The space between the physical and digital world
By Tromarama

‘A Day in the Life’ is a series by A&M where we invite artists to share a day in their life through images accompanied by brief descriptions.

Tromarama (from left to right): Febie Babyrose, Ruddy Hatumena and Herbert Hans.

Tromarama is an artist collective formed in 2006 by Febie Babyrose, Ruddy Hatumen and Herbert Hans, who met while studying at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Connected by a shared interest in digital media's impact on society and its surroundings, the collective’s practice combines video, installation, computer programming, and public participation. Their work examines the relationship between virtual and physical realms while also addressing social and political issues. In this article, Tromarama offers a glimpse into their creative process.

Tromarama, ‘Auto Ally’ (exhibition view), 2024, Image courtesy of the artist and DOCUMENT, Chicago. — Tromarama, ‘Auto Ally’ (exhibition view), 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and DOCUMENT, Chicago.

‘Auto Ally’ delves into the blurred boundaries between leisure and labour, relaxation and productivity, as well as the personal and public spheres—particularly in the context of the expanding platform economy. The work dissects how digital platforms reshape social behaviours and economic practices, exposing the tensions and contradictions that define this evolving landscape. This installation was part of our solo exhibition, ‘Auto Ally,’ at DOCUMENT space in Chicago, held in September 2024.

Tromarama, ‘Banting Tulang’ (exhibition view), 2024. Image courtesy of the artist, ROH, and Kiang Malingue.

Over the past two years, we have explored performance as a way to manifest our ideas. ‘Banting Tulang’ is an activation-based performance reflecting how work is redefined within the platform economy. Performers wear haptic devices, such as smartwatches, that retrieve tweets tagged “pleasure” and trigger vibrations. Each vibration prompts them to repeatedly throw rubber balls or brass seeds against the walls or floor. This work was presented at ARTJOG ‘Ramalan’ at the Jogja National Museum in June 2024.

Behind the scenes: brass seeds and rubber balls. Image courtesy of Tromarama.

The rubber balls and brass seeds used in ‘Banting Tulang’ are inspired by the expression banting tulang, which means throwing bones, and can be traced back to the Dutch game bikkelspel or bikkelen—known as bekel in Indonesian. We played this game during our childhood, but we only discovered during research for this work that the brass seeds are modelled after the shape of goat or sheep talus bones. In the Netherlands, the game was traditionally played with actual bones.

Behind the scenes: massage tools. Image courtesy of Tromarama.

Over the last few years, we have been excited to explore the rise of platforms like social media. This emerging economy blurs the line between leisure and labour. Various massage tools function not only as means of relaxation but also as a language within our body of work.

Behind the scenes: punch cards. Image courtesy of Tromarama.

This punch card experiment explores ideas of work and time. For us, the card reflects productivity and control. We deboss our thumbprints and an orchid—commonly seen in Jakarta’s offices—onto the card. The orchids stay fresh because they are rented and replaced when they wither. This mirrors how digital platforms treat us: we are valuable only when online,and easily replaced when absent.

Follow Tromarama on Instagram here and visit their website to see more of their works.

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All images are courtesy of the artist.

About the Artist

Tromarama, an artist collective formed in 2006 by Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans, and Ruddy Hatumena, works in Bandung and Jakarta. They create video, installation, and computer-based works exploring how digital media shapes society’s perception and the evolving value individuals generate through data in cyberspace.