Jakarta Doodle Fest (JDF) is an event organised by TFR, an online news media that focuses on the local and international creative industry. JDF was held to commemorate its 5th anniversary, taking place in a hip venue, M Bloc Space, Jakarta.
More than 13,000 visual art enthusiasts visited JDF on a weekend from 27-29 October 2023. The majority of the community has a background in Visual Communication Design, illustration, animation, comics and creators of merchandise brands, and simply those who enjoy creative products and ideas. It was an opportunity for creators to showcase their works to people in general.
“Visual art consists of many things, such as graphic design, illustration, animation, and more. And in many cases, these fields can’t stand alone, they are complementary to each other to make a good creation. For example, an illustration needs graphic design skill for a good and comprehensible layout, a legible font and matching colours,” Christine Laifa, the co-founder of TFR and JDF, explained. This, and the knowledge around IP (intellectual property), are amongst the things that are introduced, exhibited, and discussed throughout the event.
Right at the entrance of the festival, visitors were welcomed with Cosmonaut booth and a curated booth featuring works of Muhammad Taufiq (Emte), Ykha Amelz, Godmatter, Alvinxki and more. The bazaar, called Creative Market, attracted most of the visitors with tenants such as as Kolam Susu graphic studio, Bumi Langit Entertainment, Trinket By Kath, Dinar Safitri, Sovlo, and Si Juki. The classrooms, which is what they call the workshops and speaker sessions, offered various topics such as Crafting Graphic Elements from Everyday Things, Imaginative Figure Illustration, and Going International through Arts. And a lot of these classroom tickets were sold out!
JDF is also about party and having fun! Day 2 was capped with a karaoke night mixed with a Halloween party, where everyone was wearing a costume and singing and dancing to songs from 2010’s. The very last day, the event was closed with a theatrical performance by Teater Tuturupa, which was an adaptation from Kathrin Honesta and Shadow Stories’ illustrated book titled “Sweater”. The theatre ticket was sold out and overall Jakarta Doodle Fest was a success!