a fieldwork and art/research project investigating Marapu burial rites on Sumba Island, Indonesia and exploring ancestral beliefs, funerary practices, and tangible and intangible heritage through multimedia storytelling and fieldwork documentation
a multidisciplinary research and artistic project and platform for exploring the shared cultural, linguistic, and material heritage of Austronesian communities across SE Asia, the Pacific, and Madagascar
a fieldwork and art/research project exploring traditional whaling practices in village Lamalera, Flores, Indonesia, maritime heritage, ecological themes, and community narratives through multimedia performance and fieldwork documentation and workshops
2024 - ongoing
2018 - 2020
2016 - 2021
an interactive and immersive exhibition and audiovisual performance project examining humanity’s relationship with data, memory, and material knowledge, using installation, AV, digital archives, and soundscapes
a project exploring humanity’s place within ecological and cosmic systems through installation, performing arts, sound art, music and visual projections, incorporating xenoarchaeology and speculative histories and futures
an arts project inspired by the Aceh earthquake events and Sangiran Archaeological Site, exploring cycles of extinction and survival from prehistoric civilizations to present-day disasters, tracing life’s evolution
2021 - ongoing
2015 - 2021
2004 - 2006
in development
a multidisciplinary art-science project (UK –Indonesia collaboration) exploring the microbial history of Pacitan’s ancient caves, combining microbiology, archaeology, speleology, AI and digital arts to create an immersive audiovisual installation, documentary film, archive and book
Niteni Renik - Microbial Science to Unravel Secret of Ancient Caves
Death Project Toraja - Toraja’s living megalithic culture
a continuation of Death Project, this research project explores the living megalithic culture of the Toraja in South Sulawesi, focusing on funeral rites, megalithic monuments, burial rituals and practices of Toraja people and the community’s connection to death and ancestry
Pledang Lamalera - Documenting Lamalera’s Maritime Knowledge
a project documenting Lamalera’s pledang boat-building practices, whale-hunting tools, and tali leo rope-making, preserving material knowledge and cultural practices through fieldwork, film, 3D photogrammetry, audiovisual recordings, and community collaboration
prehistoricsoul is a multidisciplinary project combining art, anthropology, archaeology, environmental research, microbiology, and architecture. Through collaborative fieldwork with local communities, it explores ancestral knowledge, ritual practices, ecological systems, and both tangible and intangible heritage. Using performing arts, ethnographic film, photography, 3D photo-grammetry, immersive installations, and digital archiving, and integrating documentary footage, sound art, traditional music, visual projections, and interactive media, the project documents endangered traditions and indigenous practices across Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar, aiming to preserve, reinterpret, and make cultural heritage accessible for broader reflection and creative engagement.
Jonas Sestakresna is a multimedia artist, theater director, filmmaker, visual anthropologist and researcher. Apart from his main project, prehistoricsoul, he is also active in contemporary arts, music, sound and performing arts, combining field research with experimental storytelling. His work has been exhibited in major cultural institutions and events across Southeast Asia and Europe, including the National Museum of Indonesia, the Borobudur Museum, Gedong Arca Museum, Museum Affandi, the Historical Museum of BiH, and as a highlight artist at the Jakarta Biennale.
contact: jonas@prehistoricsoul.net