review 19-4-2010 december

VO

LUM

E 1

9 N

O.

4 D

Ec

EM

bE

r 2

01

0

the journal of the asian arts society

of australia

TAASA Review

indonesia

and timor-leste

3 Editorial

JoannaBarrkman,GuestEditor

4 CoNSErVatioNaNdCarEoFCUltUralCollECtioNS:aUStralia, iNdoNESia

aNdtiMor-lEStEPartNErSHiPS

KristinPhillipsandSandraYee

7 CollECtoraNdCollECtEd:EXPloriNGtHEiNtErCUltUralNatUrEoFaMUSEUMCollECtioN

SiobhanCampbell

10 tHErEViValoFEMBroidErEdStorYClotHS iNNEGara,Bali

IMadeRaiArtha

12 tHESaCrEdHoUSEoFtiMor-lEStE

EugénioSarmento

14 dili:aCitY iNSEarCHoF itSSoUl

JillJolliffe

16 tHE iSlaMiCHEritaGEoF iNdoNESia’Sart

JamesBennett

19 aMBaSSadoroF iNdoNESiaNBatiK: iwaNtirta (1935-2010)

MariaWronska-Friend

20 BrEaStClotHSoFJaVaaNdBali

JoannaBarrkman

22 iNtHEPUBliCdoMaiN: KALA FrOM THE ArT GALLErY OF SOUTH AUSTrALIA

RussellKelty

23 JoHNHUiEaNdtHECHiNESEGardENCHaMBErMUSiCFEStiVal

PaoloHooke

24 EXHiBitioNPrEViEw:THE FIrST EMpErOr: cHINA’S ENTOMbED WArrIOrS

AnnMacArthur

26 CoNFErENCErEPort:bOrNEO INTErNATIONAL bEADS cONFErENcE 2010

Hwei-F’enCheah

28 rECENttaaSaaCtiVitiES

29 aMESSaGEFroMtaaSa’SPrESidENt

29 taaSaMEMBErS’diarY

30 wHat’SoNiNaUStraliaaNdoVErSEaS:DEcEMbEr 2010 - FEbrUArY 2011

CompiledbySabrinaSnow

C o N t E N t S : I N D O N E S I A A N D T I M O r - L E S T E

Volume 19 No. 4 December 2010

taaSarEViEw

THEASIANARTSSOCIETYOFAUSTRALIAINC.ABN64093697537•Vol.19No.4,December2010ISSN1037.6674registered by Australia post. publication No. NbQ 4134

Editorial•email:[email protected]

Generaleditor,JosefaGreenGuestEditorthisissue,JoannaBarrkmanEditorialassistancethisissue,SandraForbesPUBliCatioNSCoMMittEE

JosefaGreen(convenor)•TinaBurgeMelanieEastburn•SandraForbes•AnnMacArthurJimMasselos•AnnProctor•SusanScollaySabrinaSnow•ChristinaSumner

dESiGN/laYoUt

IngoVoss,VossDesign

PriNtiNG

JohnFisherPrinting

published by The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc. pO box 996 potts point NSW 2011 www.taasa.org.au

Enquiries:[email protected]

TAASA Review is published quarterly and is distributed to members

of The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc. TAASA Review welcomes

submissions of articles, notes and reviews on Asian visual and

performing arts. All articles are refereed. Additional copies and

subscription to TAASA Review are available on request.

No opinion or point of view is to be construed as the opinion of

The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc., its staff, servants or agents.

No claim for loss or damage will be acknowledged by TAASA

Review as a result of material published within its pages or

in other material published by it. We reserve the right to alter

or omit any article or advertisements submitted and require

indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages

or liabilities that may arise from material published.

All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders.

taaSaMEMBErSHiPratES

$70 Single$90 Dual$95 Libraries$35 Concession(full-timestudentsunder26pensioners,

unemployed,withIDsupplied)$115 Overseas(individualsandlibraries)$650 Lifemembership

adVErtiSiNGratES

TAASAReviewwelcomesadvertisementsfromappropriatecompanies,institutionsandindividuals.RatesbelowareGSTinclusive.

Backpage $850Fullinnerpage $725Halfpagehorizontal $484Thirdpage(verticalorhorizontal) $364Halfcolumn $265Insert $300

Forfurtherinformationreadvertising,includingdiscountsforregularquarterlyadvertising,[email protected]

FOr OUr NExT ISSUE IS 15 DEcEMbEr 2010

tHEdEadliNEForalladVErtiSiNG

FOr OUr NExT ISSUE IS 1 FEbrUArY 2011

2

aFUll iNdEXoFartiClESPUBliSHEd iNTAASA Review SiNCE itSBEGiNNiNGS

iN1991 iSaVailaBlEoNtHEtaaSawEBSitE,www.taaSa.orG.aU

ideR-ideR,StorYClotH (DETAIL), prESUMED FrOM NEGArA, bALI, INDONESIA, 20TH cENTUrY.

HAND EMbrOIDErED cOMMErcIALLY WOVEN cOTTON AND rAYON THrEADS AND GLASS bEADS,

DIMENSIONS (OF cOMpLETE TExTILE) HT 350 cM x 4600 cM LONG. GIFT OF MrS MArY AbbOTT,

cOLLEcTION MUSEUM AND ArT GALLErY OF THE NOrTHErN TErrITOrY. THE cUrrENT rEVIVAL

OF SUcH EMbrOIDErED TExTILES IS DIScUSSED ON pp. 10-11 OF THIS ISSUE.

E d i t o r i a l : I N D O N E S I A A N D T I M O r - L E S T E :

p r E S E r V I N G c U LT U r A L H E r I TA G E

JoannaBarrkman,GuestEditorGillGrEEN•prESIDENT

ArthistorianspecialisinginCambodianculture

CHriStiNaSUMNEr•VIcE prESIDENT

PrincipalCurator,DesignandSociety,PowerhouseMuseum,Sydney

aNNGUild•TrEASUrEr

FormerDirectoroftheEmbroidersGuild(UK)

KatEJoHNStoN•SEcrETArY

IntellectualpropertylawyerwithaninterestinAsiantextiles

HwEi-FE’NCHEaH

Lecturer,ArtHistory,AustralianNationalUniversity,withaninterestinneedlework

JoCElYNCHEY

VisitingProfessor,DepartmentofChineseStudies,UniversityofSydney;formerdiplomat

MattCoX

StudyRoomCo-ordinator,ArtGalleryofNewSouthWales,withaparticularinterestinIslamicArtofSoutheastAsia

PHiliPCoUrtENaY

FormerProfessorandRectoroftheCairnsCampus,JamesCookUniversity,withaspecialinterestinSoutheastAsianceramics

lUCiEFolaN

AssistantCurator,AsianArt,NationalGalleryofAustralia

SaNdraForBES

Editorialconsultantwithlong-standinginterestinSouthandSoutheastAsianart

JoSEFaGrEEN

GeneraleditorofTAASAReview.CollectorofChineseceramics,withlong-standinginterestinEastAsianartasstudentandtraveller

GEraldiNEHardMaN

CollectorofChinesefurnitureandBurmeselacquerware

MiN-JUNGKiM

CuratorofAsianArts&DesignatthePowerhouseMuseum

aNNProCtor

ArthistorianwithaparticularinterestinVietnam

SaBriNaSNow

HasalongassociationwiththeArtGalleryofNewSouthWalesandaparticularinterestintheartsofChina

HoN.aUditor

RosenfeldKantandCo

S t a t E r E P r E S E N t a t i V E S

AUSTRALIANCAPITALTERRITORY

roBYNMaXwEll

VisitingFellowinArtHistory,ANU;SeniorCuratorofAsianArt,NationalGalleryofAustralia

NORTHERNTERRITORY

JoaNNaBarrKMaN

CuratorofSoutheastAsianArtandMaterialCulture,MuseumandArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory

QUEENSLAND

rUSSEllStorEr

CuratorialManager,AsianandPacificArt,QueenslandArtGallery

SOUTHAUSTRALIA

JaMESBENNEtt

CuratorofAsianArt,ArtGalleryofSouthAustralia

VICTORIA

CarolCaiNS

CuratorAsianArt,NationalGalleryofVictoriaInternational

3

t a a S a C o M M i t t E E

I recall inviting Mrs Inez Casimiro, asenior member of Darwin’s Timor-Lestecommunity, into the Southeast AsianstoreroomattheMuseumandArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory after shehad agreedto ‘co-curate’ a display of Timorese objects.Viewingthecollection,shewasdrawntoear-rings,hairpinsandbraceletssimilartothosewhichshe’dwornasayoungwomaninherhomeland, before fleeing to Australia as arefugeein1975.

A woven fibre food cover – lo’u metin –immediately caught Mrs Casimiro’s eye. Sheexplained that as a girl she hadwatched heraunt make similar food covers in her homevillageofSame.Shehadneverexpectedtoseeoneagain-especiallynotinDarwin,Australia!

This anecdote illustrates the good fortuneof Australian cultural institutions that havedeveloped Indonesian and Timor-Lestecollectionsandtheobligationsofcustodianshipresulting from this boon. These collectionshave important roles to play in fosteringbi-lateral research, training and exhibitions.They are also resources for the revitalisationofculturalpractices,heritagepreservationandthe documentation of intangible heritage inIndonesiaandTimor-Leste.

Becauseitistheywhophysicallycareandtreattheitems,itisconservatorswhooftendevelopthemostintimaterelationshipwithcollectionobjects. First in this issueofTAASAReview,the observations of international exchangetrainingprograms inmuseologypracticebySandra Yee and Kristin Phillips remind usthat neighbouring nations such as Timor-LesteandIndonesiaoftenenjoyonlylimitedaccesstocollectioncareresourcesenjoyedbyAustralian institutions. Valuable collectionsremain vulnerable to natural disasters, civilunrestandeconomicpressures.Theexchangeof skills and techniques betweenAustralianmuseum conservators and Timorese andIndonesian counterparts have supportedimprovedcareforSoutheastAsiacollections.

Siobhan Campbell writes about her investigations in Kamasan village, Bali, intothe significance of the Australian Museum’scollection of Balinese paintings compiledby renowned Australian anthropologist DrAnthony Forge in the 1970s. Through theimpressionsofvillagers,abodyofinformationisbeingamassedwhichnarratesthedynamicsofexchangeandencounterbetweenKamasanartists and Forge: timely research, as Forge’sincursions remain in living memory. InNegara, Bali, another timely intervention isunder way; here the embroidering of story

clothsisexperiencingagradualrevival. IMadeRaiArtha records theprocessof re-engagingtextiles artisans with sulaman Negara, handembroidered textiles such as the one on thecoverof this issue,whichuntil recentlyhaveteeteredontheedgeofdisappearance.

Revivalandreconstructionarethemesimplicitin Eugénio Sarmento’s exploration of thesignificance of ceremonial houses in Timor-Leste. Sarmento reminds us that materialarchitectural forms are embodiments ofintangibleculturalvaluesasheconvincinglyillustrates how Timorese cultural identityis inherent within the traditional ume lulikarchitecture of Soibada. Alternatively, JillJolliffe considers the changing city of Diliand reflects on whether, as developmentandconstructionproliferate,Dili’sculturallyvaried architectural heritage has a place inthiscity’sfuture.

IssuesofIndonesianartandIslamicculturalheritage are examined by James Bennett, who considers the role of Islam as a sourceof artistic inspiration in Javanese art duringthe earlymodern era. He argues, using theexample of a stunning pair of 18th centuryloro blonyo sculptures, that the widelypropagated notion of a syncretic layeringof indigenous, Buddhist-Hindu and Islamicaesthetics is inadequate for the appreciationof its iconography, which is pervadedwithreferencestocontemporaryMuslimbeliefs.

We sadlymark the passing of Iwan Tirta on31 July 2010. A celebrated Indonesian batikartist and fashion-designer, Tirta successfullyreconstitutedbatik into avibrantmodernart-form and fashion. Dr Maria Wronska-FrienddocumentsTirta’slegacytoshapingIndonesia’scultural identity on the international stageduring the late 20th century. Still on theIndonesianfocus,RussellKelty discussesarareterracotta mid 9th century Buddhist-Hindusculpture of Kala in the collection of the ArtGalleryofSouthAustralia.

Keeping us up to date on recent and comingevents, Ann Macarthur previews theforthcomingexhibition TheFirstEmperor:China’sEntombedWarriors at theArt Gallery ofNSW,Paolo Hooke writes about JohnHuie and the2011ChineseGardenChamberMusicFestival,while Hwei-f’en Cheah reports on the recent2010BorneoInternationalBeadsConference.

Thanks to all the contributors and to JamesBennett, Sue Bassett and Josefa Green fortheir support in developing this issue ofTAASAReview.

4

heday-to-daychallengesfacingmuseumconservation departments in Indonesia

and Timor-Leste are often unimaginable fortheirAustralian peers sitting in the climate-controlled comfort of laboratories fully-equipped with state-of-the-art computertechnology,professional-gradematerialsandgenerousoperationalbudgets.Thisisaworldapart from the Indonesian and Timor-Lestereality where there is no formal trainingavailable in either conservationor collectionmanagement practices and museum staffcontinuously grapple with limited access torelevantexpertiseandresources.

Altruismcan liebehind the sharingof skillsand knowledge byAustralianmuseum staffwithcolleaguesinIndonesiaandTimor-Leste.Certainly, through neighbourly relationsfostered over several decades, SoutheastAsian museums have facilitated access forAustraliancuratorsandacademicresearcherstoinvestigateanddocumentregionalheritagecollections. It has also ensured the successof major exhibitions in Australia such asIndonesian Gold: Treasures from the NationalMuseum,Jakarta(1999),CrescentMoon:IslamicartandcivilisationofSoutheastAsia(2004),HusiBeiAlaTimorSiraNiaLiman-FromtheHandsof Our Ancestors: The art and craft of Timor-Leste (2008) and Life, death and magic: Twothousand years of ancestral art from SoutheastAsia (2010). When recognising this historyof Indonesia and Timor-Leste support forAustralianexhibitionprograms,thequestionalsoneedstobeasked:whathaveAustralianinstitutionsofferedasareciprocalgestureforsuchprofessionalgenerosity?

The Museum and Art Gallery of theNorthernTerritory (MAGNT), togetherwithArtlab Australia, have recently facilitatedthree significant exchange projects inmuseum collection care and conservationwith Yogyakarta Museum Association(Yogyakarta),MuseumofBatik(Pekalongan)andTimor-LesteDirectorateofCulture(Dili).The projects provide a positive exampleof ways in which Australia, Indonesia andTimor-Leste can more effectively shareknowledge,especiallyintheareaofpreventiveconservation skills. The outcome has beena stronger working relationship betweenthe participating institutions. Possibly mostimportantly, the projects have nurtured adeeper mutual appreciation of identitiesandhistories throughdirect exposure to the

material objects that represent each other’sculturalheritage.

InJanuary2009MAGNTandtheYogyakartaMuseum Association, with funding fromAustralia International Cultural Council,jointly facilitated the Disaster Preparednessand Collections Management Workshop inYogyakarta,CentralJava.Thisrenownedcityis regarded as the cultural heart of Java.It is home to approximately 40 museums,documentingHindu-Buddhistarchaeologicalsites, Muslim court culture, traditionalcraft practices, visual and performance artscollections, as well as supporting an activemuseums’ association known as BadanMusyawarah Musea (BARAHMUS). Thereis frequent tectonic instability in the region.The catastrophic Bantul earthquake in 2006resulted in more than 5000 fatalities andcausedirreparabledamagetomanyhistoricalmonumentsandcollections.

