy Debord in

the “Society of Spectacles” as the main

theory and Lefebvre's theory regarding the

creation of extraordinary/ marvelous/

spectacular things, then linking it to the

Kampung phenomenon. Pelangi in

Semarang from the main character,

spectator, situation, and canvas aspects.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Spectacle Theory of Urban Space &

Kampung in Indonesia

a. The spectacle of Urban Space as a

Phenomenon

To study spectacle, there must be an

understanding of it as a phenomenon that

happened in modern architecture.

According to Leach (2005),

Phenomenology may be defined as the

study of how phenomena appear. However,

this is not limited to the visual domain.

Phenomenology demands receptivity to

the full ontological potential of human

experience. He also mentioned that

phenomenology is always about social life.

In his introduction, Leach (2005) also

mentions that for Heidegger and Gadamer

his student, the work of art ‘represents’

some form of symbolic truth, while for

Lefebvre the process takes on an overtly

political twist. Urban symbolism that is

never separated from politics is very close

to what these two views mention. In

addition to the idealism of a beautiful city,

the architectural representation of the city's

space can also be seen from the life of the

people behind the invisible screen.

The architecture of big cities in

Indonesia generally has two realities,

namely superblocks and kampung which

represent phenomena within the city. This

research will specifically discuss Kampung

which grows amid society. Kampung is a

place to live for urban people who tend to

have different backgrounds. Martin

Heidegger (Leach, 2005), a

phenomenologist who observes the

problem situations of world society, states

that the nature of a building is to be lived

in/inhabited, achieved by combining its

spaces. He also mentions “To dwell, to be

set at peace, means to remain at peace

within the free, the preserve, the free

sphere that safeguards each thing in its

nature. The fundamental character of

dwelling is this sparing and preserving.”

Supposedly, a house in a kampung as a

place to live will have this function to

protect the people who inhabit it.

The function of this dwelling then

shifts because technology and media enter

to interrupt social life, from just living to

becoming the face of the city as the urban

symbolism that closely depicts community

life in the city. Symbol according to Hans-

Georg Gadamer, who is a student of

Heidegger, a phenomenologist who

emphasizes how understanding is

conditioned culturally and depends on the

effectiveness of historical awareness, is a

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1206

manifestation to present something that

exists and not merely to designate

something that does not exist. “.. A symbol

is not merely to point to something that is

not present. Instead, a symbol manifests as

present something present” (Gadamer in

Leach, 2005). He also mentioned that

architecture gives shape to space by

encompassing and providing space for all

forms of representation: works of art,

ornaments, the art of representational

poetry, music acts, and dance (Gadamer in

Leach, 2005). What he means is architecture

as a representation, providing social space

in all aspects, both physically and non-

physically. This can be seen by the symbols

depicted in the architectural spaces in the

kampung like physical architecture and

cultures.

Media and technology now make

these symbols read more easily and clearly

through the images that are formed in

society about architecture itself. People will

immediately be able to understand and

even judge a phenomenon sufficiently from

the image that is spread among them. This

image then becomes a very important

aspect of architecture. Of course, the desire

to have a good image in society is a human

desire in general. Likewise, architecture,

both houses, and buildings, and even in

urban spaces in Indonesia, which is more

often highlighted is a beautiful image.

On the other hand, Lefebvre (1991)

Says that “The city is the locus of

capitalism's most intense contradictions: ...

of which governmental urban planning is

one of its most obvious manifestations;”

then by tracing the development of urban

space will be able to describe how the

spectacle product is formed. He also

mentions in his essay “The Critique of

Everyday Life” (1991) that While being

careful not to deny the importance of the

main actors, a deeper study of history takes

into account the whole: the audience, the

situation, and the canvas of the commedia

dell'arte. Very large. These four aspects will

become the scope of discussion of the

urban space spectacle in the three phases

of spectacularism or those that are

considered extraordinary. The first phase is

when there is awareness of the desire to get

out of the ordinary, sometimes even

considered strange or unusual, and

eventually, become something acceptable

in society. The second phase is when

something strange or extraordinary

(spectacular) begins to become part of

society. Quoting Lefebvre (1991) who said

“'The extraordinary new realm' is no longer

extraordinary.” He said this was no longer a

question of the extraordinary but of the

strange or striking, merely the effect of

sheer surprise and exoticism. Then proceed.

