A metallic spacecraft glistens under ambient light as two figures with elongated limbs, bulbous heads and featureless faces gaze with black eyes into the distance of the island of Java.
The extraterrestrial arrival in Indonesia is one of the science fiction scenes that has captivated groups of outer space enthusiasts at the country’s UFO Festival throughout July.
Since 2016, organisers have welcomed hundreds of fans of outer space realities and mysteries from Indonesia and beyond.
The festival aims to be a creative and intellectual crossroads for enthusiasts of space science and exploration, Unidentified Flying Objects, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and SETI, short for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
This year’s free event included an Alien Village, UFO Village and UFO Camp at a site near Yogyakarta, about 420km from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Visitors admired a replica of a Mars exploration module and galleries with artistic interpretations of outer space, while workshops for adults and students offered cosmic activities such as spacesuit construction.
Venzha Christ, director of the Indonesia Space Science Society, said a focus on the term UFO allows participants to wonder without boundaries.
“I think the Indonesian generation needs a platform that can transform and socialise creative ideas, whether from the perspective of technology, science or even art,” Christ said.
“Imagining outer space, imagining the universe, is imagining limitlessness.” — AP
More photos
An alien figure is displayed during an exhibition.-AP
Christ standing near what he calls a DIY radio astronomy receiver installed at his residence in Yogyakarta.-AP
Christ (centre) joining in an experiment with sound created using various aluminium bowls and utensils during the festival. — AP
children taking part in a ‘space suit design workshop’ at the festival.-AP
