The Spatial Performance of Punk

Abstract

Kusung is sitting next to me on the sidewalk, it is around noon, and he already has a beer in his hand. We are sitting on a busy street in this Indonesian city watching people pass by on their way to the nearby mall, or to grab something to eat from the warungs next to where we sit. Kusung is waiting. For his friends, but also for something to happen. On the other side of the street, cars are parked in uneven rows. A man in a suit approaches a white Toyota. Kusung is already on his feet. He walks up to the man and tells him that he has kept an eye on the car for him. The man looks at this rather tall 18 year old with green hair, torn jeans, and military boots. He sighs and gives Kusung some money. Satisfied, Kusung returns to the sidewalk. This is how the punks here make their living, they “watch” cars. Parking is free on this small street while it is regulated closer to the mall, yet you cannot park on this street without paying the punks, or you can, but few do. In some cases the punks halfheartedly direct those parking by waving their hands. Most often they simply walk up to someone who is leaving and hold out their hand outside the window to collect the “parking fee.” An hour later there are some ten punks present at the sidewalk. They are sitting on the concrete, on plastic stools, or on wooden crates basically in the middle of the warungs that cater a variety of soups, rice, noodles, and fried vegetables to people working nearby. In order to access the warungs people have to either walk around the punks or pass through them.