The third phase is when this so-called

extraordinary thing only operates at the

level of everyday life. The extraordinary

should turn everyday life inward, to find

another, much more interesting side. These

three processes are going to be the main

method to identify how spectacle will be

formed.

Foucault, who is a follower of post-

structuralism, also says the image of the

city is not only about the people but also

various other aspects and has different

truths and meanings. He sees that

developments in this world are still very

much shaped and influenced by those in

power. The utopia of idealism that is

deliberately created often obscures the

1207 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

realities that occur in society. As Foucault

risks expressing, “total history seeks to

reconstitute the overall form of a

civilization, the principle material or

spiritual - of a society, the significance

common to all the phenomena of a period,

the law that accounts for their cohesion -

what is called metaphorically the 'face' of a

period” (Foucoult, 1969) The word 'face'

here is intriguing about urban space,

especially spaces that are deliberately

changed to make things stand out.

Dressing up the face of the city, including

kampung, seems to focus on 'face', but in

the current era, this kind of representation

is easily accepted by the people of

Indonesia. It is just a utopia that covers up

a bad image that needs to get rid of or at

least to hide it.

This creates a spectacle phenomenon

which is the main focus of this research. The

spectacle is derived from the Latin

specere/specter which means to be seen

and spectacular which means a public

show. In the Oxford dictionary, spectacle

also means a visually striking show or

appearance, or an event or scene in terms

of its visual impact. From the meaning itself,

it can be understood that the visual aspect

of the spectacle is the most prominent. Guy

Debord stated in the Society of Spectacles

that “The spectacle that falsifies reality is

nevertheless a real product of that reality.

Conversely, real life is materially invaded by

the contemplation of the spectacle and

ends up absorbing it and aligning itself with

it. Objective reality is present on both sides.

Each of these seemingly fixed concepts has

no other basis than its transformation into

its opposite: reality emerges within the

spectacle, and the spectacle is real. This

reciprocal alienation is the essence and

support of the existing society” This

describes how life in today's modern

society the image of outer beauty that is

highlighted as utopian in the media makes

the audience distracted from the side of

reality that is considered bad. This is done

by creating new spaces between the

realities in society. Guy Debord said, "In

societies where modern conditions of

production prevail, all life presents as an

immense accumulation of

spectacles

Everything that was directly lived has

moved away into a representation"

(Debord, 1967). The modern spectacle in

question describes the response given by

society to that environment. The resulting

reality depends on how society interprets

the image.

Debord (1967) also mentioned that in

societies where modern conditions of

production prevail, all of life presents itself

as an immense accumulation of

spectacles

Everything that was directly lived has

moved away into a representation. What is

meant by spectacle here is not a collection

of images, but social relations between

people mediated by images. Then this

seems uncontrollable in the present, it will

be interpreted fundamentally, even

unilaterally, without dialogue when

translating the image, regardless of the

background and other considerations

regarding the image. “When culture is

nothing more than a commodity, it must

also be the star of a spectacular society.”

(Debord, 1967) This causes culture to

become the main spectacle which is finally

highlighted in the development of modern

urban spaces. And this cannot be separated

from the role of the authorities, in this case,

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1208

the government who finally decided to

direct the development of urban kampung,

where the search for the cultural potential

to increase the function of tourism as an

excuse to improve the community's

economy at the expense of the community

itself as a spectacle. This is also still very

much in line with Debord's view of “The

spectacle is the other side of money: it is

the general abstract equivalent of all

commodities” (Debord, 1967). But

unfortunately, the spectacle is nothing

more than an image of a collection of

happiness, in this case, beauty, which is

surrounded by sadness and fear hidden in

the serenity of the city's space. What

happens in these hidden spaces is what we

call social reality in kampung communities.

b. Politic consumerism in kampung

It was discussed earlier; the spectacle is

never separated from the role of the

authorities and the people who intervene

to shape it. This process is caused by the

political interests of each party as

consumers to meet their economic needs.

According to Ramadhan, space is a limited

resource. Space, including land, buildings,

and their forms and functions, is available

in limited quantities. Unless there are

certain efforts to expand or change shape.