Thetwo-weekworkshopwasdevelopedandledbyJoannaBarrkman,CuratorofSoutheastAsian Art at MAGNT, with conservatorsKristinPhillipsofArtlabSAandSandraYeeofMAGNT,andconductedat theSonobudoyoStateMuseum(MuseumNegeriSonobudoyo)whose important collection was foundedin 1935. It was attended by 30 participantsfrom Yogyakarta’s local museums as wellas staff from Gadjah Mada University andJakarta’s National Museum of Indonesia.

Kristin Phillips delivered the first week ofthe training on disaster preparedness. Riskassessment strategies were developed forreducingtheimpactofdisastersrangingfromsuddenearthquake, flood, fireandaccidentstomoresubtleprocessesofdeteriorationthatcanbeequallyasdisastrousinthelong-termonmuseum displays and collection storage.During the workshop, the participantsenthusiastically formed ‘disaster responseteams’withspecificrolesandfunctions,andstagedpracticalrecoveryexercisesforasmallmockdisaster.

The second week of the workshop focusedon the preventive care of ceramics and wasfacilitated by Sandra Yee. Sonobudoyo StateMuseumhasanextensivecollectionofJavaneseartandmaterialculture,includinganoteworthycollection of 13th-16th century Majapahit eraterracotta figurines fromTrowulan,East Java.The vulnerability of the museum’s terracottacollection was demonstrated by the damageto a number of its pieces during the 2006Bantulearthquake.Theworkshopprovidedanexcellentopportunitytoreviewthemuseum’smethodofhousingceramicsindisplaycabinetsfitted with long, narrow glass shelves whichwereinimminentdangeroftopplingwitheventhe slightest tremor. Given limited time andresources,riskmitigationbecameanimportantfocus,withprioritisationgiventorehousingasmallnumberofthemosthistoricallysignificantitems. Polyethylene foam sheets were used

4

T

C o N S E r V a t i o N a N d C a r E o F C U l t U r a l C o l l E C t i o N S :

a U S t r a l i a , i N d o N E S i a a N d t i M o r - l E S t E Pa r t N E r S H i P S

KristinPhillipsandSandraYee

TA A S A r E V I E W V O L U M E 1 9 N O . 4

KriStiNPHilliPS(CENtrE)aNdworKSHoPPartiCiPaNtS WOrK AS A ‘DISASTEr rESpONSE TEAM’

TO ‘rEcOVEr’ A WET TExTILE, AS pArT OF THE DISASTEr prEpArEDNESS WOrKSHOp HELD AT THE

SONObUDOYO MUSEUM IN YOGYAKArTA, cENTrAL JAVA, INDONESIA, IN 2009. pHOTO JOANNA bArrKMAN

5TA A S A r E V I E W V O L U M E 1 9 N O . 4

to individuallywrap theMajapahit terracottafigurines and the collection’s large ceramicstorage jars (guci) to prevent direct contactwith adjacent ceramics. Stacked stonewareand porcelain plates were interleaved withpolyethylenesheetfoamandthenrestacked,aslackofspacedidnotpermitindividualstorage.Themorefragileorrareexamplesofthetradewareceramicswereboxedwithfoampadding.

Among the most enthusiastic participantsof theworkshopwasYuliAstuti,CollectionManager of the collection of SultanHamengkubuwono X which is housed inKraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. SandraYee and the workshop participants visitedthekratonpalacetoviewtheroyalcollectionwhich consisted of Chinese and Europeanceramics, as well as glassware, acquiredsince its establishment in 1755. Largenumbers of the ceramics were displayed inglass cabinets, or hung on public displaywith a single uncoated metal wire againstmasonry wall directly accessible to thepublic. The hanging devices were assessedfor their earthquake resistance strength, andsafer measures introduced. One importantpracticalcontributionoftheworkshoptolocalconservationpracticewastheintroductionofa reversiblemicrocrystallinewax,whichcanbe applied to the base of ceramic and glassobjectsasanadhesivetoensurestability.

Nevertheless, theYogyakartaworkshopalsoexemplified the challenges facing regionalcross-culturalexchanges.Themostimmediateissuewascommunication,withtheworkshopdelivered in English language and thentranslated by professional interpreters intoBahasa Indonesia. The translation processproved time-consuming, with finer detailsoccasionally ‘lost in translation’. Another

challenge was the lack of informationabout conservation techniques availablein Indonesian language. Resource textstaken for granted in Australian museumsare inaccessible to non-English speakingcollection custodians. Fortunately, effortswere made to ensure that the workshopprogramwastranslatedintoBahasaIndonesiaprior to the workshop and this became apivotal tool during each session. Anotherchallenge was that although a number ofstandardconservationmaterialswerelocallysourced, other materials such as acid-freetissue are simply not available in Indonesiaandimportcostsareprohibitivelyexpensive.

The success of the workshop built onrelationshipsthatArtlabAustraliaconservator,Kristin Phillips, had previously developedin 2007 while undertaking an Asialink ArtsManagement Residency at the SonobudoyoMuseum, where she worked extensively onthemuseum’stextilecollectionanditsstoragefacilities. Kristin also visited museums inJakarta, Cirebon and Pekalongan looking atnorth coast Javanese batik, enabling her toresearch more information about traditionalwax-resist dye techniques. The collegiaterelationships Kristin formed during the 2007residency provided the stepping-stone forfacilitatingatrainingprogramattheMuseumofBatikinPekalongan,EastJava,inJuly2008.

Pekalongan’s recently-established Museumof Batik is under the directorship of ZahirWidadi, whose dynamic ‘can-do’ attitudedemonstrates the impressive initiative oftenshownbyIndonesianmuseumstaffworkingin situations of great professional isolation.Zahir Widadi and Kristin, through thesupport of the Australia-Indonesia Institute,developed a textile conservation workshop

programattheMuseumofBatik,whichwasattended by 25 museum workers from 15culturalorganisationsthroughoutJava.

Like the Yogyakarta workshop, this projectdemonstratedhowprofessionaldevelopmentprogramscansimultaneouslyprovidegeneralconservationtrainingopportunitiesaswellasaddressaspecific localneed. InPekalongan,thiswastheneedfortheMuseumofBatiktodevelopastrategicplantoupgradecollectionstoragefacilitiesandpreventiveconservationpractices.Theeventualimplementationofthestorage facilities will position the Museumof Batik as an innovative leader amongstIndonesia’sregionalmuseums.

Unlike in Yogyakarta, a professionalinterpreter was not available so thatworkshop participants also assisted asinterpreters.Abenefit of thismore informalapproach was the sense of ownership ofknowledge which participants gained in theprocess. And, it may be added, the absenceof a translator provided entertainment atKristin’sattempts tospeakBahasa Indonesia!TheMuseumofBatikworkshopalsonurturedanetworkofmuseumcolleagueswithwhomKristin continues to exchange conservationinformation and ‘know-how’ on an informalbasis.Theworkshop’semphasisonpreventiveconservationmeasuresparticularlyunderlinedtheimportanceofidentifyinglocalsubstitutesas a cheap alternative to costly importedconservationmaterials.

The issue of the high cost and relativeinaccessibility of overseas conservationproducts was further highlighted whenSandra Yee travelled to Timor-Leste in 2008,accompaniedbycolleagues JoannaBarrkmanandPepvanPapenrecht(WorkshopTechnician,

SoNoBUdoYoMUSEUMStaFF IMprOVE THE STOrAGE cONDITIONS OF THE MUSEUM’S cErAMIc cOLLEcTION AS pArT

OF THE DISASTEr prEpArEDNESS WOrKSHOp AT THE SONObUDOYO MUSEUM, 2009. pHOTO JOANNA bArrKMAN

FatCHiYaHaKadir FrOM TObAL bATIK prEpArES A FAbrIc SAMpLE

FOr cONSErVATION TrEATMENT AT THE TExTILE cONSErVATION

WOrKSHOp HELD AT THE MUSEUM OF bATIK, pEKALONGAN,

cENTrAL JAVA IN 2008. pHOTO KrISTIN pHILLIpS

6 TA A S A r E V I E W V O L U M E 1 9 N O . 4

MAGNT),tocoordinatethepackingof39loanobjectsfromtheNationalCollectionofTimor-Leste (NCTL) for freighting to Darwin. Thewoodenfigurinesandceremonialhousedoors,stone effigies and large earthenware potshad been selected for display in MAGNT’sexhibitionHusi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia Liman-From theHands ofOurAncestors,curatedbyJoannaBarrkman(Barrkman,2008).

The logistical challenges for ensuring thesafe freight of the exhibition’s loan itemsfrom Dili to Darwin were immense, withmany unanswered questions regarding theavailabilityoflocalresourcesandequipmentin Timor-Leste at the commencement of theproject.ProductsamplesofpackingmaterialsweresentinadvancetoNationalDirectorateof Culture (DNC) staff to assist with thesourcing of local substitutes and items suchas acid free tissue, cotton tape, bubblewrapand foam, not obtainable Timor-Leste,wereimmediately shipped from Darwin. Anappropriateworkspacetopacktheworksofart had to be located inDili as theNationalCollectionisyettobehousedinadesignatedmuseum building. A reliable power sourcewas requiredanda logistical solution foundformovingcrates,containingfragileartworks,to the Dili dock for despatch by barge toDarwin.Anexampleof thechallenges facedin the rudimentary conditions was theintroduction of clean gloves for handlingobjects. Many of the rare items, such asthe ancestral sculptures from Lautem andBobonaro, were friable, with old patinatedsurfaces, and it was difficult to keep barehands clean when there was little runningwateravailableattheDilipackingsite.

Toprotecttheobjectsasmuchaspossibleintransit, allwooden items, suchas sculpturesandmaterialcultureartefacts,werewrappedin acid-free tissue before being furtherwrapped in calico and placed in speciallyconstructed individual boxes. The potentialdangers of inclement weather during theDili-Darwin voyage required that objects bepackedwithadditionalbufferinginshippingcontainers,toprotectagainsthumidity,heat,wave motion and potential water seepage.An environmental data logger travelled toDarwin in the container with the objects,tracking conditions inside the container. Anadded challenge for the Australian teamworkinginDiliwastheconstraintsofacurfew,and mandatory escorted travel between thehotel accommodation and workplace, thatwas a result of the political crisis in Dili inFebruary2008.

ThesuccessfuloutcomeofthisprojectwasthatDNCstaff receiveduseful and relevanthands-on training in object handling, cleaning andpacking,andthattheNationalCollectionofEastTimorwas displayed for the first time outsidethenewlyestablishednationandinAustralia.

The challenge in developing regionalexchange programs ismaintaining on-goingprograms that further build on establishedprofessionalrelationships.OrganisationssuchastheAustralia-IndonesiaInstitute,AustraliaInternational Cultural Council, Asialinkand AusAID have generously supportedinitiatives in the field of professionaldevelopment,yetitcontinuestobedifficulttoaccessfundsformorelong-termconservationprograms.Therequirementsofwritinggrant

funding applications, liaison with overseasprofessionalpeers,preparingcoursecontent,arranging translations, planning overseastravel and acquitting grants are time-consumingandoftencompetewith theday-to-dayworkofAustralianmuseumstaff.

The need for a dedicated approach toconservation training in cooperation withAustralia’s closest neighbours is evident inthe astonishingly rare and beautiful worksof art lent to recent Australian exhibitionsfrom Southeast Asia’s cultural collections.It is a sobering thought that both the oldestandyoungestnationalmuseumcollectionsinAustralasiaareinIndonesiaandTimor-Leste.Jakarta’s National Museum collection wasfoundedin1778andtheNationalCollectionofTimor-Lestedates from the establishmentoftheEastTimorProvincialMuseumin1995duringIndonesia’soccupationofthecountry.

Thecontinuingrequestsbyregionalmuseumcolleagues for support in their quest tocare for historically significant collectionsare difficult to ignore. The diverse fieldsin which they seek training include basicconditionreporting,correcthandling,storage,movement of objects, as well as generalhousekeeping and occupational health andsafety. Whilst the challenges of languagedifferences,scarcityofprofessionalmaterials,lackoffundsandsometimes-asinDili-evenlack of runningwater can be confronting toAustralianmuseum staff, it is apparent thatAustralia can contribute significant supporttoourimmediateSoutheastAsianneighbourstocare for theirculturalheritagecollections.Yet the question remains: will Australiancultural organisations be able to continue tomaintainthisusefulroleintothefuture?

Kristin phillips is a principal conservator Textiles,

Artlab Australia, South Australia.

Sandra Yee is a conservator at the Museum and Art

Gallery of the Northern Territory.

rEFErENCES

barrkman, J. (ed) 2008: Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia Liman – From

the Hands of Our Ancestors. Museum and Art Gallery Northern

Territory, Darwin, in partnership with the National Directorate of

culture, Democratic republic of Timor-Leste.

Heritage collections council, 1998: reCollections: Caring for

Collections Across Australia. commonwealth Department of

communications, Information Technology and the Arts, canberra.

Soemantri, H 1997: Majapahit Terracotta Art. ceramic Society of

Indonesia, Jakarta.

Simith, V. 2008: ‘National Museum of Timor-Leste: Its past, present

and Future’ in Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia Liman – From the Hands

of Our Ancestors, barrkman, J. (ed), Museum and Art Gallery

Northern Territory, Darwin.

SaNdraYEEaNdPoliCarPoMaGElHaES FrOM THE NATIONAL DIrEcTOrATE OF cULTUrE pAcK AN ANcESTrAL FIGUrINE

FrOM THE NATIONAL cOLLEcTION OF TIMOr-LESTE FOr FrEIGHT TO DArWIN FOr DISpLAY IN THE ExHIbITION HuSi Bei ALA TiMOR SiRA

NiA LiMAN - FROM THe HANdS OF OuR ANCeSTORS HELD AT THE MAGNT IN 2008. pHOTO JOANNA bArrKMAN


s museums around the world acknow-ledge the need for greater interaction

with theproducersof their culturalheritagecollections, research on the ForgeCollectionofBalineseArtat theAustralianMuseuminSydneyisgeneratingnewperspectivesontheartistic and scholarly processes behind theformationofthismuseumcollection.

The Australian anthropologist and collectorAnthonyForge(1929-1991)spentoneyearinKamasanvillage,Bali,between1972and1973andconductedadetailedstudyoftraditionalpaintings on cloth. During this fieldworkandonacoupleoflatervisitsForgeacquiredthe 160 paintings that now constitute theForge Collection at theAustralianMuseum,Sydney. As his intentionwas to assemble acollection that visually documented stylisticand iconographic change over time, hepurchased a considerable variety of worksranging from old paintings sourced fromcommunitytemplestonewworkspurchasedorcommissioneddirectlyfromartists.

Assembling a museum collection in thefieldwas not something Forge had plannedbeforehand, but he was encouraged by theavailability of old and new works. Forgehad collected for museum institutions inthe United States and Europe during twoprevious periods of fieldwork in the Sepikregionof PapuaNewGuinea, and thereforehad established contacts with potentialcollectors and institutions. When he beganhis first period of fieldwork in Bali, Forgewas a senior lecturer in Anthropology atthe London School of Economics, butduring his stay in Bali he was appointedas Founding Chair of Anthropology at theAustralianNational University in Canberra.His Balinese painting collectionwas offeredtotheAustralianMuseum,whichpurchasedtheinitialcollectionin1976andthenfundedfurtheracquisitionsin1979.

