Jakarta. The Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest) 2026 invited the public to explore the resilience of city residents through a walking tour on Saturday, combining storytelling, public transportation and photography to examine how people experience and adapt to life in Jakarta.

Held in collaboration with Stories on Foot, the program, titled “Reading Resilience Through Jakarta’s Stories,” took participants from Tebet Eco Park in South Jakarta to Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta, using a combination of walking and public transportation.

Co-programmer Charlenne Kayla Roeslie said the walking tour was designed to bring the festival’s theme of “Resilience” closer to the public. In its sixth edition, JIPFest features 22 works from 19 countries across four interconnected themes: climate, economy, culture and politics.

“Resilience can be viewed from different perspectives. We have four subthemes this year, although in practice they overlap and are closely interconnected,” Charlenne said.

She said resilience remains relevant as communities continue to adapt to changing circumstances. Beyond presenting the theme through photography, JIPFest has expanded its programming to include communities and participants from diverse backgrounds, including literacy groups.

“A photography festival should not only be for photographers and about photographers. Photography is a medium, and its message should tell stories that go beyond photography itself,” she said.

“A photography festival should not only be for photographers and about photographers. Photography is a medium, and its message should tell stories that go beyond photography itself,” she said.

Reading Jakarta Through Stories

The walking tour was organized with Stories on Foot and Litera TOUR, using the book Cerita-Cerita Jakarta (Jakarta Stories) as a starting point for exploring urban life and the festival’s resilience theme.

Wahyu Novianto, known as Wai, from Stories on Foot, said the organization seeks to bring books and stories to life through different forms of engagement.

When approached by JIPFest, the team selected stories that could connect with the festival’s four subthemes.

“We started with books, so we looked for one that fit the theme. Cerita-Cerita Jakarta offered a strong way to discuss resilience,” Wai said.

The selected route was based on short stories in the book, with four stories chosen to reflect the festival’s themes of politics, culture, climate and economy.

Public transportation became one of the key entry points for discussing urban politics. Participants used mikrotrans minibuses and trains to explore the connection between mobility, public transport and government policy.

“Public transportation is one of the areas we highlight under politics. The relationship between city residents and public transport is closely tied to policies made by decision-makers and how those policies affect urban life,” Wai said.

The journey was intended to be more than transportation between destinations. Participants were encouraged to observe their surroundings, reflect on their experiences and discuss them collectively.

Written by 10 authors, Cerita-Cerita Jakarta presents the city through diverse places, periods and atmospheres, spanning its past, present and imagined future.

Wai said the program also offered a broader understanding of literacy, extending beyond reading books to observing surroundings, exchanging ideas and sharing experiences.

Upon reaching Taman Ismail Marzuki, participants viewed works featured in JIPFest 2026, connecting their experience of reading, walking and navigating Jakarta with photography, the festival’s central medium.

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