Multimedia exhibit draws public to 'foreign archaeology'

Luh De Suriyani ,  Contributor ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 09/29/2008 10:53 AM  |  Bali

STANDING THE TEST OF TIME: Suwarna, gold coins from the ancient Mataram kingdom in the 9th century, are believed to be among the archipelago’s earliest monetary units. The gold coins were displayed at the multimedia archeology exhibit. (JP/Luh De Suriyani)

The island has held its first-ever multimedia archaeology exhibit, designed to increase public support for the science, which has been marred by chronic problems, including vandalism, theft and lack of enthusiasm among the island's youth.

Titled "Archaeology Goes Public", the exhibit ran from Sept. 25-28 and was organized by Udayana University's archaeology department to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the university's first department, the Faculty of Letters.

"Archaeology is still a foreign, rarely-touched field in Indonesia. The exhibit is aimed at bringing the field to the public," Kristiawan, a lecturer and one of the exhibit's initiators, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Archaeological displays were set up in the basement of the Faculty of Letters, in Sanglah, Denpasar.

The dimly-lit space, which on normal days serves as the campus' main parking facility, was transformed by professors and students into an attractive exhibition area featuring a variety of ancient artifacts, photographs and artwork.

The floor's two supporting columns were transformed into representations of menhirs, chiseled upright stones erected by prehistoric peoples. Organizers then covered the columns with graffiti to raise awareness of one of the challenges archaeologists must deal with in preserving historical sites.

"These columns represent one of the main problems facing archaeology on the island: vandalism," said Romi Hidayat, an archaeology major.

He pointed out that nearly all of Bali's archaeological sites have been marred by graffiti, including drawings and names etched onto some of the island's most precious ruins.

In the center of the exhibit space, a wide screen was set up, upon which was projected a documentary on prehistoric civilizations and human populations.

It was one of the exhibit's highlights, with visitors spending a significant amount of time in front of the screen.

Nearby, an excavation box was re-created on the basement's concrete floor. Exhibit organizers went to painstaking lengths to ensure it provided as accurate a representation as possible of a real excavation box, complete with tools lying inside and out.

The exhibit also featured artifacts from the island's and the country's distinct archaeological periods, from the prehistoric to the classical and epigraphic to the Islamic and colonial.

Predominantly Hindu Bali turned out to be the host of one of the most important artifacts of the Islamic period. In the Bugis village in Serangan island, a handwritten Koran from the 17th century was preserved by the descendants of maritime warriors from South Sulawesi.

Several photographs highlighted Bali's lost treasures, including artifacts that were either stolen and reportedly sold to domestic collectors or auctioned to the highest bidder on foreign markets.

They included a Buddha statue from the Goa Gajah archaeological site in Gianyar and a prehistoric Kenong stone, later found in an artshop in Kuta.

"We have lost a great number of artifacts. Tracking these stolen treasures is very difficult since the emergence of new technologies, including the Internet, which has made it much easier for perpetrators to sell artifacts anywhere around the world," Kristiawan said.

The latest developments in field archaeology were also on display at "Archaeology Goes Public", including dioramas depicting underwater archaeological expeditions and multimedia archaeological projects.

"It proves that multimedia and technology can be used as tools for conserving and preserving our cultural heritage," Kristiawan added.

He said he hoped such tools could attract the island's youth to pursue a career -- academic or otherwise -- in archaeology. Each year, the archaeology department at Udayana University receives fewer and fewer students.

"This year, we have twelve new students, far fewer than the 35 who enrolled in the department last year," he added.

According to Romi Hidayat, the department should become more active in introducing archaeology to the public, if Bali is to create its next generation of archaeologists.

"If the enrollment rate keeps decreasing, there's a chance the archaeology department will be shut down," Romi said.

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