Kamasan village is home to a communityof artists actively producing art for socialand religiouspurposes aspart of apaintingtradition that can be traced back to at leastthetimeofthegreatEastJavaneseMajapahitkingdom (1293 -1500).The village is locatedtwo kilometres to the south of Semarapura,the capital of Klungkung District in EastBali. This was the seat of the Dewa AgungofKlungkung, thehighest ruler inBaliuntil1908, when the kingdom was destroyed bytheDutch.Kamasanpainters, knownby theBalineseword for artist/craftsman sangging,served the ruler of Klungkung. Their workincluded the painted ceiling narratives onthe Kerta Gosa, or Court of Justice, locatedwithinthegroundsoftheformerroyalpalace.Thispalace,standingonthesoutherncornerof the main intersection of Semarapura, isKlungkung’s most visited tourist attraction.MostoftheartistsresideinBanjarSangging,theKamasanwardnamedaftertheSanggingdescentgroup, althoughotherwardswithinKamasan including Pande Mas and Sikualsohousepracticingartists, alongsidegold,silverandmetalsmithswholargelyproduce

containersandvesselsfortempleofferings.

Although the paintings collected by Forgeoriginate from several centres acrossBali, thevillageofKamasanremainsthemaincentreofthisclassicalpaintingtraditionandartiststodaycontinuetoworkintheclassicalstyle.Thisstyleiscloselyrelatedtothewayangshadowpuppettheatre.Thepaintingsarecharacterisedbytheirnarrative content, depicting scenes from theIndianepicsRamayanaandMahabharataaswellasindigenousnarrativesincludingthestoryofblackmagicwitchRangda,thecourtlytalesofPrinceMalatRasmi,thefamilyofPanandMenBrayut with their 18 children, and the Tantrianimalfables.Theywereproducedinavarietyof formats on bark or cotton cloth and hungwithin royal palaces, individual courtyardand community temples, often stored awayand brought out for use during particularfestivals.ForgeworkedwithseveralKamasanartists to produce written and photographicdocumentationofthepaintingprocess,soughttheir viewson theprovenance andqualityofolderworksandreliedon themassources toexplainthenarrativesdepictedinthepaintings.

A

C o l l E C t o r a N d C o l l E C t E d : E X P l o r i N G t H E i N t E r C U l t U r a l

N a t U r E o F a M U S E U M C o l l E C t i o N

SiobhanCampbell aNtHoNYForGE(BaCKGroUNd,lEFt) ATTENDS A cErEMONY AT THE pUrA bALE bATUr IN KAMASAN, bALI, AUGUST 1973.

FOrGE ArcHIVE, WHErE? pHOTOGrApHEr UNKNOWN.

ideR-ideRoFPaNaNdMENBraYUt, prESUMED TO bE bY KUMpI MESIrA, bALI (KAMASAN, KLUNGKUNG DISTrIcT), c1900.

NATUrAL pIGMENT AND INK ON cOTTON cLOTH, 29 x 380 cM. THE FOrGE cOLLEcTION, AUSTrALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY. pHOTO EMMA FUrNO


OnepaintingcollectedbyForgefromatemplein the coastal village ofDjasi inKarangasem,East Bali, suggests that the Balinese users ofpaintingswerefamiliarwithdifferentpaintingstyles and even employed them side by side.Ider-ideristhenamegiventoalongandnarrowcloththathangsfromtheeavesofapavilionintemplesorpalacesandcanstretchrightaroundthe outside of the building. Ider-ider usuallyrelate several scenesof anarrativewhich canbeviewedinsequencebywalkingaroundthebuilding. This particular painting consists oftwopiecesofclothwhichweresewntogetherbefore painting, but the two halves are verydifferent.ThescenesontheleftsideoftheclothshowaRangdaandBarongdanceandorchestrawith the musicians wearing European styledress.ThedemonwitchRangdaappearswithanassistant,bothwithlongfierytongues,whilearmed men attack them. The scenes on therightsidearefromtheMahabharataepic,anddepict a meeting which takes place betweenrepresentatives of the Korawa and Pandawasides at the beginning of the Bharatayuddha,their final battle. The cloth shows the leadersof the Korawas receiving Krishna and thePandawa retinue. Forge did not discount thepossibility that the sameartistproducedbothparts of this painting and although the artistwas not known, it is believed to date fromthe 1920s and to be the work of a painteroutsideKamasan.

Anotherpairofpaintings in the collectionwasmade to be used as flags and hung at theentrance to temples and private compounds.They are known as kober, and are painted onbothsideswithaseamrunningdownonesidesothatalongpieceofbamboocanbeinsertedastheflagpole.Theygenerallydepicttwoopposedcharactersoramaleandfemalepair.ThispairshowstwocharactersfromtheRamayanaepic:anunidentifieddemongeneralwhoisamemberof the demon king Rahwana’s retinue, andHanoman,thewhitemonkeygeneralwholeadsthearmywhichdefendsRama.

Thepaintingsandtheassociateddocumentationrecord the innovations in classical paintingover a 200 year period. Thismakes the ForgeCollection unique, for no other collection ofBalinese classical paintings, within or outsideBali, has such a large amount of contextualinformationtoaccompanytheworks.

Forgewasnot,however,thefirstforeignscholartostudyclassicalBalinesepaintings.OfficersservingtheNetherlandsEastIndiescolonialadministrationcollected outstanding examples which are nowheldinDutchcollections,butlittleisknownabouttheseworksortheirartists.LinguistVanderTuukworked with several Balinese artists during thelate 19th century in the process of compiling adictionary of Old Javanese, Balinese and Dutch;heassembledacollectionofmorethan400worksonpaper(Hinzler:1986).DutchartistandcollectorW.O.J. Nieuwenkamp (1874-1950) reportedlystudiedpaintingwithartistsinKamasanvillagein1906(Carpenter:1997).

The prevailing view of Balinese art historyamongmany foreign and Balinese academicsis drawn from descriptions of the classicalpainting tradition penned by foreignersassociated with the development of the‘modern’ painting styles of the 1930s, whohad little understanding or appreciation ofBalineseclassicalart.ObserverssuchasMiguelCovarrubias (1937) saw traditional paintingas repetitive, unoriginal and justifiablysupersededbythenewpaintingstyles.Itisnotuncommonforsuchaccountstolamentthefactthattraditionalartisonthebrinkofextinctiondue to declining religious significance. TheForge Collection challenges the conventionalhistoryofBalinesepainting,showingnotonlythat innovations cannot be solely attributedto arrival ofWestern artists in the 1930s butalsothattheproductionofartforsecularandreligiouspurposeisnotmutuallyexclusive.

The religious context associated with theproduction and use of these paintings has led

many to assume that production for outsidersdiminishes the significance of this tradition. Intheearly1970sForgewasabletodocumentthat,while artists may be producing paintings forsaleorfulfillingcommissionsfromoutsiderslikehotel groups, government offices and tourists,they continued toproduce aspart of an artistictradition.Today,thissenseofhistoricalcontinuityremainsanimportantpartoftheirpractice.

ThedocumentationofKamasanpaintingmadeby Forge was published as the catalogue toaccompany the first andonly exhibition of theForgeCollectionheldattheAustralianMuseumin1978.Within theMuseum the collectionhasbeenstudiedinstoragebyscholarssuchasPeterWorsley(1984:64-109),whoundertookdetailedresearch on paintings including the Ramayanascenepictured.Thisispossiblytheoldestworkin the collection and is believed to date fromthe early 19th century. The painting has beenproducedonbark-clothandshowsRama’sarmyofmonkeysandotheranimalcreaturesbuildinga bridge of rocks between the mainland andLangka.Thewhitemonkey,Hanoman,appearsinthecentretopflyingacrossthestrait.

Forge’sfieldworkinKamasanhasbeenfurtherdevelopedbyAdrianVickers(2005)whoworkedwith artists over many years to documentBalineseviewsofthepaintings.Forge’sworkhasnot only been of interest to foreign academics,thecatalogueishighlysoughtafterasareferencebyartistsinKamasanandhascirculatedinthecommunity since Forge brought copies backtoBali in 1979.Most artist studios still displaya well worn and photocopied version of theoriginalcatalogueforperusalbyvisitors.

It is now almost 40 years since Forgeconductedhisfieldworkstudyandassembledthis collection. In the intervening years Balihas experienced significant social, politicaland economic changewhichhas shaped thetransformationsinartisticpracticeinKamasanvillage. The Forge Collection has become a

ideR-ideRoFraNGda-BaroNGaNdBHarataYUddHa, ArTIST UNKNOWN, bALI (DJASI, KArANGASEM DISTrIcT), c1920S (TWO pArTS,

SEE bELOW AND rIGHT). pAINT, cHArcOAL AND INK ON cOTTON cLOTH, 29 x 364 cM. THE FOrGE cOLLEcTION, AUSTrALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY. pHOTO EMMA FUrNO


valuable repository documenting the cross-cultural engagement that occurred betweencollector and community. The relativelyrecent (in historical terms) engagementbetweenForgeand thecommunityofartistsinKamasannowmakes itpossible togathermore contextual information about thedynamics of his collecting process and thepaintingsthemselves.

The community of Kamasan village were notpassive participants but variously influencedthe formation of the collection and Forge’sunderstandings of Balinese art. Forge directlyworkedwithseveralof theartistswhoseworkis represented in the collection, as well asmanyitineranttraders,antiqueandartdealers,religious leaders and community members.His primary informant among the artists wasMangkuMura(1925-1999)whocamefromBanjarSiku in Kamasan. Thiswas not traditionally acommunityofartistsbutMurahadstudiedwithartists fromBanjarSangging.Forge tookmanyphotosofMangkuMuraworkingonpaintings,includingoneofMurapaintingthesceneknownas the Churning of the Milky Ocean from theAdiparwa,thefirstbookoftheMahabharataepic.

AnthonyForge’snamecontinuestobewidelyrememberedinKamasanVillage.Mostadultsover40rememberForge,hisfamilyandtheirhouse in Banjar Griya - though often theirmost immediate recollection is the story ofForgelandingahelicopteronthelocalsoccerfield. Forgewas not in the helicopter at thetime but had organised the flight for a filmcrewheescortedtoKamasaninJanuary1977tofilmanepisodeoftheBBCtelevisionseriesFace Values. The helicopter landing, alongwith Forge’s penchant for smokingmassivecigars,isnowlegendary.

Photographs taken by Forge of the villageand various local identities were shown tovarious community members in 2010, andelicitedinterest.NyomanNormi,wifeofartist

NyomanMandra, was amused to recogniseher father, Ketut Kantor, amongst a groupofvillagersForgehadphoto-snappedseatedin a temple compound. Another elderlylady identifiedaphotoofhernowdeceasedhusband, Made Mandra, whom Forge hadphotographedworkingasasilversmith.

In Kamasan today a few old paintings can befoundforsale,butseveralhouseholdscontinueto produce new paintings. Small shopfrontsserving as art display galleries now line themainroadofBanjarSangging,withshop-signsidentifyingthenameoftheartisthangingoutsideeach one. Although each artist has paintingsavailable to purchase on the spot,most of theorders come through commissions. The studioofNyomanMandra reports they have at leastonevisiteachday,butthemajorpurchasersoftheseworks are domestic visitors from JakartaandSurabayaratherthaninternationaltourists,as was the case in previous decades. The fivefamily-run antique shops in the Klungkungcapital Semarapura, operating since the 1930s,alsoreportthatthemainclientsfortheirwaresare now Balinese families seeking heirloomitemsfortheirhomes.Foreignvisitorswhowerethe mainstay of their businesses in the 1970sand 1980s now baulk at the seemingly highpricesaskedforthepurportedly‘old’ceramics,woodencarvingsandcloths.

Sincethelate1970sBalinesehavealsoreplacedforeigners as the major dealers and collectorsof classical paintings. All the large privateand public museum collections in Bali houseimpressive collections of classical paintingswhich are on public display: they include theRudanaMuseum,AgungRaiFineArtGallery,Neka Museum, Puri Lukisan Museum inUbudandtheMuseumNegaraPropinsiBaliinDenpasar.Oneofthelargestandmostimpressivecollections of classical paintings is now heldin the Gunarsa Museum, established by theKlungkung born contemporary artist NyomanGunarsa only minutes drive from Kamasan

village. The Museum’s collection includespaintingspurchased inEurope from the estateofW.O.J.Nieuwenkamp.MostofthecollectionsinBalihoweverdisplaylittleinformationaboutthe provenance of works, which are largelyattributedtoanonymousartists.

Allthesedevelopmentshaveshapedhowthecommunity engages with overseas heritagecollectionsandwhatkindsofvaluetheyascribetothem.InthecaseoftheForgeCollection,thecollectedworksarenotarepositoryofculturaltraditionsindecline,butrelatetoacommunitywhich continues to produce traditional artand maintains a dynamic sense of tradition.Documenting Balinese understandings of theForgeCollectionandcollectingprocessshouldenableustobetterappreciatetheinterculturalengagementwhichtookthepaintingsontheirjourneyfromvillagetempletotheAustralianMuseum.

Siobhan campbell is a phD research student at

the University of Sydney. She has been conducting

research in banjar Sangging and is currently

exploring the observations and documentation

produced by Forge from a contemporary viewpoint.

rEFErENCEScarpenter, bruce W. 1997: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp: First european

Artist in Bali. periplus Editions, Singapore.

covarrubias, Miguel 1937: island of Bali. Knopf, New York.

Forge, Anthony 1978: Balinese Traditional Paintings: A selection

from the Forge Collection of the Australian Museum, Sydney.

Australian Museum, Sydney.

Forge, Anthony 1978: ‘A Village in bali’ in Anne Sutherland (ed)

Face Values:Some Anthropological Themes. british broadcasting

corporation, London.

Galestin, T. p. 1956: ‘A Malat Story’ in Lamak and Malat in Bali

and a Sumba Loom. royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam.

Hinzler, H. I. r. 1986: Catalogue of Balinese manuscripts in the

Library of the university of Leiden and other collections in the

Netherlands. Leiden University press, Leiden.

Vickers, Adrian 2005: Journeys of desire: a study of the Balinese

text Malat. KITLV press, Leiden.

Worsley, peter 1984: ‘E 74168’ in Review of indonesian and

Malaysian Affairs, 18: pp 64-109.


n Bali, the identity and technique ofembroidered cloth, known as kain

sulaman*, is especially interwoven with thecultural traditions of Negara in the west ofthe island, the onlyplace inBaliwhere kainsulaman is practiced. Embroidery on clothwas most likely introduced when Chineseimmigrantcommunitiesarrivedontheislandin the 19th century. It was very quicklyadopted to become a unique medium ofaesthetic expression of the local BalineseHindu religion, and colourful embroideredhangingswereonceanessentialpartoftempledecorationduringfestivalsorauspiciouslife-cycleceremonies.

The first Negara story cloths, known assulaman Negara, may have been made asrecently as the firsthalf of the 20th century;further research is required, however, todetermine exactly when the earliest storycloths were produced (Fisher and Cooper1998:63). They appeared around the timewhenthereweredramaticchangesinBalinesesocietyfollowingtheDutchinvasionof1906,which led to the demise of court patronagefor the arts. Negara embroidered textilesdisplaymany similarities, in their figurativeimagery,narrativecontentandusefortempledecoration, to cloth paintings producedfurthereastatKamasanunderthepatronageof the court at Semarapura (Klungkung),destroyed by theDutch in 1908; theNegaratextileswerepossiblywere initially inspiredbyKamasanpaintedhangings(seeCampbellarticlepp.7-9thisissue).

