The Story of Arka Kinari: Artivism at Sea

The Arka Kinari is more than just a ship – it is a floating laboratory for art, music and environmental activism. Its name combines the Latin word Arka (ship) with the Sanskrit term Kinari, a half-human, half-bird musician and guardian of the tree of life.


Since its renovation and conversion into a sailing ship, the former fishing boat and its crew have embarked on a remarkable journey: from Rotterdam, through the Panama Canal, to Indonesia – always carrying the message of sustainability and cultural diversity. At each stop, the ship inspires people to address pressing environmental issues, discover new ways of living together and promote a return to the oceans.


In the live performance “The Story of Arka Kinari: Artivism at Sea,” Nova Ruth and Grey Filastine combine storytelling, live music – a mix of traditional Javanese melodies, hypnotic polyrhythms and contemporary electronic beats – and cinematic documentary footage to create an intense experience. It shows the challenges of their tour in the most remote and least charted waters of the world: the audience encounters dilapidated ports from Morocco to Mexico, experiences accommodation on barren rocks and witnesses the bizarre legacy of nuclear testing in the Pacific. Peaceful and meditative, yet urgent and threatening, “The Story of Arka Kinari” is both a warning and an invitation – to reflect on our environment and to envision an alternative, sustainable future. 

Press quotes about the tour of the “Arka Kinari”:

“There are so many famous stories of bands on tour: the Who being banned from every Holiday Inn in America; Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham riding a Harley through the Chateau Marmont. But how many musical acts can say they have circumnavigated the Earth twice by boat, on a tour that has lasted four continuous years, and reached some of the world’s most far-flung places – all without murdering each other?” The Guardian


“A remarkable and unusual meditation on the climate emergency, performed at the docks on the very boat the artists used to sail to the festival from Indonesia.” The Sydney Morning Herald


The deck transforms into multiple stages. Nova kicks things off, incarnating the goddess of the Southern Ocean, her ethereal song of Javanese poetry carrying into the night. Grey joins on percussion, his face draped in sequin cloth. They’re silhouetted against the sail, now doubling as a projection screen.” National Geographic



(IN ENGLISH)