Domestic Developmentalism

Archives and digital projection Jogja Fotografis Festival, 2024

Domestic Developmentalism is one of the major thematic categories within the Unhistoried archive, falling under the broader classification of "construction and development." This presentation traces the spirit of developmentalism during the New Order era, which permeated into the smallest state institution: the family. The implementation of this developmentalist agenda can be observed, for instance, in Unhistoried's archives containing photographs of road construction landscapes in transmigration areas from the late 1970s to the 1980s.

While large-scale national projects were being implemented through various government policies, families also participated by 'building' their own institutions in the form of homes, which they then documented. The collection of family photographs discovered here can be read as evidence of domestic achievements aligned with the New Order's developmentalist aspirations for stability through progress. In other words, these family photo archives, often dismissed as simple domestic documentation, offer a "street view" perspective on the intricate map of how a nation operates.