(Ramadan, 2018). He then understood the

concept of space in the concept of spatial

politics and governance in this area by

dividing it into five aspects, namely: First, as

a limited resource, there is contestation in

the production of space. Second, because

the number is limited, the available space

must function optimally. That is, there is a

rational choice to function space. This then

makes space tend to be capitalized by the

actors in it. The space must generate an

economic advantage. Third, space will then

become an instrument for increasing PAD

(

Pendapatan Asli Daerah

) or local

government revenue. This makes space in

the region function as a commodity. Fourth,

space can be an instrument of bargaining

and political transactions. The fifth thing

that Ramadan revealed was about the

distribution of space when there is

contestation in the production of space.

Regions (or cities) with capitalistic character

development will marginalize people who

are dealing with unequal economic

distribution and access to (Ramadlan,

2018).

From another view, Minanto (2018)

also reveals some of the political concepts

of space consumerism as follows: The

concept of space as a place for pleasure

(jouissance/enjoyment) expressed by

Slavoc Zizek (in Minanto, 2018) becomes

the spirit and orientation that drives

residents' routines. The Middle-class

concept. Consumerism is equivalent to the

growth of the (new) middle class in urban

areas. The phenomenon of the emergence

of a new middle class in Indonesia which is

closely related to consumptive behavior is

no longer enough to be interpreted as a

lifestyle to simply represent symbolic values

that imply certain status and social class

but also influence citizenship practices. And

Everyday politics. Cities not only form the

character of consumerism for the middle

class but also for groups that are

considered marginal and subordinate.

Meanwhile, Baudrillard in his writing La

Societe de Consummation (Baudrillard,

1970) said that in consumerism the act of

obtaining a product and the association of

advertising and marketing the product

1209 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

becomes equal or more important than the

product itself. Because of the importance of

the mass media, it can be said that

consumption is a communication system

regulated by the media. Consumers in this

case are the general public who are

targeted to enjoy a temporary utopia,

taking a break from the tiring bustle of the

city. This desire to take a short break creates

a demand for spectacle products in the

middle of the city so that community actors

emerge who use this opportunity to make

their products whether they are the

government, commercial companies, or the

people themselves. Supported by the

power of the media which is very fast, this

product becomes a spectacle that finally

represents the life of urban society. Klaus

Beinsenbach, director of ps1 MoMA, in one

of his meetings told Andres Jaque (Jaque &

Walker, 2017) "What I want is something

that people can post on Instagram." From

here MoMa would like to convey that the

media is a very important factor nowadays

to attract public attention. If the

consumerism needs of society lead to the

creation of architectural spectacle products,

then it is the media that will shape today's

society's architectural products.

These views mutually support what is

happening in the formation of consumerist

political space today where space is used by

the government for political agendas and

society as they need a place to have fun

then media interrupting as the one that

shaped the spectacle.

c. Development of Kampung in

Indonesia

Besides that, to understand the

spectacle as a political space, it is necessary

to look at it from the perspective of the

formation of kampung as a place to live in

the middle of a city that is developing in the

modern era of Indonesia.

According to Abidin Kusno (2009),

Kampung is the language used in the

reform era to address the life of the urban

metropolis of Indonesia. Its diverse society

has become an urban reality that has issues

such as a shift in class identity which has

become a kampung phenomenon itself.

Kampung is often located in urban centers.

Sometimes, it is an abandoned slum area,

though often it is a rural area covered by

urban sprawl. Kampung was originally built

as spaces which then through a process of

intensification of development absorbed

more and more people moving to live in

kampung (Colombijn, Khusyairi, Coté, &

Rabani, 2011). Johny et al (2011)

understand the kampung as a joint

settlement that appears out of nowhere,

not part of a road arrangement plan and

building placement. So that the impression

of being messy, dirty, and disorganized is

very close when talking about kampung.

The emergence of kampung after the

independence period was triggered by

technological developments that were only

centered on cities, causing urbanization,

and migration of Kampung to cities in

search of work and a new life. This became

uncontrollable because the government

during the Old Order focused on city

modernization. And even though it began

to be touched in the New Order era,

kampungs are still a negative problem from

the face of the metropolitan city even

though the government has the desire to

develop these areas. During Suharto's

reign, the government began to pay

attention to the arrangement of the

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1210

kampung, even though in most cases the

people were vulgarly moved to a new place.

From here came activists who were

concerned about small communities living

in kampung that were considered slums

and had to be relocated. From here the

term People's architecture began to appear.

"People's Architecture is part of the

architectural world's efforts to elevate

human life to be more dignified."

