By Azarine Arinta, Programme Officer, UK/Indonesia 2016-18

14 July 2017 - 19:22

Laura Kidd Dani Carragher
Bristol based multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, Laura Kidd, and Dani Carragher, singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose sound is inspired by the Irish traditional melodies she was raised with, her vocals blend bluesy coarseness with lullaby softness.

Two UK musicians and artists, Laura Kidd a.k.a She Makes War and Danielle Carragher a.k.a Dani are currently in Indonesia for a one-month residency with Indonesia’s ethnic-experimental band, Kunokini. 

Laura and Dani both captured their journey in exciting blog pieces, offering their fresh perspective about Indonesia and the thrilling aspects of their journey. 

Dani, in her blog, shared stories about how she learned the hundreds of languages in Indonesia and the thousands of different cultures and traditions within it. Two specific Indonesian tribes, the Bajo and Toraja, particularly caught Dani’s interest. She mentioned that their culture resonates with her interest in Celtic and Hindu mythology.


On the other hand, Laura, has been sharing a lot of exciting content on social media and on her blog. The first part of her blog talks about her endeavor to try and acclimatise to Indonesia’s culture. Like Dani, she also highlighted her interest in Indonesia’s rich history and culture. 

"It is amazing to be living in such a beautiful space with open-hearted people who are rich in culture, tradition and stories and it is such a joy to listen and share. The house is surrounded by bamboo with plenty of land, fresh fruit and new sounds." - Dani Carragher. 

UK/Indonesia Residency Kunokini
Laura Kidd & Dani Carragher taking the first picture with their residency host: Indonesia's ethnic-experimental band Kunokini ©

Laura Kidd

Laura Kidd She Makes Ware Tales from Indonesia
"Now *this* is what I call a drum kit!" – Laura Kidd on her Instagram account updates."It felt pretty amazing to be a part of this complicated sound, and there’s great pride to be gained from doing it well and being strong enough not to give up halfway through" ©

Laura Kidd

Laura Kidd She Makes Ware Tales from Indonesia
"Dani and I were invited to play the talempong – small but heavy gongs that you hold vertically with one hand, hitting the centre with a beater. These are played in small groups – at least two people will play patterns that work together to create melodies and counterrhythms. Separating out bits of melodies like that is a really interesting idea and something I’ll definitely be trying in my own music in future." ©

Laura Kidd

Laura Kidd Dani Carragher Kunokini
Laura and Dani with Kunokini and Indonesian guitarist, Andre Dinuth, during a workshop titled 'Back to the Root'. They played their own music and told audiences about the philosophy behind their music and finished with a collaborative jam between all the musicians. 

"It’s pretty great being able to just pop out into the gorgeous garden to make music, and there’s even power out there so I can set up my travel amp and pedals. The photo above is what I get to look at on rehearsal days." – Laura Kidd. 

Interested to know more about their residency journey? Read Laura's blog and Dani's blog. 

Azarine Arinta

Programme Officer, UK/Indonesia 2016-18