Insular Diversity: Architecture - Culture - Identity in Indonesia

18.05.2011 - 31.12.2012
Assigned research project
As a region of technical and cultural transition between mainland Southeast Asia and the islands of Oceania, Indonesia has served as a meeting point of various peoples and cultures for thousands of years. This historical role resulted in an extraordinary rich cultural diversity on the Indonesian islands that shaped distinct architectural traditions. In many of the local Indonesian cultures, architecture became one of the most important expressions of identity. The importance as a cultural symbol can especially be seen in the large number of different vernacular building traditions that still exist in present-day Indonesia. The extraordinary appearance of the residential homes, expressed in particular by their dominant roofs, allows a strong identification of the local people with their dwellings and villages. What is more, the settlement structure is usually strongly affiliated with the social and economic status. By studying vernacular Indonesian architecture we can learn about the long-standing building traditions as well as the society. Indonesia has also a long history of prestigious religious and secular buildings, like the Borobudur and Prambanan temples or the palaces of rulers and noble families. This architectural heritage clearly shows the indigenous high culture and the religious, political, and cultural influence that the insular state was subjected to for many centuries. These factors contribute to the contemporary cultural identity of Indonesia, just as well as vernacular architecture does. The 2011 Vienna Symposium aims to address the past, the present and the future of architecture, culture and identity in Indonesia, by focusing on vernacular building cultures, historic architectural monuments, as well as modern architecture and urban planning. We would like to discuss the existence and nature of Indonesia¿s rich and diverse cultural heritage and modern symbolic architecture, as well as the meaning of building types, construction methods and building materials in context with geographic regions and cultures, time periods and socio-cultural systems. A holistic understanding of architecture in the context of culture and identity requires an interdisciplinary approach. Scholars from related disciplines, Cultural and Social Anthropology, History and Art History, Archaeology, to name a few, are welcome to join the symposium. The Institute for History of Art and Architecture at the Vienna University of Technology represents one of the very few European institutions in the field of non-Western Architectural traditions and has been conducting research on various regions in Southeast Asia. With the 2001 symposium we aim to strengthen the already existing network among European and Indonesian scholars, research institutions, and organisations that are involved in studies in this field. The discussions among experts of various subjects and countries will allow an interdisciplinary and international exchange of the most recent research and provide an insight into the position of architecture within the set of current cultural values.

People

Project leader

Sub project leader

Project personnel

Institute

Contract/collaboration

  • Universität Wien

Research focus

  • Beyond TUW-research focus: 60%
  • Development and Advancement of the Architectural Arts: 40%

Keywords

GermanEnglish
IndonesienIndonesia
KulturgutCultural Heritage
traditionelle Architekturtraditional Architecture
KulturCulture
KunstArt

Publications