The process of making kain sulaman beginswith the selection of a suitable basematerial.Themostcommonclothutilisedtodayisplainwhite or sometimes light coloured polyester,although hand woven cotton is occasionallyused.Next, craftsmendedicated to thedesignof kain sulaman, known as tukang orten, drawthedesiredpatterninpencilonthebasecloth.Tukangortenareconsideredtobeextraordinarypeople,drawnfromtheranksofurusanagama(I),thereligiousdisciplineswhichincludeshadowpuppet performancemasters called dalang (I),orundagi(traditionalarchitects).Theirtrainingensuresextensivemasteryoftherepertoireandiconographyofshadowpuppettheatre,knownaspawayangan (I),which forms the inspirationforthestoryclothdesigns.Inadditiontotheirartistic ability, tukang orten must participatein a cleansing ceremony known as mewinten.Theperformanceofthisritualensuresthatthe

initialsketchandsubsequentembroideryofthedesign is imbued with the energy known astaksu.AccordingtoBalinesebelief, taksu is themanifestationofthespiritualpowerevokedbytheartistduringreligiousceremonies,andthequalityofafinishedembroideredclothdependsonitspresence.

Once the drawing is completed, theembroiderer selects coloured rayon threadsandbegins thehand-stitchingprocess. If thebase cloth is thinpolyester, the stitcherusesan embroidery frame called a penyangkan(I). The outlines of the drawing are tracedusing running stitch, and flat stitch is usedto fill in blocks of colour. An importantenhancement to the attractiveness of thecloths is the addition of small sequin-likemirrors or fringing that is sewn on leluurcloths.Asingleembroiderermakeseachstoryclothandheorshemaytakebetweenonetofourmonthstocompletetheworkofart.

The figurative imagery on story clothsis usually derived from the repertoire ofpawayangan, whose plots are based on the

MahabharataandRamayanaepicnarrativesthataresuchanimportantelementinBalineseart.These plots explore issues of ethics,moralityand the nature of virtue, acted out in theendless struggle between the forces of the‘right’and‘left’,meaninggoodandevil.Theyprovide critical models for the developmentofhumanecharactervaluesandprepareeachpersonforlife’sjourney.Animportantaspectof shadow puppet iconography is the extentthat facial colours (wanda (I)) and features -such as frightening, beautiful, fascinating orhumorousappearances-articulatethediverseinnernatureofthecharacters.Thisiconographyis transferred to the embroidered medium.Characters are usually depicted with onlytheminimalsuggestionofalandscapesettingandtheiridentitycaneasilyberecognisedataglancebythoseBalinesewhoarefamiliarwiththe shadow puppet theatre. Thus, sulamanNegaraoftenpromptsadesireamongviewerstofurtherlearnaboutpawayanganstories.

The format of the embroidered story clothscarries specific meanings, with the precisesignificance of each piece determined by its

I

t H E r E V i V a l o F E M B r o i d E r E d S t o r Y C l o t H S i N N E G a r a , B a l i

IMadeRaiArtha Ulon,CErEMoNialHaNGiNG WITH STOrIES OF THE GODS AND GODESSES, bY IbU rATIH,

bALI (SANGKAr AGUNG VILLAGE, NEGArA, JEMbrANA), 2008. HAND EMbrOIDErED WITH cOMMErcIAL cOTTON

WITH SYNTHETIc DYES ON pOLYESTEr, 108 x 110cM. pHOTO cOUrTESY JOHN MAcDONALD

*AllwordsinitalicsareintheBalineselanguage,exceptthosemarked(I)indicatingIndonesian.


shape and use. Textiles customarily play anessential role inBalineseceremonialpracticesastheysymbolicallyrepresentspecificspiritualconcepts or the aspirations of participants inthe ceremony.One such example is a simpleplaidclothcalledsekordi,acontractionofsukaenwerdithatliterallytranslatesas‘happiness-old’.Sekordiareused in life-cycle ceremoniesand express the wish for a long, joyful life.Negaraembroideredclothismadeinvarioussizesandshapes,suchasulon,ider-ider,leluurand lamak. The term ulon means a square-shaped wall hanging, marking the head ofa sacred structure or site. Ider-ider are longrectangular cloths commonlyhung along theeaves of buildings. Leluur are square-shapedcanopies usually strung from the ceiling ofa ritual space. The long, narrow lamak clothis hung in front of the stairs leading to thepelinggih, analtar spaceand theabodeof thesacredenergiesofthegodsandgoddessesthatdwellwithinthetemple.

The choice of figurative subjects - heroic,demonic or supernatural - and the gesturesdepicted on each embroidered cloth aredeterminedbyitsshape.Forexample,anulonusuallyhasbothnaga serpentsandfigurativemotifs from pawayangan. Ider-ider and lamakhave bun-bunan, linked flower motifs orcompleteepisodesfromthepawayangan.Leluurusually have only flower motifs decoratedwith glass and fringing. The narrative clothsarecollaborativeworksofartasthestoriesaredeterminedbythetukangortenwhilematerialsandthecoloursofthethreadsareselectedbytheembroiderer.Nevertheless,bothsharethesame ideal of creating a beautiful object forthegodsandbothagreethat theuseofstoryclothsstrengthensbeliefinthesacredpresenceexisting within a ritual space. This enablesthe enactment of ceremonies to become adevotional practice through which awrwahleluhur(I)(ancestors)cantransmitstrengthandblessingstothedevotee.

Theuseofembroideredstoryclothstodecoratetemplesandsacredspaces,suchaspelinggih,was popular until the 1980s. The Negaraembroidered textile makers prospered andthetextileswerereadilyavailableinmarketsaround the island. Around 1990, however,the novel appearance of cheaper kain prada(I), mass-produced silk-screen printed goldink on cloth, and beludru (I), a velveteenfabric, swamped themarket. The growth inpopularity of these substitute fabrics meantthat the makers of sulaman Negara receivedfewerandfewercommissions, removing theincentive to perform labour-intensive handembroidery and resulting in a decline inproduction and loss of embroidery skills.Withinadecade,sulamanNegarahasbecome

analmostforgottenartform.Althoughpradaand beludru are visually striking, they lackthe cultural context and close connection toBalinesespiritualvaluesthatistheessenceofsulamanNegara.

The art of embroidering sulaman Negara hasrecentlybeenreinvigoratedinBalibyThreadsofLife,anorganisationinUbudthatsupportsthe sustainable revitalisation of local textiletraditionsaroundIndonesia.ThepublicationofadefinitivehistoricalstudyofsulamanNegarainStoryClothsofBali(Fischer,2004)encouragedThreads of Life to explore the possibility ofinstigatingarevivalintheart.In2007ThreadsofLifeundertookfieldworkinNegara,andthename of IbuRatih of SangkarAgung villagewasrepeatedlymentionedinresponsetolocalenquiries regarding makers of story cloths.IbuRatihgraduated fromAkademiSeniTariIndonesia (ASTI) as a young woman, thenreturned to Sangkar Agung village whereshe began to teach dance, songket weavingand embroidery. She had co-ordinated aweaving and embroidery co-operativewhichhad ceased activity because of the decline inbuyerdemand.ThreadsofLifecommissionedastoryclothonspeciallyselectedhand-wovencotton, but it was only completed two yearslaterduetothedifficultyinsecuringtheskillsof a tukang orten.The only remaining tukangorteninthedistrictwasBapakPutraofSangkarAgungandtherewasheavydemandonhimtocreateothertypesofceremonialobjectsfortheentireNegararegion.

Since2009,ThreadsofLifehascommissionedulon, ider-ider, leluurand lamakclothsand thequality of production continues to improve.Consideration is being given to the use ofembroiderythreadcolouredwithnaturaldyesforfurthercommissions.Adedicatedgroupofembroiderershas re-formed;yet thequestionremains whether community demand and amarketforNegaraembroiderywillre-emerge.Itmaybetheinterestofinternationalcollectorsthat ultimately provides enough economicincentive for theembroiderers to fully revivesulaman Negara and ensure the continuationof this important aspect of Balinese culturalpractice. As we wait to see whether thisdistinctive textile art will regain its rightfulplaceintempleceremoniesthatcontinuetobeperformed in themodern era, thewomen ofNegara have begun again to tell their storieswithdedicationandpride.

I Made rai Artha (Lolet) manages the cultural

information and materials for Threads of Life based

in Ubud, bali, which works with weavers from

remote areas of Indonesia to sustain the cultural

and technical integrity of traditional textile arts.

rEFErENCES

Fischer J. and cooper T. 1998: The Folk Art of Bali: The Narrative

Tradition. Oxford University press, New York.

Fischer J. 2004: Story Cloths of Bali. Ten Speed press, california.

ideR-ideR, CErEMoNialHaNGiNG DEpIcTING THE LOVE STOrY bETWEEN SAMpIK AND INTAI, bY IbU rATIH,

bALI (SANGKAr AGUNG VILLAGE, NEGArA, JEMbrANA), 2008. HAND EMbrOIDErED WITH cOMMErcIAL cOTTON

AND SYNTHETIc DYES ON pOLYESTEr, 27 x 471 cM. pHOTO cOUrTESY JOHN MAcDONALD


imor-Lesteisrichintraditionalarchitecturewhich varies in style according to the

ethno-lingual, geographic and climaticenvironment of each region of the country.Thebuildingsareconstructedinvarioustypesof wood and other natural materials usingcomplex techniques, endowing them witha unique appearance. This is most clearlyapparent in theparticular formof traditionalbuilding that is known as the uma lulik. Theuma lulik is the sacred house owned by eachclanorvillagegroupand it is the traditionalfocalpointofancestralbeliefsandcommunallife, even in matters such as village politicsandlocalsecurity.Embodiedwithineachumelulik*are thecomplextangibleandintangiblevalues of Timorese culture that are mostimmediately expressed in the bonds andobligations of bilateral relationships existingbetween the fetosan (the family of the man/husband/fiancé) and unmane (the family ofthewoman/wife/fiancée)socialgroups.Thusthe architecture of the uma lulik is far morecomplexthancommonhouses.Itsdesignandsculptural decoration is intended not only toappear as aesthetically beautiful but also toconvey deep philosophical meanings relatedtoTimor-Lesteidentity.

Thedesignofumalulikvariesineachregionthroughout Timor-Leste. In Le Teinu, inLautem’s Lorosa’e (literally ‘rising sun’)district on the far eastern tip of the island,the roof and dome of the houses are raisedvery highwhile furtherwest in places suchas Oecusse, Bobonaro and Covalima, theroof eaves touch the ground. Likewise, theornamental decoration carved on the woodbeams, pillars, lintels, doors and windowsof the sacred houses in each region conveyspecific local symbolicmeanings. In the oldkingdom of Suai Loro, in the district ofCovalima, sculptural motifs decorating theumalulikareintendedtodemonstratehowthesociallineagesofeachtribewereestablishedin ancestral times. In Suai Fohorem, thesculpturesthatadorntheumalulikarelikenedto a horse with wings. This supernaturalanimal symbolises thegreatpower thatwasshared by five kingdomswhose existence isenshrined in the ancient name Cova Lima.Theumalulikformcanalsobeseenwoveninthemama fatin, small baskets containing bua(arecanuts)andmalus(betelleaves).

The uma lulik of Timor-Leste may also beconsidered to be a traditional ‘museum’

becauseitsrolewastopreserveoldobjectsthatwere valued for their heritage significance,elevatedtothestatusofsacredheirloomswithtime.Intheearly20thcentury,thePortuguesevisitorMartinho(1943:257)observed:

‘…the uma lulik is like the temple of theTimorese people. There they keep the mostvariedobjectssuchasoldwarandpartydrums,machetes of aswain (war heroes), scepters ofliurai(kings),olduniforms,swordsandrifles,spears, jewels, textiles and chinaware, andevenwholebuffalohornsofanimalsthatwerekilledtohonorthesoulsofthepersonstowhomthoseobjectsoncebelonged.’

It is significant thatmanyuma luliknotonlycontainobjectslocallymadebyTimoresebutalsoforeignartifacts,evenEuropeansoldiers’clothing, swords and helmets. Martinhonoted that the Timorese individual reveredthese objects brought from overseas with‘a religious respect as high as the respecthe had for his own ancestors becausethey represented the pages of his history’(Martinho1943).

Theumalulikmaybesaidtobelikeatemplebecause it represents the sacred centre ofall things and is regarded as a place ofprayer.Inearlytimes,beforebattles,theluliknian (traditional priest) entered the sacredhouse especially to perform rituals in closeproximity to those objects that had beentaken from the hands of the enemy andembodied thenarrativesofpastwars.Thesewarrior ceremonieswere intended toensuresubsequent success and victory. The ritesincludedconsultingtheintestinesofsacrificedanimals and marking their foreheads witha mixture of betel, lime powder and arecabelievedtomakethewearerinvincible.

It is through the uma lulik that Timoresetodayareabletolearnmoreabouttheirownhistories.One such example is theuma luliknamedDa’EMenahaor‘Menaha’shead’.Itissacredtothesuko(clangroup)ofAboQuelicaiandrelatedtotheimportantumalulikofAboMatebian on theMatebianmountains. Da’EMenahawas built following awar betweenthekingdomsofLagaandAboQuelicai.Thepeople fromAbowon and killed an enemywarrior (funubaluk) from Laga whose namewasMenaha. In pre-Christian Timor it wasbelieved that the souls of warriors killedin combat go to the after-life paradise of

Lalean, so consequentlyMenaha’sheadwasburied with great funerary ceremony. Untiltoday, people still place food on his graveandmakeannualofferings,praisingthedeadandasking forGod’sblessing.Theuma lulikis situated next to his grave and decoratedwithmanysymbolsrelatedtothisstory.Thesacred house also contains warriors’ battleartefacts thatarea reminder that respect forheroes of war was an important value intraditional Timor-Leste culture. The Da’EMenahauma lulikhas recentlybeenrestoredand in May 2008 I represented the StateSecretaryofCultureat its inauguration.Theceremonyincludedplacingsacredfoodssuchasthetongueandchestofapig,thetongue,the liver and the heart of a buffalo, aswellasarecanutsandbetel leaves, on topof thegraveofMenaha.

TheGovernmentofTimor-Leste,throughtheStateSecretariatofCultureandtheNationalDirectorate of Culture, and in collaborationwith the Embassy of the United States ofAmerica in Dili, has developed a heritageprogram for funding the reconstructionof historically important uma lulik. Theprogram’s restoration priorities are thosebuildingsthatdeterioratedwhileTimor-LestewasunderIndonesianoccupationorsuffereddamage during ‘Black October’ in 1999. To

T

t H E S a C r E d H o U S E o F t i M o r - l E S t E

EugénioSarmento EXiStiNGSaCrEdHoUSEoFFatala (INTErIOr DETAIL),

SOIbADA, IN THE OLD MANUFAHI DISTrIcT, TIMOr LESTE.

pHOTO NUNO VAScO OLIVEIrA AND EUGéNIO S.c.J. SArMENTO

*AlltermsinitalicsareintheTetunlanguageunlessotherwisestated.


date, thisprojecthasensuredtherestorationof important uma lulik including ManuBenu in Oecusse, Mane Telu in Bobonaro,Lokometa Darlau ini Ainaro as well as theumalulikHoruFatuArainLautém.