According to Djarot (2015), the pioneer of

this term was J. B. Mangunwijaya who was

concerned with how architecture was only

close to the elitists, and that slum areas

were no longer healthy and proper places

for human dignity to live. Folk architecture

wants to improve people's lives by starting

to see the people as clients who must be

served. Kali Code is the work of Romo

Mangun which is very popular where Romo

Mangun applies the principles of his

Wastucitra architecture which wants to

humanize humans. Kali Code then inspired

the architecture of kampung in Indonesia

until now, including Kampung Pelangi itself.

At the end of the 20th century, Indonesian

architects had begun to touch the lower

middle class, although, in the end, they

could only reach the middle class in the

middle of the kampung and not the poor,

due to economic constraints. As a result,

until now we still see that Kampung

architecture is still growing in the same

pattern amid increasingly dense urban life.

In 1999, IAI proclaimed a new mantra that

Indonesian Architecture in the next

millennium is "Architecture that serves the

community" (Kusno, 2009) with efforts to

approach society through architecture and

urban planning as a response to post-

Suharto social change.

Until now it is still seen that the

kampung is the antithesis of the ideal of

modern cities, and the kampung is largely

still defined by its shortcomings (Colombijn

& Coté, Modernization of the Indonesian

City, 1920–1960, 2015). Therefore, the next

government also began to encourage the

development of kampung by making

regulations for Kampung planning which

were considered to 'tarnish' the beauty of

urban areas in a city, especially big cities.

One of the efforts to rearrange the

kampung which is considered messy and

slum is to turn it into a tourist area. Thus,

the function of residence is shifted to

become an economic or commercial

function. In addition, in the last decade, the

government has also begun to think about

how to touch the community and involve

them in beautifying urban spaces while

introducing the term people's architecture.

The term People's Architecture is then

addressed to architectural designs that

have a societal aspect, from concept to

construction which involves the people and

the community as the priority. However, by

inviting the masses to come, kampung life

then becomes a spectacle in the media,

coupled with the current rapid

development of technology, it is very easy

to access the media.

Discussion of Kampung Pelangi

a. Background

Village development policies towards

tourist kampung are included in

government regulations regarding the

development of tourist kampung, Minister

of Culture and Tourism Regulation Number:

Pm.26/Um.001/Mkp/2010 Pedoman

Umum Program Nasional Pemberdayaan

1211 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

Masyarakat (PNPM) Mandiri Tourism

Through Village Tourism. To increase

community empowerment and

independence and local caring groups in

overcoming poverty in their area;

increasing community capital such as

critical awareness, social and cultural

potential, and local wisdom; increasing the

capacity of local governments in providing

services to the community, through tourism

development policies that are integrated

and pro-poor; increasing access to capital,

innovation, and utilization of appropriate

technology, information, and

communication in community

empowerment; building cross-sector

partnerships to support tourism

development in tourist kampung. To realize

the function of a tourist kampung from the

regulations above, a Tourism Awareness

Group or Kelompok Sadar Wisata

(Pokdarwis) was formed in the community

consisting of three main actors, namely the

Government by its duties and authorities to

carry out its role and function as a facilitator

and regulator in tourism development

activities. The private sector (business

actors/tourism industry) with their

resources, capital, and networks carry out

their roles and functions as developers and

or executors of the development of tourism

activities, and communities with their

resources, whether in the form of customs,

traditions and culture and their capacities,

play a role as a host, but also at the same

time have the opportunity as a tourist

awareness. What is meant by the

community, in this case, is described as a

form of public awareness to play an active

role in the following 2 (two) matters,

namely: a) The community is aware of its

role and responsibility as a good host for

visiting guests or tourists to create an

environment and conducive atmosphere as

stated in the Sapta Pesona slogan. b) The

community is aware of their rights and

needs to become tourism actors or tourists

to travel to a tourist destination, as a form

of basic need for recreation and especially

in knowing and loving the homeland.

Kampungs in the city of Semarang

have also begun to be developed since this

regulation was issued. Tourism awareness

groups have begun to emerge from

kampung that has the potential to be

marketed, rather than those whose

function is as dwelling places. In Semarang

itself, until now, there have been 63 tourism

awareness groups to develop kampung

according to Sistem Informasi Kebudayaan

dan Pariwisata (Dinas Kebudayaan dan

Pariwisata Kota Semarang, 2022). Kampung

Pelangi in Semarang itself is located in

Kampung Randusari within the

administrative area of Semarang Selatan

District, Semarang City. Kampung Pelangi

consists of Rukun Warga (RW) 3 and 4

which are located in Kampung Randusari,

South Semarang District, Semarang City.

