THE seven trees were leafless. Bare. Only bark and branches remained. At the corner, metal pendulums hung. High above from the ceiling, a man (Jefriandi Usman) crawled down through the metal bars. His body slithered, while the swinging metal pendulums produced cracking sounds.

Reaching the floor, he sat down with his legs folded beneath his body. In the gloom, seven men were shuddering on the same floor. That was the first part of the contempora