TheumalulikembodiestheancientTimoresetradition of reverence for the ancestors andyetitsarchitecturalprinciplesalsosometimessignificantly influenced the erection ofChristian houses of worship following thearrivalofPortuguesemissionaries.ThesacredhouseofUmaFatala inManufahi isnotablefor its beautiful architecture and regardedamong the fivemost important uma lulik inthe Soibada region. The traditional designwasinfluentialduringtheconstructionoftheChurchoftheHolyHeartofJesusinSoibadain 1889. The missionaries decided that thechurch’sdoorwouldbebuiltfacingsouthwestas the building site provided enough spacein that direction for a courtyard. The dato(aristocratic lord who is below the Liurai(king)andhasonlyregionalpowers)ofLacuMaukdisagreed and required that themaindoor be built facing the east. According toSoibada customary practice, the main doorof the uma lulikmust face east, even if theland is not level, in order to catch the lightof the rising sun. Furthermore, traditionalsculptureswereplacedinsidethechurch,and

oneofthemisknownasBibiNehan(literallyagoat’stooth,butinthiscaseacarvedwoodenobjectintheformofagoat’stooth).

Currently, Uma Fatala is undergoingreconstruction. The task is being completedaccording to the guidelines of lian adat(sacredoral histories). This reconstruction istraditionally described as Uma Futus HisinUma TaunHisin, literallymeaning a sampleof the house’s body, represented by a pieceof traditional woven cloth, as opposed tothecompletehouse’sbody,representedbyatreewhichsymbolisesthepermanenceofthesacredhouse.Thereconstructionisanticipatedtotakearoundfiveyearstocomplete.Duringthisperiod,12ceremonieswillbeperformed,becauseeachconstructionphaserequirestheritualsacrificeofananimalandlibationofitsbloodon the treedesignated tobe felled formaking the pillars or other components ofthestructure.

As with other sacred houses of Soibada,the roof of Uma Fatala is constructed inthree architectonic layers to symbolise itshierarchical position as a sacred house. Atraditional house inhabited by a liurai hasonly tworoof layerswhile thatofadatohasjust one layer. There are no roof layers ondwellings constructed for common people.

However,theinternaldesignanddecorationof Uma Fatala differs from other Soibadasacred houses because these two elementshave to be suggestive of its special statusbothwithinSoibadasocietyand theSamorokingdom. In Uma Fatala there are twomainpillars that support the roof and thesesymbolisethatitsindependenceistrustedbutthatthehouseisadministrativelydependentonthekingdomofSamoro.

The techniques and sculptural decorationusedintraditionalarchitecturalconstruction,with their profound philosophical andcultural meanings, have attracted theattention of foreigners from the first arrivalof the Portuguese missionaries in the 16thcentury.Theumalulik,perhapsmorethananyother form of traditional architecture, mostpowerfully represents the art of the peopleof Timor-Leste. Nevertheless, much moreresearch is still required to understand theuniqueheritageofthisstyleofbuilding.Itishoped this knowledgewill contribute to thedevelopmentofTimor-Lesteculturalidentitythat is imbedded in a spirit of nationalismaswell as adesire forpeace and tranquilityamongothercountries.

Mr Eugénio S.c.J. Sarmento is Director of

Administration, Secretariat of State, culture, Ministry

of Education, Democratic republic of Timor-Leste.

The author wishes to thank Dália Mesquita and

Nuno Vasco Oliveira for translating the orignal text

from portuguese to English.

rEFErENCESAssis, c. & L. Garate (in press): Património Cultural de Timor-Leste:

As uma Lulik dos distrito de Ainaro. Secretaria de Estado da

cultura de Timor-Leste/Universidade La coruña, La coruña.

cinatti, r., L. Almeida, S. Mendes 1987: Arquitectura Timorense.

Instituto de Investigacao cientifica Tropical/Museu de Etnologia,

Lisboa.

Martinho, cpt. J. S. 1943: Timor Quatro Séculos de Colonização

Portuguesa. Livraria progredior, porto.

Sarmento, E.S.c.J. 2003: A História do antigo reino de Samoro e

a nova religião. Organising committee of the 100th anniversary

of the church of Soibada, Dili.

ritUr, AN uMA LuLik (SAcrED HOUSE) IN THE FATALA GrOUp, SOIbADA, MANUFAHI DISTrIcT, TIMOr LESTE.

pHOTO NUNO VAScO OLIVEIrA AND EUGéNIO S.c.J. SArMENTO

CoNStrUCtioNdEtailOF THE rI TUr SAcrED

HOUSE IN SOIbADA. pHOTO NUNO VAScO OLIVEIrA

AND EUGéNIO S.c.J. SArMENTO


d i l i : a C i t Y i N S E a r C H o F i t S S o U l

JillJolliffe

ast Timor’s capital Dili has not beentreatedkindlybyhistory.JosephConrad

inhisnovelVictorydescribeditas‘thathighlypestilential place’, while Charles Darwin’scolleagueAlfredRusselWallace,whovisitedin 1861, declared it ‘a most miserable placecomparedwitheventhepoorestoftheDutchtowns’,bywhichhemeantthoseoftheDutchEast Indies. Their views were influenced asmuchbyenmitytowardsthePortuguesewhogoverneditasfromobservingthecityitself.

NaturalistHenry Forbes followed inWallace’sfootstepstwodecadeslaterandlookedatthecitymoreinitsownright.Heobserved:‘Thetown,although vastly improved since Mr Wallace’svisit,was still disappointing inmany respects,and itsHibiscus-lined streets looked poor anduninviting’. The adventurous Henry and hiswife Anna refused to stay with the Governorathispalace inLahane in favourofbuildingabamboohutatFatunabainthehillsbehindDili,whichtheypreferredforitspanoramicviewofthecity,thepalaceandAtaúroisland.

By 1975, after Portugal’s four-decadedictatorship fell to the leftist Armed ForcesMovement, the capital of Portuguese Timorwas still a tropical backwater, but with acertain magic in its fusion of architecturalstyles: Timorese traditional thatch housesnestlingside-by-sidewithtrim,whitewashedPortuguese dwellings in a setting of palmgrovesandbanyan-linedavenues.

Amongimportantexamplesofcivicarchitecturewere:thecolonialadministrationoffices,stillawaterfront landmark and reborn today asthe Palácio do Governo of the independentgovernmentofEastTimor;theSAPTbuilding(Society for Agriculture, Fatherland andLabour, a colonial body established in theearly 20th century) in Colmera; the Lahanepalace;andtheformercolony’smaingarrisonbuildingontheDiliwaterfront.Thelastbeganas a primitive artillery fortificationwhen thePortuguese moved the capital from Lifau toDili in 1769, and was rebuilt between 1885and1889asaninfantrybarracks.ThedatesoftherestorationworkarebasedonresearchbyTimorscholarKevinSherlock.

In Lisbon the dictatorship of António deOliveira Salazar was in decline after WorldWarIIbutPortugalstillclungtoitscolonies.Portuguese Timor was almost alone amongSoutheast Asian territories which were

denied independence, the result of a secret1943dealbetweenthedictatorandtheAllies.There were, however, minor reforms in the1960ssuchasthebuildingofnewschoolsandthe first scholarships toPortugalandMacauforasmallpoolofTimoresestudents. Therewasalsohousingreform,withthebuildingofbairros económicos - low-costhousingclustersintraditionalPortuguesestyle.The1960salsomarkedtheappearanceofanewarchitecturalstyle in Dili, a sort of Salazarist art-decocommon in Portugal, reflecting the lines ofthe Italian Futurist movement which hadflourishedunderMussolini.

Thisaustere,angularstylewasevidentintheoriginal Hotel Turismo, built by SebastiãoCalado around 1969. A landmark hotelhaunted by journalists, spies and diplomatsduring the upheavals of the 1975-1999Indonesian takeover, it was later extendedto an adjoining block by Indonesian ownerAlex Semara. He planted a tropical gardenand built a newwing linked to the originalby an arched colonnade. Stylistically it wasas foreign to the original structure as theIndonesian generals housed there on visitsfromJakarta.PopeJohnPaulIIwasrumouredto have occupied a room during his 1989visit,althoughinsidersswearitwasonlyhisdresserwhodid.

The Lahane palace was the setting for theswearing to office of the first independentgovernment of East Timor on 28November1975 under then FRETILIN presidentFrancisco Xavier do Amaral. The ceremony

was held 10 days before Indonesianparatroopers invaded the territory, pavingthewayfortheir24-yearmilitaryoccupationdedicated,amongotherthings,toeliminatingall vestiges of Portuguese and traditionalTimoreseculture.

TheinfluenceofCatholic,EuropeanvaluesonadistinctivepeoplewhowereneitherMalaysnorMelanesiansbutstandard-bearersofananimistwarriorculturehadmadetheEastTimoreseaspecial people in Southeast Asia before 1975.After 1975 they became victims of a modernarmy set on obliterating exactly these specialqualities,andtheircountrychangedforever.

IndependencewasrestoredtoEastTimor,withUNhelp,in2002,butitspresentandfuturecanonlybeunderstoodbyrecognisingthehumanand physical destruction of those occupationyears. The official death toll assessed by thepost-war reconciliation commission (CAVR),was183,000,butin2010bodiesarestillbeingunearthed. Around 10,000 of the survivingpopulationwerevictimsoftorture.

Defeatedby internationalpressure, asmuchasbyTimoresecourage,Indonesiawithdrewin September 1999. Its scorched-earth exitcompounded the damage. As the soldiersmarched under UN watch, heads bowed,to disembark from Dili harbour, the flameswere licking at Lahane Palace and no-onemoved to douse them. Around 80 per centofthecountry’sinfrastructurewasdestroyedduringthewithdrawal.

E

GoVErNMENtPalaCE,dili, OrIGINALLY THE OFFIcE OF THE pOrTUGESE cOLONIAL ADMINISTrATION,

WITH 1960S MONUMENT MArKING FOUrTH cENTENArY OF THE DEATH OF HENrY THE NAVIGATOr IN FOrEGrOUND.

ALL pHOTOS JILL JOLIFFE 2010 UNLESS OTHErWISE INDIcATED


The Timorese have shown themselves to bea generous people who are not moved byhatred,despitetheirhorrificexperienceunderIndonesia and their dislike of Portuguesecolonial rule. It would have been perfectlyunderstandable if, after 1999, they hadtaken hammers to the ugly triumphaliststatues Indonesian authorities had erectedthroughouttheircountry,buttheydidnot.

Otherfactorsarealsoatwork.Thegenerationwhich emerged from the 1991 Santa CruzmassacrewaseducatedentirelyinIndonesianschools, but feel cheated of the spoils ofindependence. They were shoved aside bythe post 2002 government, dominated byPortuguese speakers returning from exile.Portuguesebecametheofficiallanguage,andPrimeMinisterMariAlkatiridismissedtheirdegrees as those of ‘super-mie graduates’,referring to a brand of Indonesian noodles.Many have emigrated, to work in factoriesin the UK. Searching for a new nationalidentity, they have been left only with thepsychologicalfragmentsof1999.

TheyhadbeentaughttoloathethePortuguesewhose language theyarenowtold tospeak.All they knew was the Indonesian army,

which they loathed but mimic in theirfrequentresorttoviolence.Settobecomethecountry’snextleaders,theyarenotyetabletoincorporatetheircolonialpastasalegitimatepartoftheirownhistory:EastTimorisstillacountryinpost-conflictmode.

Only a few 1975 landmarks have survivedthe military occupation and other heritagebuildings are being razed by privatedevelopersorby state authoritieswhowantpublicbuildingstoexpresspompandpower,regardlessofthehistoricqualitiesofthecity.

Lahane palace was carefully restored byPortuguese architects, as was the old artillerygarrison, which today is known as CasaEuropa,thediplomaticmissionoftheEuropeanCommunity. The SAPT building survives, anhistoricpieceofindustrialarchitecture,butitscorehasrecentlybeentransformedintoasupermarketbyPortugueseentrepreneurswhohaverepainteditinredsandyellowssogarishtheycanbeseenfromthesouthernmountainapproachestoDili.AfewprivatehousesintheSalazaristart-decostylecanstillbeseenbutmanyofthebairroeconómicohouses are crumbling,while theHotel TurismohasbeendemolishedtomakewayforanopulentIndonesian-styleresorthotel.

DilihasinmanywayscometoresemblealittleJakarta,with itsmushroomingkiosks, shantyhouses,densecartrafficspewingpollutionanda wildcat building boom producing projectswithnolinktoTimoresetradition.

Privileged bilateral relations between EastTimor and The People’s Republic of Chinahave directed contracts to Chinese buildingcompanies, contributing to the uglificationof the city. Chinese involvement beganwith thebuildingof a ForeignMinistry andPresidential Palace as independence giftsfrom Beijing, both monumental buildingswithnoorganiclinkswithTimoreseculture.The same companies have since moved onto building properties for foreign investors,fromhotelstogatedvillaestates.

If Dili’s identity is threatened, some symbolsendure—andwiththese,hopethat theforcesofpoliticalandaestheticconfusionofthe2000smaygivewaytomoremeaningful forms in thenextdecade. Two buildings in the city centre testifytocontinuity.TheChineseBuddhist temple stillserves theHakka-speakingChinese communitywhichhasbeeninPortugueseTimorforcenturies.(Fig 6 )The temple’s altar image of the LordBuddha came from Macau in 1926 and itscongregationhassurvivedtheebbsandflowsofwar.Onthenextcornerisahandsomely-restoredbuildingofPortugal’sdictatorshipperiod,abusyhealth clinic which functioned calmly underTimoresestaff in1975after thePortuguese fled,andlooksasthoughitneverclosed.

Jill Jolliffe is an Australian freelance writer based in

Darwin. She has a long association with East Timor,

where she currently works on The Living Memory

project, a video archive of testimony by torture survivors.

laHaNEPalaCE, DILI, IN 1927. IMAGE FrOM

ViAgeM AO exTReMO ORieNTe 1927-1928 bY cApT.

ALVArO DE FrEITAS MOrNA, 1931. IMprENSA DA ArMADA

artillErYBarraCKS,dili(LEFT), IN 1927. IMAGE FrOM

ViAgeM AO exTReMO ORieNTe 1927-1928 bY cApT.

ALVArO DE FrEITAS MOrNA, 1931. IMprENSA DA ArMADA

SaPtBUildiNG, DILI, EAST TIMOr, bUILT IN THE EArLY 20TH cENTUrY TO HOUSE THE cOLONIAL SOcIETY FOr AGrIcULTUrE, FATHErLAND AND LAbOUr. ITS cOrE TODAY IS A SUpErMArKET


recent article in the Jakarta Post (9September 2010) reported on the oldest

datedal-Qur’aninIndonesia.Thismanuscript,writtenonbark-paperandsimplydecoratedwith flower, leaf and geometrical motifs,includesasignedcolophondated1035hijriahor1626accordingtotheGregoriancalendar.Aswithmanyfamilyheirloomobjectsstillinprivate possession in Indonesia, the presentowner,MrMohammasZenUsman,continuesto carefully preserve the manuscript, whichwas declared a national heritage object bythe Indonesiangovernment in2005.Perhapsthemostremarkableaspectofthisal-Qur’anis its location -Buleleng innorthernBali,anisland famed for its Hindu art and culture.This surprising provenance from the ‘islandof the gods’ (pulau dewata) is a reminder ofthe complex tapestry of Indonesia’s culturalheritage,ofwhich,today,Islamisincreasinglythemostprominentexpression.