The total area of this area is approximately

±4 Ha (Badan Pusat Statistik Kota

Semarang, 2021). Because this kampung

has a high population density of 566

people/Ha it considered a slum and is

located in the center of Semarang city, the

location of which is a hill in the middle of

the city makes this slum area very

prominent and gives the impression of

making an unpleasant sight. On April 15,

2017, the Mayor of Semarang Hendrar

Prihadi, S.E, M.M started the declaration of

Kampung Pelangi, Semarang City to

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1212

increase the physical meaning of the area

by painting buildings and the environment

to form harmony, environmental harmony,

and the beauty of the city. The next goal is

to realize tourism in "waterfront city” which

is integrated with the existence of the

Tugumuda and Lawangsewu areas thereby

increasing the economic value of the area.

The two objectives above are carried out in

stages starting from the planning stage for

kampung arrangement, the environmental

improvement stage by arranging

community houses on the riverbank and

repairing houses that are not proper,

painting, Environmental Management, and

making river embankments, marketing, and

community empowerment: forming

tourism awareness groups or Kelompok

Sadar Wisata (pokdarwis).

After the painting was finished, their

rebranding from Gunung Brintik or

Kampung Randusari became Kampung

Pelangi. The Pokdarwis then started

spreading their promotions in the media to

invite tourists to enjoy the view of the

middle of Semarang City from the top of

the hill while taking pictures amidst the

colorful utopia of the kampung. The guests

who came were treated to a lively

atmosphere from the decorations made by

the community when they filled the empty

spaces between the kampung. And finally,

this Kampung Pelangi becomes an

interesting spectacle of attractions in the

middle of the city.

b. Creation of spectacle Kampung Pelangi

1. Desire to Get Out of The Common

The picture above illustrates the

location of Kampung Pelangi as a

settlement in the center of Semarang city

with the characteristics of a seaside city of

Indonesia in general. There are buildings

from the Colonial era, which have city

landmarks and stand superblock buildings

that dominate the main streets covering

the kampung community behind them.

Here Kampung Pelangi, which is located on

a hill, can be seen from the side of the road

which has been neatly arranged, so before

the renovation, it was considered a view

that deviated from the beauty of the city

because it was very crowded and dirty.

From here comes the desire to stand in line

with the surrounding environment.

This is the first phase that Lefebvre

mentioned arises when there is an

awareness of the desire to get out of the

'ordinary thing'. In the context of Kampung

Pelangi Semarang, this impetus comes

from two main actors, namely the

government and the people of Kampung

Pelangi. Even though the idea of turning

Kampung Wonosari into a Kampung

Pelangi seems impure because as said by

the chairman of the Kampung Pelangi

Pokdarwis, Mr. Slamet, he wants to refer to

the Trend with the hope of becoming

Kampung Pelangi which is not only in the

form of face-ups but also an increase in

what is called slum upgrading. "Initially he

Image 1: Location of Kampung Pelangi in between the

center of Semarang city. Hiding in between the city’s

landmarks. (Google Map, 2021)

1213 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

wanted to be like Kali Code," he said when

he revealed that apart from his idea being

inspired by the colorful Kampung Pelangi,

Pak Slamet also hoped for the success of

Kali Code as a slum upgrade from a slum to

a well-known role model kampung.

Examples of colorful kampung that

have existed are Kampung Jodipan and

Kampung Pelangi 200 in Bandung. Even

though they were in different locations, the

kampungs which were eventually called

Kampung Pelangi had several urban

problems in common, namely being

densely populated kampung with the

majority of the lower middle-class

population, on the edge of a riverbank and

having hillsides and being on the middle of

the city. So it seems that Kampung Pelangi

is considered one of the solutions to

address this type of urban kampung

problem. It is good enough that this

concept is repeatedly used in cities in

Indonesia. Aside from similar site problems,

these kampungs have different goals and

concepts of Kampung Pelangi. Like

Kampung Pelangi 200 in Bandung, which is

named after the nominal compensation

money received by residents after moving

from the land that is now being built by

Saboga. When compared to Kampung

Jodipan, there is a difference in choosing

the color of the paint, Kampung Jodipan is

lighter with the coloring up to the roof,

while in Kampung 200, the paint is darker

and the coloring is only on the walls.

