UFO – There is an unusual sight in the area of RT 46 RW 10, Gedongkiwo Village, Mantrijeron District, Yogyakarta. In every alley in the village there is an aesthetic view that is decorated with murals with space, outer space and astronomy themes. Therefore, many people then call it ‘UFO Village’.
This style is intended by residents to socialize the cleanliness of their residential environment by not littering and preserving the surrounding nature.
The Director of the Indonesian Space Science Society (ISSS) Venzha Christ said that the UFO-style village decoration coincides with the Commemoration of Indonesia UFO Day which will last for a whole month from July 2 to July 30, 2024 which will be held in several different locations, namely at the Crop Circle/UFO Monument in Berbah Sleman, Alien Village in Nanggulan Kulon Progo, and UFO Village in Gedongkiwo.
The mural works in several places in UFO Village are a collaboration between the art community and local residents, which are wrapped in scientific activities such as astronomy and space science and can be studied for free. In addition to the existing murals, there are hundreds of murals that decorate residents’ houses, stalls, guard posts, even the angkringan here will also be made into murals. So children to adults can enjoy walking, while cycling in the morning or evening
In making the mural, Venzha involved the graffiti artist ‘bigbang_k_20’. Where the entire appearance of the mural created is a story and narrative of outer space that can be enjoyed by children to adults.
Venzha hopes that through this activity the community can help maintain cleanliness in their environment, especially in managing household waste. (*)