The Jakarta Post article underlined awidespread aspiration in Indonesia for thepreservation of such important objects astheBulelengal-Qur’anmanuscript.Overthelast decade, growing national recognitionof the country’s Islamic heritage has beenhighlightedbymajorarchaeologicalprojects,such as excavations at the ancient Sumatranport of Barus, that have revealed MiddleEastern ceramics and glassware dating asearly as the 9th century. The continuingreligioususeofhistoricalplaces ofworship,suchas theGreatMosqueofDemak (c1479)and the Kudus Al-Aqsa Mosque (c1550),ensuresthesesitesarewellmaintained.

By contrast, locations associated withheterodox versions of Islam are oftenneglected. The mausoleum known asSendang Duwur (1563), the resting placein East Java of an unidentified personage

known simply as SunanDuwur, documentsthe artistic syncretism that occurred duringthe Javanese transition from the Hindu-Buddhist to Islamic era. It is perhaps themost extensive repository of early woodcarving to survive anywhere in SoutheastAsia. The Dutch art historian, A.J. BernetKempers, in his definitive 1959 publicationAncient Indonesian Art, illustrated the richlyornamented gateway doors photographedin situ. Some time in the last decade or so,thedoors,togetherwithothercarvedpanels,wereremovedandstackedinanopenshedinthe graveyard adjoining themosque, wheretheyhavenowbeenalmosttotallyconsumedby termites. The oldestmosque in Lombok,Mesjid Bayan Beleq, is associated with theWaktuTelu sect thatwasdisbandedby lawin 1960, so officially the building has beendeclareda‘deadmonument’(monumenmati).Themosqueismostlyclosedtopublicaccess,

A

t H E i S l a M i C H E r i t a G E o F i N d o N E S i a’ S a r t

JamesBennett

dEwiSriaNdCoNSort(loRo blonyo), INDONESIA (YOGYAKArTA, cENTrAL JAVA), c1850. WOOD WITH pIGMENT, IrON AND GOLD LEAF,

FEMALE FIGUrE 65.0 x 38.0 x 35.0 cM, MALE 77.0 x 42.0 x 40.0 cM. cOLLEcTION ArT GALLErY OF SOUTH AUSTrALIA, GIFT OF ArT GALLErY OF SOUTH AUSTrALIA FOUNDATION 2008

17TA A S A r E V I E W V O L U M E 1 9 N O . 4 17

eventhoughthe17thcenturycarvedinteriordecoration features unique subjects such asanagaserpentandotherfabulouscreatures.

Sincethe19thcentury,thescholarlystudyofSoutheastAsia’sIslamicarthasevolvedintotwodistinctapproachestounderstandingtheheritageofthereligioninthearchipelago.Thefirst, and older, approach presents a ‘layercake’ model for appreciating Indonesia’scultural history. Islamic art is located at theend of a sequence of foreign influences thatreachedthearchipelagoalongmaritimetraderoutesandwhichcommencedwiththearrivalofHinduismandBuddhismfromIndiaintheearly first millennium. This viewpoint wasfirstarticulatedbySirStamfordRafflesintheseminal1817publicationTheHistory of Java,whose key theme was the lost greatness ofJava’spre-Islamicpast.

Colonial era scholars, such as SnouckHurgronjeandRichardWindstedt,nurturedthe implication that historical Islam inSoutheast Asiawas somehow less authenticthan that of the Middle East throughhighlighting a gulf between the theory oftextural Islam and syncretistic local custom.ThenotionthatIslamwasyetanother‘waveofinfluence’misleadinglyimpliesthatIslamicart in Southeast Asia never attained anidentity in termsof itsownuniqueaestheticperimeters. More recently, the MalaysianscholarAzyumardiAzra (indeGuise 2000),while acknowledging the authenticity ofIslamic culture in Southeast Asia, uses theterm ‘adhesion’ to describe Islam’s positioninregionalculturallayering.

Thesecondtheoreticalapproachhasemergedin the past two decades. It seeks to defineSoutheast Asian Islamic art by doctrinalboundaries related to the notion that thereligionavoidsthedepictionoflivingforms.Thisviewemanated fromMalaysiawhere itis contextualised in a strong socio-politicalmovement to proximate the country withinthe sphere of Middle Eastern Islam. Theeminent scholar Othman Yatim, who wasresponsible for the first definitive studyof Southeast Asian Islamic gravestoneepigraphy published in 1988, categoricallystates‘Islamforbidstheuseofhumanformsand figurines….[a Muslim artist] wouldnever choose a human form or other formscreatedbyGod.’

Such an approach is essentially a-historicalas it prioritises issues of content - whetherobjectscreatedbyMuslimartistsadheretotheparametersofreligiousorthodoxyornot-overachronologicalanalysisofstylisticchange.Inthe catalogue accompanying the IslamicArts

MuseumofMalaysia’s2005exhibitionMessageandMonsoon(deGuise2005),DzulHaimiMdZaini further extended Yatim’s propositionby asserting: ‘the discouragement of figuralrepresentationresultedinahighlevelofartisticcreativity.’ In the same publication, BadraneBenlahcene seeks to reconcile the ‘layer cake’and doctrinal viewpoints through using thebroad analogy of religious conversion. First,therewasthephaseofnominalconversionor‘conversionofthebody’(circa1200–1400)thentherewasthephaseof‘conversionofthespirit’(C1400–1700).

A major challenge for appreciating theIslamicartofSoutheastAsiaisthesurprisinglackofanestablishedchronologyof style inmediaotherthanarchitecture.Intherealmofobjects,emphasisoneithertheinterpretation

of art through a perspective of ‘layer cake’cultural history or themore recent trend offocusing exclusively on art that fits withincontemporary theological doctrine, hasenabledhistorianslargelytoavoidthevexingissue of precise dating. The only scholaruntil now who has seriously attempted toexplore chronology has been Zakaria Ali(1994), although his researchwas limited totheperiod830–1570.

The 16th century was a period of immensesignificance in the history of SoutheastAsian Islam. Despite commencing with thedisastrousfallofMelakatothePortuguesein1511,thecenturyendedwiththeascendancyof the kingdomofMataram,whose greatestruler, Sultan Agung (r.1613–1645), wasgranted his royal title from no less an

SENdaNGdUwUr,EaStJaVa: 16TH cENTUrY GATEWAY WITH OrIGINAL cArVED WOOD DOOrS.

FrOM A.J. bErNET KEMpErS, ANCieNT iNdONeSiAN ART (1959)

SENdaNGdUwUr: prESENT cONDITION OF 16TH cENTUrY WOOD DOOrS AND OTHEr cArVED pANELS. pHOTO J.bENNETT 2008


authoritythanMekkah.Hecreatedanepochwhich continues today to define JavaneseculturalidentityinrelationtoIslam.

The rich aesthetic heritage of Mataram isepitomised, in an unlikely manner, in thesculptural image ofDewi Sriwith her consort,also called ‘the inseparablepair’ (loro blonyo),intheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia.CentralJavanese tradition relates several versions oftheirfatefulstorybutthebasicoutlineisthatthe god Betara Guru coveted Dewi Sri somurderedheryoungerbrotherandlover,MasSadono.WhenDewiSrirefusedBetaraGuru’sadvances, he raped and then murdered her,too, and fromherdiscarded corpsegrew thefirstedibleplants,includingrice.

Her cult was an important focus of ritualpractices in all levels of Javanese societyuntil the last decades of the 20th century.At the commencement of each harvest,farmers staged a ritual wedding of DewiSri and Sadono, symbolised in a pair ofthe first cut rice stalks clothed in batik.Yogyakarta aristocratic families customarilycommissionedwoodimages,likeDewiSriandconsort,aspartofauspiciouspreparationsoftheresidenceofanewlywedcouple.

Scholars, referencing the ‘layer-cake’model,conventionally interpret the image of DewiSri as representing the relic of an ancientindigenous fertility goddess merged withlater attributes of the Hindu goddess, SriDevi. The worship of ancestor couples,inherited from prehistoric Austronesia, iswidespread throughout the archipelago,although megalithic era stone sculpturesfound in Java present no certain indicationofanearlygoddesscult.ThedeitySriDevi,consort of Vishnu and patroness of fertility,

was introduced into Indonesia during theearly classical period (c.700–1000); butsimilarly, there is little evidence before theendoftheHindu-BuddhistMajapahitperiod(c.1242–1551) that Sri the rice goddess waswidelyrevered.

Theoldestsurvivingloroblonyodatefromthe18th century and their typicaldress, seen inDewiSriandconsort,impliesthatthesculpturaltradition known todaywas only formulatedfollowing the victory of Islam in Java inthe 16th century. Unlike the depictions ofJavaneseshadowpuppetheroesandvillainsin the wayang kulit theatre, the appearanceofDewiSriandconsortdoesnot indicateanyprecedentinMajapahiticonography.

Bothfigureswearlongclothwrapsdecoratedwith the parang batikmotif that Yogyakartatradition relates SultanAgungwas inspiredto create after contemplating a stretch ofjagged rocks on south Java’s mysticallypowerful coast. The waistcloth of DewiSri displays the talismanic blue-and-whitebango tulak design that is also used in theconstruction ofmammoth foodofferings forGarebeg Maulud, the annual celebration ofthe ProphetMuhammad’s birthday. Sadonowears a kuluk, derived from the MuslimOttomanfez,whichtraditionstatestheSultanPajang (Jaka Tingkir, d. c1587) introduced.His waist-wrap represents an importedGujarati silk cinde popular amongMataramaristocracy. The double-ikat cloths weredraped(dikerobongi)frompillarsinthesacredinner-room of aristocratic mansions whereloro blonyo were displayed, and hence thespacebecameknownasthekerobongan.

Taboos formerly associated with loro blonyoimages reflect their specific significance for

royalty, and the depiction of the subject insculptureismostlikelydirectlyrelatedtothecritical importanceofriceproductionforthewealthandpowerofMataram’s rulingclassfrom the 17th century onwards. The ancientclose relationship between the ruler andagriculturalcultivationisdocumentedintheCentral Javanese termpetanen (meaning ‘theplaceofthefarmer’)forthekerobonganspace.InSurakartaonlyroyaltywasallowedtoownthestatuesandthemostsacredimageswerestoredinthechiefminister’shouse.DewiSri,togetherwiththejinnspiritqueenNyaiRoroKidul,wereregardedasthetutelaryconsortsoftheMataramsultanswhothemselveswerepermittedtheincestuousrelationshipofoldersisterwithyoungerbrother.

DewiSriandconsortimagesdemonstratehowthe‘layercake’approachintheinterpretationof Indonesian art does not acknowledge theextent to which Islamic cultural practiceshaveinspiredartists.Likewise,thedefinitionof historical art styles by the measure stickof contemporary religious pietism fails toenable theviewer to appreciate the spiritualpotency residing in the loro blonyo image.TodayamongIndonesia’syoungergenerationthere is an increasing perception that theart and syncretistic beliefs of their ancestorsrepresents a profound misunderstanding ofthe unequivocal monotheism of al-Qur’an.Nevertheless, even with the current rise ofMuslimorthodoxy,thericegoddess’sformerrole as a powerful protector of the Javanesepeople continues to be remembered in aninvocation recited at communal selamatanfeasts: ‘Giving honour to Muhammad theProphet,toAdamandEve,andtoDewiSri…’

James bennett is curator of Asian Art at the Art

Gallery of South Australia.

rEFErENCESAli, Zakaria 1994: islamic Art: Southeast Asia 830 A.d.-1570 Ad.

Dewan bahasa dan pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.

carpenter, bruce W. 2009: Javanese Antique Furniture and Folk

Art: The david B.Smith and James Tirtoprodjo Collection. Editions

Didier Millet, Singapore.

De Guise, Lucien (ed.) 2005: The Message and the Monsoon:

islamic art of South Asia from the Collection of the islamic Arts

Museum of Malaysia. Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia, Kuala

Lumpur.

Jay, robert 1969,: Javanese Villagers: Social relations in rural

Modjukoto. MIT press, cambridge, Mass.

Jessup, Helen Ibbitson 1990: Court Arts of indonesia. The Asia

Society Galleries in association with Harry N. Abrams, New York.

Kempers, A.J. bernet 1959: Ancient indonesian Art. N.V.

boekhandel Antiquariaat en Uitgeverij c.p.J. van der peet,

Amsterdam.

Othman Mohd Yatim 1995: islamic Arts. Dewan bahasa dan

pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.

BaYaNBElEqMoSqUE, LOMbOK, INDONESIA. pHOTO J.bENNETT 2008


a M B a S S a d o r o F i N d o N E S i a N B a t i K : i w a N t i r t a ( 1 9 3 5 - 2 0 1 0 )

MariaWronska-Friend

n 31 July 2010, Indonesia – and theadmirers of Javanese batik across the

world - lost one of the most prominentchampionsandconnoisseursofthesetextiles.

Nursjirwan Tirtaamidjaja – better known asIwanTirta-aJakarta-baseddesigner,lawyerand collector, is credited with launchingJavanesebatikonto the international fashionstage.

Bornin1935incentralJavatoanupper-classfamily, he studied law at the University ofIndonesia, the London School of EconomicsandYaleUniversity,afterwhichheworkedattheUnitedNationsofficeinNewYork.Wellaware of international fashion trends andconsumers’ expectations as well as stronglyrooted in classical Javanese culture, he waswell placed to introduce Javanese batik intohautecouture.

Interestinglyenough,itwasinAustraliathatIwan Tirta launched his career as a fashiondesigner:hisfirstshowswerestagedin1968inMelbourne,CanberraandSydney.Duringthenext three decades he presented spectacularfashion shows, dominated by sumptuousevening wear made of high-quality batiktextilesdecoratedwith Javanesepatterns,allovertheworld.CombiningOrientalopulencewith Western chic and elegance while atthe same time promoting the achievementsof Indonesian textile artists, these showswere staged inall theworld’smajor fashioncentres, including New York, Rome, Paris,Tokyo,Sydney,RiodeJaneiroandSingapore.

ThegreatsuccessofTirta’screationsresultedfrom the imaginative use of high-qualityhand-drawn batik textiles, all of whichwereindividuallydesignedandmadetoorder.Thetextiles frequently featured central Javanesecourt motifs such as parang rusak or sawator dramatic phoenixes borrowed from thePeranakan batiks. Almost all of the motifshavebeensignificantlyenlarged,transformingthe subdued and restrained style of classicalJavanesebatiksintobold,exuberantstatements.AccordingtoTirta,this‘microscopicapproach’tobatikdesignscreatedastrongervisualeffect,bettersuitedforthedemandsofinternationalhautecouture.

Despite these modifications, all of Tirta’sgarmentscarriedthemarkedsealofJavaneseaesthetics.Hisstylewasguidedbyrestrained

glamourandrefinement,withmuchattentionpaid to the high quality of execution. Hiscreations were not to shock but to seduceand incite, revealing subtle and elevatedsophistication.

In 1996 Tirta published a major booksummarising his many years of work withbatik, illustratedwith outstanding examplesof fabrics fromhis collection.Onhis role asa designer, he commented: ‘I see myself asa translator, giving traditional elements amodern interpretation. I am like a bridge,joiningoldandnewbatiktraditions.’