In Kampung Wonosari, this idea later

reappeared and was accepted by the

Semarang government at that time, and

then included it in planning for kampung

improvement by forming the Kampung

Pelangi Pokdarwis organization. With the

integration mentioned in the previous

chapter, the development of Kampung

Pelangi was implemented with government

sponsorship in collaboration with the third

main actor, namely a paint company for

promotional purposes. Communities are

financed and empowered to be creative

among spaces within kampung. This

economic support encouraged the

community to renovate kampung because

they got temporary jobs.

After the formation of the Pokdarwis

and all the preparations made for the initial

stages of renovation, kampung began to be

renovated, starting from the river area to

houses and areas for pedestrians.

Image 2: Kampung Pelangi 200 Bandung

(YourBandung, 2018)

Image 3: Kampung Jodipan (Tamami, 2022)

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1214

Before it was renovated, this kampung,

called a slum, had a typology of houses

with hilly footprints that made the house

design terraced and had different height

levels, with very narrow spaces between

houses so that only motorbikes could enter,

even some roads could only be passed on

foot. The finishing materials used tend to

be typical, with exposed brick finishing

which is considered less aesthetic,

especially because many of them are mossy

and lots of trash is scattered everywhere.

The orientation of each house is different

and paths or areas that can be traversed are

built between the houses in the kampung.

Then the houses that were renovated

became more livable, with the same

characteristics, only with a colorful paint

finish. The footpath was improved by

adding steps that were safer for walking.

The Kali Semarang River, which forms

the line between the main road and the

kampung, is very murky and unkempt so

blockages often occur. The government,

through local contractors, is building river

irrigation. Initially, the riverbanks did not

have a strong foundation to support the

houses, so they had the opportunity for

landslides. A foundation and a road were

made in front of the house, as well as a road

by the river for a more comfortable

pedestrian. Followed by the community

who work together to clean the river so that

the river banks are clean and well

maintained.

The role of the kampung community

and the government here a key role in

creating new, more lively spaces. In

addition to painting and renovating houses

and their surroundings, at first, the

government launched the idea for several

parts of the walls to be painted with

wayang images as Javanese icons by

inviting artists there. In the process,

residents began to participate by adding

accessories besides paintings on the walls

of their houses as canvases to express that

they were interested in the idea of painting

kampung.

Image 4: Kampung Pelangi before renovation

(Budi, 2017)

Image 5: Kampung Pelangi after renovation

(Sikidang, 2018)

Image 6: Kampung Pelangi as Spectacles.

Spectators came to Kampung Pelangi to

Enjoy the new tourist destination (Queen,

2018)

1215 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

At the same time, through the

Pokdarwis programs, the kampung

community has also started looking for

ideas to increase the income of these

visiting tourists by creating souvenirs with

the label 'Kampung Pelangi' as a brand to

promote. In this phase, the media is an

influential aspect in shaping the "face" of

Kampung Pelangi. It began with an

invitation from the Semarang City

Government for Semarang residents to

participate in creating drawings of the

spaces in kampung which were used as

canvases for self-expression. After that, it

started getting into news coverage and

inviting the wider community to visit the

kampung. Starting from just taking

pictures, or learning about the kampung

culture, it becomes a trend from 2017 to

2018 which brings local and international

visitors to watch this.

During the branding process,

Kampung Pelangi as the Spectacle which

had just been renovated became the center

of attention of the community as

spectators. Previously, when people only

passed through this area to carry out city

activities, they began to turn their eyes to

the kampung which was painted in very

bright and striking colors. With the rapid

spread of information media, people

outside Pelangi started arriving to watch

and take pictures. Coupled with the

frequent art exhibitions held after it was

formed, it has become an attraction for

tourists outside Semarang and even

internationally. In this phase, the people of

Kampung Pelangi as actors, play

themselves in community practices in the

kampung, as a spectacle in a colorful

kampung setting.

Spectators or spectators come with

different purposes. Some spectators visit to

just take pictures with the paintings and

decorations in the rainbow kampung

spaces. Some go down the hill to see the

view of the city of Semarang from the top

of the hill. Some come for a pilgrimage to

the tomb on the hill. Other spectators

follow the government’s activities and

events in the kampung.

2. The extraordinary began to become part

of society.

