Giving it a try: Visitors are invited to sit back, relax and read books in an installation titled Microlibraries: Alun-Alun Bandung by PT. SHAU Internasional Indonesia.

Indonesialand invites people to see how architects utilize their designs to address multiple issues — from cultural preservation to education.

At a glance, the installation by LABO. Architecture+Design looks like an adorable blue space capsule. But as one steps into the capsule, one will get a glimpse of the hustle and bustle of Bandung.

The capsule is filled with the constant traffic noise and provides a view of the chaotic traffic of Bandung’s main road, where many vehicles, both cars and motorcycles alike, stop and make turns as they please.

Deddy Wahjudi from LABO. said the capsule was a representation of a traffic police post.

“Our people do not follow traffic signs. The presence of police officers is constantly needed to remind people to follow the rules. Therefore, traffic police posts exist,” Deddy said during a discussion held as part of the Indonesialand architecture exhibition at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space in Bandung, West Java.

By showing the distressing traffic police have to face every day, he hopes people will change the way they behave on the road.

Through the installation, titled Tesmak, Deddy criticizes traffic police posts that often carry intimidating designs and features.

“Tesmak shows what traffic police posts should look like. This post looks like a playground,” Deddy says.

Curated by Sarah MA Ginting, Indonesialand presented 29 works from a line of notable Indonesian architects and architectural firms, such as Budi Pradono Architects and Aboday Architects, aside from artists and architecture academicians and students

The exhibition highlighted the way the architects express their thoughts on multiple issues through the structures and buildings they design

“Architecture is a collection of lines. A line is the embodiment of our thoughts, reflections and projections,” said Sarah, who gained her master’s degree in Advanced Architectural Design from The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London.

“For me, a line is like a prayer. Because a line is our powerful statement on politics, economy, social, culture, defense and security although we may not realize it.”

Six months prior to the exhibition, Sarah and the participants gathered in six curatorial meetings to streamline their vision and strengthen their concepts.

The result is a collection of sketches, structures, mock-ups and installations that convey various social messages and missions.

PT. SHAU Internasional Indonesia invited visitors to read in its installation, Microlibraries: Alun-Alun Bandung. There is a round sofa for the people to sit and enjoy the books delicately stored in small shelves. As visitors look to the ceiling, they will enjoy a series of luminous lamps made of ice cream
buckets decorated with alphabets.

The installation is an adaptation from micro libraries that SHAU has designed for Bandung as an effort to improve citizens’ reading habits.

“Daliana of SHAU knows that reading is not yet part of our culture. She turned the library into something casual in order to attract people to come,” Sarah explained.

Some other works show how architects work hand in hand with the locals to create better living space.

Rumah Asuh, initiated by architect Yori Antar, showcases their award-winning project to preserve the traditional houses of Kampung Wae rebo, Manggarai in East Nusa Tenggara.

“It has now become a tourism spot. The case shows how architecture opens the door to economic improvement. There is a shifting paradigm too. While our middle class wants to go to Europe, the superrich opt to travel to this kampung,” Sarah said.

Community Architecture Jogja (Arkom Jogja) presents the colorful sketch drawn by the housewives of a village when they collaborated in revitalizing their neighborhood. Arkom Jogja has facilitated and empowered kampung residents to improve their living space.

Architecture Sans Frontières Indonesia (ASF-ID), a non-profit organization, presents some mementos and a sample of a large bamboo structure from their development projects in low-income neighborhoods of Kampung Tongkol and Pasar Rakyat Bukit Duri in Jakarta.

“There are aesthetic and economic considerations when designing such structure. The project proves that aesthetics belong to everyone regardless their economic status,” Sarah said.

Urban Design Study Center (PSUD) directed their attention to a much larger urban problem. Through a projection mapping, PSUD shows how the upcoming Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT) will impact the traffic flow within Jakarta’s busy Sudirman area.

“We see the impacts the MRT may bring to the development of the area, and things that need to be prepared,” said PSUD project manager Adrianto Santoso.

Architect Baskoro Tedjo and Hepta Desain gives an evaluation of their own project in an installation titled Post-Occupancy Evaluation. The installation shows the public interaction in Persada Soekarno Museum and Library in Blitar, East Java – designed by Baskoro in 2003.

“It is interesting to see how they respond to the building. Some people do selfies, while some others pray and place flowers on the building’s roof. I see that as unpredictable beauty,” Sarah said.

Other participants experimented with structures and aesthetics in their works.

Budi Pradono Architects presents dynamic tower structures in On Studies/Dancing Tower, while Aboday Architects highlights the depth and texture of building materials in a metal installation titled Tactile Totem.

The largest work was presented by School of Architecture of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), which used an algorithm to create a dome structure titled Script of Tectonic made of bamboo, galvanized wire rope and wire clips.

Indonesialand also left room for something sweet and sentimental about the city.

Bandung Mayor and architect Ridwan Kamil and the city’s parks and cemeteries agency presented Tera Bagja to reflect how parks bring happiness to the city’s citizens. The piece consists of a collection of replicas of Bandung’s parks with a large photo of Ridwan holding a teddy bear in the foreground

The architecture department of University of Education (UPI) gives tribute to Villa Isola, a historic landmark located in its campus, in a visual essay titled Isola Beyond Heritage. It tells the story of the iconic art deco building from the Dutch occupation era to the current days.

— Photo by Yuliasri Perdani

Popular

Reform era draws to a close

Trump defends block on foreign students at Harvard

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’