In Indonesia itself, Iwan Tirta achieved thestatus of a national fashion icon, securingthepatronageoftheIndonesiangovernment,whichtrustedhimwithspecialcommissions.Forexample,in1994,whenIndonesiahostedthe Asia Pacific Economic Conference, hewas given the task of designing a series ofbatik shirts for eachof the 18headsof stateattending this event. On other occasions heshowcasedhis collectionanddesignedbatikgarments for royalty and heads of state,among them Queen Elizabeth II, QueenJuliana of the Netherlands, Bill Clinton andMargaret Thatcher. However, probablythe greatest admirer of his work is NelsonMandela, who, following several visits toJakarta, adopted Tirta’s long-sleeved silkbatikshirtashisformaldress,wornonmostimportantstateoccasions.

AttheWorldBatikConferenceatYogyakartain1997,Iwanwasoneofthekeyspeakers.Inhispassionatepresentation,headdressedthedemise of traditional Javanese batik textiles,undercut by screen prints and industrialproduction as well as the shrinking groupofcustomers.HewasparticularlyconcernedwiththedecliningknowledgeofthesetextilesbythemainstreamofIndonesiansocietyandthelossoftheunderstandingofthesymbolicmeaningsofthedesigns.

In his role as the international ambassadorof Javanese batik, he must have been verypleasedwhenhislife-longeffortstopromotethis group of fabrics were rewarded inOctober 2009, when UNESCO placed thebatik of Indonesia on the List of IntangibleCulturalHeritage – the first group ofAsiantextilestoreceivesuchrecognition.However,when publicly commenting this event, hereminded his compatriots that the reason

for the UNESCO decision was to preservethe beliefs, rituals and customs associatedwiththeproductionanduseofthesetextiles,and not just themotifs and process of theirproduction.

The unquestionable legacy of Iwan Tirta’ssuccess is a younger group of Indonesiancouturiers – Josephine Komara, Carmanita,SebastianGunawan,GheaPanggabean–whofrequentlyincludebatiktextilesinformalandcasualwear. IwanTirtawillbe rememberedasapioneerofIndonesianhautecoutureandtheunparalleledmasterofthebatikfashion.

Maria Friend is an anthropologist and museum

curator specialising in textiles and costumes of

Southeast Asia

rEFErENCESIwan Tirta 1967: Batik: Patterns and Motifs. Djambatan, Jakarta.

Iwan Tirta 1996: Batik: A Play of Light and Shades. Gaya Favorit

press, Jakarta.

Iwan Tirta 2000: ‘Quo Vadis batik?’ in M. Hitchcock, W. Nuryanti

(eds) Building on Batik: The globalization of a craft community.

Ashgate, Aldershot , pp 3-9.

O

EVENiNGGowNBYiwaNtirta, JAKArTA, 1996.

THE bATIK SKIrT FEATUrES FIGUrES OF pHOENIxES AND IS

cOVErED WITH GOLD LEAF. pHOTO FIrMAN IcHSAN


he Javanese word kemben signifies kainpenutup dada wanita, which, translated

literally into English, is ‘cloth used to coverwomen’s breasts’. The kemben is a narrowlengthofcloth,oftendecoratedwithintricatemotifs, and is usuallywrapped from left torightaroundthetorsoandbreasts.Oncethekemben is evenly wound around the upperbody it is secured by being tucked into thewaist. Breastcloths were most noticeablyworn in Java andBali as a classical form ofwoman’s upper body attire, until the mid-20thcentury.

The origins of kemben are obscure: it is stillnot known when they were first worn inIndonesia. Javanese sculptural reliefs ofBuddhistandHindufemaleattendantdeitiesfrom the 8th century onward occasionallydepict cloths draped across shoulder andtorso.ItismostlikelythatthegeneraluseofbreastclothsemergedasaformofupperbodyattirecontemporarywiththespreadofIslamin Java during the 16th century, as Quranictraditionexplicitlydemandsmodestyinbothmaleandfemaledress.

Also known as semekkan in ancient Javaneselanguage, breastcloths were worn in theYogyakartaandSolokeratons,indicatingtheiruse as an elite, aristocratic practice. Kemben

worn at the courts denoted the wearer’ssubserviencetotheruler.Wearingbatikwasthe preserve of the elite, and most peopleoutside the courtswore plain, coarse, hand-spun fabric, onlywearingdecorative kembenforceremonialoccasions.Foreverydayattirewomen of commoner status wore simpleclothwraps on the lowerpart of their bodyandnothingontheupperbody.

Most often, kemben were made from a finegrade of unbleached cotton known asmori,which first entered Indonesia from India intheearly19thcentury,.Thesmoothsurfaceofthemoricottonsuitedtheapplicationofhand-paintedhotwaxusedtobatikdesignsontothefabric.Classicmoribatikbreastcloths featurea central lozenge that is reminiscent of thecentre field of the masculine Javanese dodotcloth.TodaydodotarewornonlybyrulersonceremonialoccasionsandbycentralJavanesegrooms at wedding ceremonies; in the17th-18thcenturies,however, thedodotwaswidelyworn in Javanisedcourts throughoutthearchipelago,evenbyEuropeandelegatesattendingroyalreceptions.

The lozenge form on Javanese textiles issometimes described as representing thecentre of theuniversewhere awater springissaidtoexist.Theextremitiesofthelozenge

represent the four cardinal points radiatingoutward. Thus the central power inherentin the lozenge isdispersedoutwardstogivelife to all around it and the cloth becomesa metaphor for ‘...where the sky and theunderworld,fireandwater,maleandfemale,Shiva and Vishnu and Sri intersect and,throughtheirintersection,createtheuniverse,the world and on the local level, the state(Wessing 1988: 43-44). In aMuslim culturalcontext, the symbolism of the dodot impliednotions of felicity associated with paradisewhosekeyelementswerewaterandagardenlandscape.Thepresence of the later is oftensuggestedbythebatikmotifsknownassemenandalas-alasan,meaning‘forest life’.Theuseofalozengeinthecentreofawoman’skembendenotes the wearer’s role as a producer oflifeand is thereforesymbolicof fertilityandprocreation.When a womanwore a kembenembellished with the central lozenge herpotencywaspurportedlyreinforced.

A modification of the lozenge centre is theuseofa rectangular shapeknownaskembenblumbangan. This motif is said to originatefrom Jogyakarta; however, a south IndiantradeclothinthecollectionoftheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia,which featuresanemptyrectangularshapeandisdatedwithaDutchEastIndies(VOC)stamptothemid-late18th

T

B r E a S t C l o t H S o F J a V a a N d B a l i

JoannaBarrkman

Kemben SindAngAn(BrEaStClotH), JAVA, 20TH cENTUrY. cOTTON; rESIST DYE bATIK TEcHNIQUE, 2220 x 510MM. GIFT OF JAMES cOOK UNIVErSITY, cOLLEcTION MUSEUM AND ArT GALLErY NOrTHErN TErrITOrY

Kemben blUmbAngAn (BrEaStClotH), JAVA (JOGYAKArTA). DATE. MORi cOTTON AND SILK, rESIST DYE bATIK TEcHNIQUE AND HAND STITcHING, 2470 x 520MM.

GIFT OF JAMES cOOK UNIVErSITY, cOLLEcTION MUSEUM AND ArT GALLErY NOrTHErN TErrITOrY


century, suggests that the design was morewidelyknown inearlier times.Theadditionofcolourfulsilkclothsometimesoccurredbyhand-stitching a piece of silk to the centralrectangle or lozenge area. Such cloths werereserved for the highest ranking femalemembers of court,with the silk insert beingdarkerinaccordancewiththewearer’sage.Itremainsunclearwhetherthisincorporationofthesilkemergedinresponsetotheoccasionalavailability of prestigious sumptuous silkcloth or as a device to protect the inherentpowerrepresentedbythecentralform.

One style of breastcloth reserved forcourt attire in Java is prada (Javanese forgilding). Prada describes cloth which hasbeen enhancedwith the application of goldleaf in a technique that appears to havebeenknowninJava,southSumatraandBalifromasearlyasat least the17thcentury. InJavanese courtsprada clothwas reserved forthe most auspicious events such as specialcourtceremonies,dancesandmarriagesandtemplefestivals.Onlythefinesthand-drawnbatik was decorated with gold leaf, whichwasappliedoncethebatikwascompleted.

The process for applying the gold leafinvolvedmarkingoutthelinesofthedesignin glue (awhite gluemade from fish bonesor a red gluemade from buffalo hide) ontowhichthefinegoldleafordustwasapplied.Theexcessgoldwascollected.Theseopulentpradaclothscanbestiffandbrittleandarenottobewashed,asthegoldeasilyrubsoff.

The19th century prada silkbreastcloth in thecollection of theMuseumandArtGallery oftheNorthernTerritorywasinitiallydecoratedwith a ceplok motif, an ancient star motifwhich,accordingtoHindu-Buddhistbelief,issymbolicofthefourcardinalpoints.Theceplokwasappliedusingtheresist-dyedbatikstamp(cap)techniqueandthendyedinanindigoferabath.ThepopularityofpradabreastclothsalsoextendedtoBaliwherepradawasapplied toimported Javanese batik.(Maxwell 2003:183).European factory prints imitating batikwerealsoused for thispurpose.Prada textiles thathad not been previously worn as a garmentwere also adapted as altar decorations atshrines.TodaypradaclothsremainpopularinBali,althoughtheyarecommerciallyproduced

withmechanisedscreen-printingtechnologies.

AnotherformofJavanesebreastclothisknownas semekkan sindur or kemben kebangunan(clothof flowers),anameresultingfromthebright colours achieved by using syntheticaniline dyes and a dyeing technique knownas tritik. The tritik technique is created byhand-stitchingthepatternintothecloth,afterwhichthestitchedthreadsarepulledsothatthe cloth tightens. Then after the cloth hasbeendyed,thestitchingthreadsareremoved:wherethethreadsweretightened,thedyehasbeenresistedandtheclothremainswhite.Thesemekkansindur,typicallyworninJogyakarta,is used by the bride-to-be on the eveningbefore her wedding (midodaren). The sindurcloth, used as a kemben, symbolises fertilityandprosperity.Itisworninconjunctionwithkainpanjangtrumtummotif,whichissymbolicof buds, growthandnew life.Alternatively,themayangmekarkembenisreservedforusebynewlywedsonlyanditfeaturestwoshadesofgreen and a decorative border featuring theregulonmotif(Djumena1990:90,fig200).

Tritik breastcloths were made in Jogyakartaand Solowhere they are used as traditionalofferings to deities and are of greater ritualimportance than Javanese batik (Maxwell2003:79). Breastcloths following a code ofcolourssuchasgadungmotifingreen,banguntulak inwhiteanddarkblue,papasanmatengin dark blue with red and gadung melati ingreen and white are offered in the annualLabuhan ceremonies of the Yogyakarta andSurakartacourts:theyareplacedintotheseaat Parangtritis Beach to honour the Sultan’sconsort Nyai Loro Kidul, Goddess of theSouthern Ocean, who resides in the depthsof the ocean (Negoro 2001:95). The use ofthese cloths in this context reinforces theirassociation with fecundity and femininepower, asNyaiLoroKidul is the consort oftherulersofbothSoloandJogyakarta.

Balineseculturealsohasaformofbreastclothknown as sabuk or anteng. Upper bodyattire was traditionally worn at Balinesetemple ceremonies and in courts. ThemoredecorativebreastclothsinBaliwereindicativeofstatusandprestige.Theyarethinnerthanthe Javanese kemben, their dimensions beingapproximately15cmwideand3metreslong

-akintoabandage.Whenantengare tightlybound around a Legong dancer’s torso herfigureisaccentuated.

Balinese anteng incorporate variousproduction techniques suchasweft ikat, thedouble ikat geringsing of Tenganan village,andsongketmadewithgoldmetallic threadsonlyavailabletohighcasteBalineseandwerethussymbolsofprestige.

On the island of Nusa Penida, near Bali,yet another technique is used to makebreastcloths - slit tapestry-weave. Thesecloths featuresimplegeometricpatternsandare known as rangrang. Such cloths werereportedly also worn in the 1980s on Bali,butwhileonBali thekebaya blousehasnowbecomethepreferredformofwomen’supperbody attire, on the remote island of NusaPenida rangrang breastcloths continue to beworn as ceremonial attire, in particular atngaben(cremation)ceremonies.

TheuseumandArtGalleryof theNorthernTerritory continues to add to its existingsignificant holdings of breastcloths, and anexample of rangrang was recently acquiredtodocumenttherevivalofthisstyleofclothusing natural dyes. The collection was alsoquite recently (2006) augmented by severalbreastclothsacquiredbyDrMariaWronska-Friend in the 1990s, part of a significantdonation of Indonesian textiles from theJames Cook University to theMuseum andArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory.

Joanna barrkman is curator of Southeast Asian Art

and Material culture at the Museum and Art Gallery

of the Northern Territory

rEFErENCESDjumena N. S 1990: Batik and its kind. Djambatan, Jakarta.

Maxwell, r. 2003: Textiles of Southeast Asia; Tradition, Trade and

Transformation. periplus Editions, Hong Kong.

Wessing, r. 1988: ‘Spirits of the Earth and Spirits of the Water:

chthonic Forces in the Mountains of West Java’ in Asian Folklore

Studies, Vol. 47(1); pp 43-61.

Negoro, S.S. 2001: Javanese Traditional and Ritual Ceremonies.

cV buana raya, Solo, Surakata.

mAyAng meKAR(BrEaStClotH), JAVA (JOGYAKArTA), 20TH cENTUrY. cOTTON AND ANILINE DYES, rESIST DYE TRiTik TEcHNIQUE, 1700 x 330MM.

GIFT OF JAMES cOOK UNIVErSITY, cOLLEcTION MUSEUM AND ArT GALLErY NOrTHErN TErrITOrY


i N t H E P U B l i C d o M a i N : k A L A F r O M T H E A r T G A L L E r Y O F S O U T H A U S T r A L I A

RussellKelty

hose lines from Empu Kanawa’s epicpoemArjuna-wiwaha,composedsometime

between 1028-35 to honour King Airlangga’sconsolidationofauthorityinEastJavafollowingyears of devastating chaos, is a reminderthat temple ruins displaying giant kala facesabovetheentranceshavebeenafeatureoftheJavaneselandscapesinceantiquity.

The heritage of Central Javanese candiarchitecture is synonymous with theextraordinarily skilled use of stone inmonuments like the early 9th century CandiPrambanan,nearYogyakarta.TheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia’sKala,however,whichissaidtohaveoriginatedfromanow-vanishednearbytempleknownasCandiSukun,documentstheuseof fired clay froman earlydate inHinduandBuddhisttempleconstruction.

The small village of Sukun (‘breadfruit’ intheJavaneselanguage)islocatedinMuntilanregion not far from the great 9th centuryBuddhiststructureofCandiBorobudur,wherethe remains of fired-brick stupas have beenunearthedbyarchaeologists.Duringthe1897-1925restorationofthenearbyMendutTemplea brick structure was discovered beneatha later stone exterior. Several terracottasculptures fromCentral Javanese templesarefoundininternationalcollectionsandconfirmthearchaeologicalevidencefortheuseofthismediumfromanearlydate.TheseincludeanarchitecturalpaneldecoratedwithparrotsnowintheNortonSimonMuseum,Pasadena,anda Buddha image in the Los Angeles CountyMuseumofArt.