The second phase is when something

strange or extraordinary (spectacular)

begins to become part of society. Quoting

Lefebvre (1991) who said “'The

extraordinary new realm' is no longer

Image 7: Kampung Pelangi as Spectacles.

Photospot in between the space of Kampung

Pelangi (Queen, 2018)

Image 8: Kampung Pelangi as Spectacle.

Pictures of Wayang as the Javanese identity

(Queen, 2018)

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1216

extraordinary.” He said this was no longer a

question of the extraordinary but of the

strange or striking, merely the effect of

sheer surprise and exoticism. In this case,

government actors began to disappear and

even became spectators and sponsors

began to reduce their investment because

visitors began to gradually decrease, and it

was not crowded to fill the narrow spaces

in the kampung. The remaining actors are

only the people of Kampung Pelangi who

are the spectacle of the visitors who come.

Some of the actors returned to their

activities before the renovation took place

while adjusting to the changed setting.

The situation in the kampung is getting

used to the presence of tourists. The

residents of kampung Pelangi who got new

jobs are getting used to these jobs, such as

welcoming guests or just selling drinks and

souvenirs. Residents are starting to become

familiar with the presence of outsiders

passing by their kampung while carrying

out their daily activities. In this second

phase, the media began to report on the

surprise or exoticism of Kampung Pelangi

as a unique and striking kampung in the

middle of downtown Semarang. The role of

the media is the key in the second phase to

maintain this spectacle. The Kampung

Pelangi Pokdarwis group is still working

with the mass media to disseminate

information about Kampung Pelangi's

existence.

3. The extraordinary becomes everyday life

The changes that occurred from the

first phase to the second phase were quite

significant. Starting from the excitement in

the Kampung Pelangi fun space when

making the physical environment into a

canvas for creativity to adding sudden

income to the community, which occurred

in the first phase to the second phase.

While the third phase is a continuation of

the acceptance of this spectacle or

spectacle of Kampung Pelangi as an

unusual thing in the middle of the city of

Semarang. When this so-called

extraordinary thing only operates at the

level of everyday life, then this phase is the

phase where what people call viral, is no

longer viral, because it has become a part

of life in society. Occasionally there are

visitors, on weekdays, or weekends.

Meanwhile, to keep attracting visitors, the

local community and the government carry

out activities such as bazaars, fishing

competitions, and others periodically to

maintain Kampung Pelangi as a spectacle.

In this phase, the situation in the

kampung already perceives the new setting

as part of their daily life. The residents of

Kampung Pelangi greet guests who come

by showing the direction where they have

been directed in guiding the visitors. Some

parts of the kampung are starting to go

untouched because they are not included

in the route from the kampung tour. Even

some of the main actors in Kampung

Pelangi have begun to avoid direct contact

with tourists. If tourists need directions,

they will immediately be directed to contact

the Kampung Pelangi Pokdarwis

management. On the other side, the people

of Semarang who pass the main street (Dr.

Sutomo street) still glance at the kampung

because of the bright colors, but they no

longer feel that it is something strange or

unique anymore, but rather a part of

downtown Semarang. Spectators who

previously wanted to get closer to see and

enjoy the canvas from the corners of the

1217 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

space inside Kampung Pelangi, now it is

enough to take a quick look from the side

of the road because they are used to the

existence of the kampung. Only a few

immigrants or tourists visit once in a while

to enjoy the view of the city of Semarang

from the top of the hill. This already shows

that people are already more interested in

looking at the city than the kampung itself.

4. From the Extraordinary to the Ordinary

The emergence of the Covid-19

pandemic that occurred in 2020 had a very

significant effect on this third phase

starting to move in an uncertain direction.

There is a possibility of the degradation of

the spectacle being reinvented, which is a

post-pandemic after-effect. This is because

during the pandemic visitors cannot enter

the area to visit. This causes sponsors to

start attracting investment so that the local

community cannot maintain the everyday

spectacularism that exists in their

kampung. In two years, even after the

pandemic, the enthusiasm of the people of

Kampung Pelangi receded. (insert some

pictures of current conditions) In the last

few weeks (March 2022) although a paint

company (Nippon Paint) proposed a

promotion. However, "the community's

enthusiasm is dropping, plus Nippon pain

is only sponsoring paint, and it doesn't

create jobs like at the beginning of

Kampung Pelangi," which was complained

by Rio, one of the residents there. In the

end, what was decorated and repainted

were only the riverbanks and the location

that was recently used as the Bazaar.

