The Kampung Lodan Miracle

The Kampung Lodan Miracle was a shrink event that took place on the river banks of the Ciliwung river in Jakarta in the summer of 2017. Two local seamstresses resized a pair of jeans and a shirt of 195cm tall Arne Hendriks into a fitting attire for a 150cm person. The significant amount of surplus fabric was then put on display as a reminder that tall people are wasteful by default.

Kampung Lodan is one of three villages within the Indonesian city of Jakarta that have had to go through a radical resizing of their territory. Due to new government regulations in regards to living on the banks of the Ciliwung river the villagers had recently been forced to give up significant amounts of private space. In return and quite unexpectedly they gained vibrant communal space. A more detailed account can be read HERE and HERE. Ever since, the villages have become a monument for shrink resilience and a testing ground for new ideas about urban living under challenging political and environmental conditions. The Kampung Lodan Miracle was inspired by the idea of gaining something by giving up something, even if it hurts.