However, visitors are no longer interested

in climbing in Kampung Pelangi, even just

to enjoy the view the city of Semarang has

to offer there.

Two possibilities occur after this

period. The first was when the people of

Kampung Pelangi themselves, who were

used to having tourists, returned to their

activities before the Kampung Pelangi

brand existed, even though the setting of

the place had changed a lot. Even settings

such as umbrella decorations and souvenir

sales are no longer operating and have

been revoked, including several stalls

(photo stalls closed) that have appeared

because of Kampung Pelangi. The spectacle

which began to 'sleep' has caused

Kampung Pelangi to return to being

kampung with the main function as a place

to live in the middle of the city. In addition,

the people of Semarang now consider

Kampung Pelangi not an interesting thing

to look at when passing through the streets

in the city center. So Kampung Pelangi is

part of the city center which is falling back

asleep. The second possibility is that the

spectacularity can be lifted again by

holding new, more sustainable activities as

a new breath for the people of Kampung

Pelangi and reporting it on social media.

But if you just rebuild and use the same

system, then this kampung will be in the

same circle. If it does bring a positive

impact, the innovations for slum upgrading

that are carried out must be more

sustainable so that the community can

continue the enthusiasm that was formed

at the beginning after the government

released its interference.

CONCLUSIONS

A spectacle is a phenomenon where an

object or area in urban space becomes the

center of attention of the general public

Sherley Ika Christanti | 1218

because of the spectacular or unique

factors of that object. This spectacularity

can be seen from the symbols on the space

object. Media and technology are the main

variables in shaping the Spectacle and

make it easier for people to read symbols

just by looking at the images spread in the

mass media.

In the spectacle, four aspects can be

identified as symbols, namely the Actor,

Spectator, Situation, and Canvas. This

spectacle is also a product of the needs of

the actors, namely society and the

government, as well as the audience,

namely people outside the object. An

architectural object becomes a canvas that

creates a certain situation according to the

purpose for which it is made. In the context

of Kampung Pelangi, the actor plays the

role of is Kampung Pelangi community as

the leading actor who is the center of

attention, then the Semarang regional

government with its political agenda to

improve the standard of living of the

Kampung Pelangi by carrying out slum

upgrading, and the private sector with a

promotional agenda. While the spectators

are the people of Semarang with the media

as a mediator in reading the images.

The kampung situation, which initially

only watched the development of the city,

became a spectacle product, starting from

the desire to be on par with its

environment, which is the center of the city

in Semarang. The actors played a role, to

beautify the kampung so that people

outside the Kampung Pelangi would glance

at it and come to take a look at what was

inside. This has prompted the people of

Kampung Pelangi to change their habit of

only dwelling to becoming actors in a

spectacle to be watched. In the process, the

situation in the kampung, which previously

only slept, changed when the community

was enthusiastic about renovating the

kampung.

Over time, the spectacularity of this

kampung began to become commonplace

and became part of the familiar landscape

of downtown Semarang. Government and

private actors began to withdraw from their

roles and left the residents of Kampung

Pelangi as actors who played alone,

although the government still occasionally

held events using only a part of the space

in Kampung Pelangi as a setting. This

caused the enthusiasm of the residents of

Kampung Pelangi and the outside

community to decline, causing it to lose its

virality. The Spectacle that was formed was

neglected and not maintained because the

people felt that it was not their

responsibility if they were not given a

mandate from the government. So now

Kampung Pelangi is back to being a

kampung in the middle of a city that is

falling back asleep.

Architecture that only dresses up is not

sustainable so it will only become a utopia

and last for a short while as a spectacle.

Even though the idea of turning a kampung

into a tourism spot is a product of

reciprocity between the community and

local government, a kampung that

functions as a residence or dwelling has

people who already have certain routines,

and cannot simply change just by

renovating the physical. So that when the

government lets go, people are no longer

enthusiastic about preserving it without

having a definite purpose.

There are no routine activities, and no

1219 | Kampung Pelangi Semarang As Spectacle of City Landscape

events are held, coupled with social

distancing due to Covid 19, as well as

information in the media which is always

updated with something new drowns out

news about Kampung Pelangi. The wider

community has stopped spreading its

virality in the media. making this

architectural spectacle disappear like it

never existed again and fall back asleep and

hidden in the middle of the busy city center

of Semarang.

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