GrimacingdemonmasksliketheSAGallery’sKala were intended to fulfil the role ofthreshold guardians, preventing evil fromtransgressing the sanctuary while enablingrituallypurifieddevotees to enter.Kalawasthe youngest son of Lord Siva, born out oftheseedthatSivaspiltontheearthwhenthegod vainly attempted to ravish his consortUma, and so manifests the demonic aspectof the gods. In Sanskrit kala means ‘time’,specifically time as a fixed entity. Thus theword came to denote destiny or death and

was often associated with the colour black.The talismanic image derives from the ‘faceof glory’ (kirtamukha) motif which appearson the lintel of the doorways to the innersanctuary of many Hindu temples in Indiaand is often fiercely leonine in characterwithhorns,hugefangsandagapingmouth.Thekala imagewastransmittedtoIndonesiain the middle of the first millennium withthe arrival of Hinduism and Buddhismand was subsequently incorporated intoarchitectural features at places such as thegreatBorobudurstupa,whichfeaturesnolessthan328demonmasks.

Intheearlyclassicalperiod(7th–10thcentury),kala (known in Old Javanese as cawiri orcawinten) was generally depicted without alower jaw and this appears to be a specificreferencetothestoryofRahuinIndianPuranatexts. This demon attempted to steal theelixir of immortality from the gods andwassubsequentlybeheadedbyVishnu.InthelaterIslamic period, commencing around the 15thcentury, Kalawould became associatedwiththepurificationceremoniesforricefieldsandexorcism rituals in Java. In agricultural rites,Kalawasrituallybeheadedandhismonstrousappearance used to frighten away the spiritsofpestilence,ensuringabountifulriceharvest.

The SA Callery’s Kala displays a gapingmouth, rather than only the upper jaw.This is more typically associated with laterSingosari-Majapahit (1222-1500) examples,

butitsclosestylisticsimilaritytothedemonicfaces decorating auxiliary shrines at CandiPlaosan, near Prambanan, suggests thesculpture may have been made around thetimeof that temple’sconstruction in825-850CE. The pyramid ornament crowning thehead, and the confident relief modelling oftheplantscrolls,arealsotypicaloftheEarlyHindu-BuddhistPeriodlintelstyle.

The civilisation that created this powerfulsculpturemysteriouslyvanishedattheendofthe10thcentury,andsomehistoriansattributethe disappearance to increased volcanicactivityinCentralJava.EmpuKanawa’suseofkalaimagesatanabandonedjungletemplein his poem above was a literary devicefoundinotheroldJavanesepoems,andwasintendedtoevokeamoodofmelancholy.

russell Kelty is curatorial Assistant of Asian Art at

the Art Gallery of South Australia.

rEFErENCESDumarcay, Jacques 1999: ‘buddhism and architectural change’

in indonesian Heritage: Ancient History., Editions Didier Millet,

Singapore.

Fontein, Jan 1990: The Sculpture of indonesi., National Gallery of

Art & Harry N. Abrams Inc., Washington.

Hall, Kenneth r 2005: ‘Traditions of knowledge in Old Javanese

literature, c. 1000-1500’ in Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol

36, Issue 01, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

pal, pratapaditya 2004: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia:Asian

Art at the Norton and Simon Museum Vol. 3, Yale University press

in association with the Norton Simon Foundation, New Haven

and London.

KAlA, INDONESIA (MUNTILAN rEGION, cENTrAL JAVA), MID-9TH cENTUrY (EArLY HINDU-bUDDHIST pErIOD, c7TH-10TH cENTUrIES).

TErrAcOTTA, STUccO, 55.0 x 75.0 x 35.0cM. GIFT OF MIcHAEL AbbOTT Qc THrOUGH THE ArT GALLErY OF

SOUTH AUSTrALIA FOUNDATION 2007, cOLLEcTION ArT GALLErY OF SOUTH AUSTrALIA

T

TherewasaruinedcandiThedemon’smaskslookedAsiftheywerecryingsilently.

Arjuna-wiwaha(Arjuna’sWedding),canto15:13


nmanycasespeoplewholoveEuropeanclassical music, when faced with the

prospectoflisteningtoChinesemusic,rejectitoutofhand.WehopetoshowaudiencesinAustralia new music and instruments theymaynothaveheardbefore,’ saysAustraliancomposer John Huie, founder and artisticdirector of Sydney’s Chinese GardenChamberMusicFestival.

So how is it that this Sydney boy came towriteforChinesetraditionalinstrumentsandarrange Chinese folk tunes? ‘I like Germanand Italianmusic, itwas drummed intomedayafterdayatthe[Sydney]Conservatorium[High School] when I was studying but Ihave realised that there are other countriesthatalsohavealonghistoryofmusic,Chinabeingthebiggestandoldest,’Huiesays.Andso to pursue his interest in Chinese music,Huie moved to Hong Kong in 1991, thenShanghai in 2002.Herehe spent threeyearsresearching and reproducing the authenticsongs and musical style of Shanghai in the1930s, releasing the albums Shanghai Jazz1 and 2. Huie continued writing for smallensembles, using a blend of Western andChinese traditional instruments, to releaseNew Shanghai. He drew his inspiration forthese albums from Shanghai itself, once theuncontestedjazzcapitalofAsia.

Huie describes how, in 1935, Du Yu Shenghelped establish The Clear Wind DanceBand, the first all-Chinese jazz group toperform at the Yangtze River Hotel DanceHall in Shanghai, where they played jazzarrangementsofclassicChinesesongs.Butin1949jazzmusicwasoutlawedasanindecentform of entertainment and jazz ‘lay in anunceremonious stateof refuse’until the endof 1978. Even then,with the foreigners longgone,and the likesofTheClearWindBanddeceased or disenfranchised, it would beanother25yearsbeforejazzwouldriseagain.Huie believes that under today’s economicand social reforms, Shanghai is finallyexperiencing this long-awaited culturalresurgenceandunsurprisingly,jazzisback.

During his years in China, Huie workedwith a number of Chinese traditionalinstrumentalists.Hesays:‘Itbecameobviousthat some were much more adaptable tomodernharmonicstructuresandacceptabletothewesternearthanothers.Inparticulartheguzheng,oneoftheoldeststringinstruments

in the world, and the yangqin, which alsohas a long history and basically looks likethe inside of a piano. Both of these seemedversatileenoughtoperformwithacelloandguitar, or perhaps a double bass andviolin.Using these two beautiful instruments formuch of the melodic work blended withsomegreatimprovisation.Ialsoincludedthepipa (the small pear-shapedChinese guitar),thedizi (bamboo flute), and the suonawhichsoundslikealoudoboe.’

Huie’s15years’ livingandworking inChina,traversing the cultures of East andWest, hasgivenhimanappreciationthat‘weareall99.9percentthesameandsharethesamemusicalelements no matter where we are from…’.Forhim, theChineseGardenChamberMusicFestival’smainpurpose is tobringAustralianand Chinese audiences and musicians closertogether by gaining a greater understandingandappreciationofthebeauty,complexityandvariationofmusicfromtheregionsofChina.

In November 2008 Huie was presented withtheopportunity touse theChineseGardenofFriendshipasaconcertvenue by theSydneyHarbour Foreshore Authority. The localChinese community established the ChineseGarden of Friendship in 1988 as a way ofsharingitsrichculturalheritageandcelebratingAustralia’s Bicentenary. Remarkably peaceful,though nestled in the centre of Sydney, thegardenisanidealvenueforaChinesechambermusicfestival,thinksHuie.

ThefirstfestivalwasheldattheChineseGardenfrom5-8February2009.FromChina,theSuzhouOpera Troupe gave Australian audiences therare opportunity to hear the delicate Suzhouor Pingtan opera. Also from China came theShanghaiMusicEnsemblewithguzhengmasterFang Yu. The visiting Chinese players werejoined by distinguished Australian musicianssuch as pianistMichaelKieranHarvey, cellistPatrick Murphy, bassist Kees Boersma andpercussionstClaireEdwardes.Theypresentedmusic fromoldandnewChinaaswellas thegreatEuropeancomposers.

Following the success of the first twofestivals, the 2011ChineseGardenChamberMusic Festivalwill consist of three concertson 11-13 February. The festival will featureoutstanding Chinese and Australianmusicians, including prominent Chinesetraditional instrumentalists from theShanghaiConservatoryofMusic, saysHuie,who would like to think that ‘writing forChinese instruments and arranging Chinesefolk tunes, in the way I do, is unique, orperhaps special. You have to be passionateaboutanyartisticproject,that’swhatitis.’

paolo Hooke is a journalist with Fine Music, the

monthly magazine of 2MbS-FM 102.5, Sydney’s

Fine Music Station. He presents Chinese Mosaic, a

program of chinese traditional, classical and film

music which can be heard at 12 noon on the fourth

Sunday of each month on 2MbS-FM.

I

J o H N H U i E a N d t H E C H i N E S E G a r d E N C H a M B E r M U S i C F E S t i V a l

PaoloHookeiNtHECHiNESEGardENoFFriENdSHiP: FrOM LEFT TO rIGHT, YING LIU (eRHu),

JOHN HUIE AND LULU LIU (PiPA). pHOTO rIcK STEVENS 2009


E X H i B i t i o N P r E V i E w: T H E F I r S T E M p E r O r : c H I N A’ S E N TO M b E D W A r r I O r S

AnnMacArthur

ou have to be somewhat of a militarystrategist and fighter yourself to mount

an exhibition of China’s terracotta warriors.At about the same time that theArtGalleryof New South Wales exhibition The FirstEmperor: China’s entombedwarriors two otherexhibitionsareonviewat theRoyalOntarioMuseum in Toronto and the Museum ofFar Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. Theprovinceof Shaanxi,where the tombofQinShihuangwasdiscovered, issuchahotspotfor rich archaeological discoveries that aspecialbureau,theShaanxiCulturalHeritagePromotionCenter,was set up to administeroverseasexhibitions.

Every international museum wants todisplayasmanywarriorsaspossibleintheirexhibition.‘Youwouldn’tthinkthiswouldbe

a problemwith 6,000 warriors excavated inPit 1 alone,’ saidDrLiuYang, theGallery’sSeniorCuratorofChineseArt, ‘butactually,only a certain number of warriors are setaside for travelling exhibitions.’ The Sydneyexhibition was well along in its planningwhenarulingatthenationallevelputalimitfor each exhibition of 10 terracotta figures.At that point, according to Liu, it became adiplomaticbattlewitheachcountrypleadingtheircasethroughministerialchannels.Intheend,thelimitwasenforcedforallmuseums.

The 10 figures coming to Sydney coverthe basic types that make up the militaryformations in the tomb from armouredgeneral at the head to infantrymen, archers,cavalrymen and horses. In addition to theterracotta figures, which are held by the

Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors andHorses Museum, the AGNSW exhibitionincludesworks from12othermuseumsandarchaeologicalinstitutesinShaanxiprovince.Liu and AGNSWdirector Edmund Caponvisited all the museums once for researchand again to make their final selections ofworks chosen to illustrate the developmentoftheQinstateleadinguptothereignofQinShihuang (221-206 BCE). Architect RichardJohnson,whoalso travelled to the tombsiteinXi’an,hascreatedadramaticdesignfortheexhibition.Hesaid,‘Ourobjectiveistogiveasenseoftheenormityofthesiteandthesheerscaleandnumberofwarriors.’

Passing through a photographic panoramaof the Great Wall, which was famouslylinked and fortified by the First Emperor torepel attacks from the Xiongnu people ofthe steppes,visitors enter a roomofbronze,gold, jade and ceramic artefacts reflectingthe different cultural influences on the Qinempire. The Qin people rose up in Gansuprovince and moved eastward to Shaanxiestablishing various capitals until the finaloneatXianyang.Theworksondisplaycomefromtombsofrulersandaristocratslocatedatthedifferentpoliticalcentres.Alargebronzebell was one of a set and excavated fromof a tomb that was located in the area oftheQin capital from 714-677 BCE. The bellsshare a design, both solemn and fantastic,thatwas typicalof theQinat the time.Fouropenwork flanges consistof twocomprisingnine intertwined dragons and another twoeachcomprisingaphoenixandfiveinterlaceddragons.TheinscriptiononthebaseofthebelldocumentstheQinlineagefromDukeXiang,throughDukesWen, Jing toXian, and theirmandateofheaven.Theuseofbellsinritualswhere the rulerpaidhomage toheavenandancestorswasatraditiondevelopedearlierintheWesternZhoudynasty(c1046-256BCE).

Anotherstrikingworkistheironswordwithopen-work gold hilt also dating from theSpring and autumn period (770-476 BCE).Made through the lost-wax casting process,the hilt consists of interlocking serpentswith inlaid turquoise. This exemplary levelof gold craftsmanship is rarely seen in theperiod.Whentheswordwasexcavatedithadremnantsoffabricarounditandsevensmallgoldcircularfinialslyinginaline,indicatingit was originally in a scabbard. The swordwaspartofa significant findofgoldobjects

Y

bo BEll, cHINA, EArLY SprING AND AUTUMN pErIOD, DUKE WU’S rEIGN (r 697-678 bcE), brONZE, OVErALL HT 69.6 cM; bELL HT 50 cM,

W. 22.4-26.6 cM. ExcAVATED AT TAIGONGMIAO VILLAGE, YANGJIAGOU, IN bAOJI, SHAANxI, 1978, cOLLEcTION bAOJI brONZE MUSEUM, SHAANxI


unearthedin1992withanaestheticshowingadebt to theEasternZhou. Jadealsoheldaspecial place for objects of strong personalandritualvalueascanbeseeninanexquisitepushou ring holder with a jade ring and adoubletaotiemaskingold,whichwouldhaveadornedaceremonialobject.

Having conquered the Warring States, QinShihuang established a centralised politicalsystem of administrative units organiseddown to small groupsof five to 10 families.He further achieved unity through bringingaboutthestandardisationofwriting,weights,measures and currency. One exhibitionroom focuses on the achievements of Qinadministration. Themandated currencywasa round coin with a central hole. A mouldfor these coins is on display together withexamples of currencies in use in the otherWarring States. A bronze standard weighthas an inscription indicating it was cast bythe central government and themessage ona bronze plaque requires compliance withstandardisedmeasurements

The entombed warriors are displayed inmilitary formation as they appeared in thepits. Dr Liu Yang outlines in the cataloguethe production process for the figures. EachfigureisestimatedbytheTerracottaWarriorsandHorsesMuseum inXi’an to have taken150 working days to produce, even longerfor a horse. Each human figure typicallyconsistsof sevenparts–platform, feet, legs,torso, arms, hands and head/neck – madeseparately.Theseareallowedtodryandthensealedandstrengthenedwithclaycoils.Whilethere is a certain consistency to the faces,no two are identical, confirming that eachwassubjecttoindividualfinishing.Similarly,features such as armour plates, fixings, belthooks, shoe ties and costumedetails – eventhe tread pattern on the sole of a kneeling

archer’sshoe–couldonlyhavebeenachievedthroughmeticuloushandfinishing.

The final room in the exhibition displays aselectionfromtheunusualdiscoveryin2001attheQinShihuangtombsiteofapitwhichseems to simulate a heavenly realm for theEmperor. It contained a groupof 15potterymusicians and a notional riverbank alongwhich were placed no less than 46 life-sizebronzewaterbirds: 20 swans, six cranes and20geese,noneofthemidentical.Aswiththeterracotta warriors, detailed painting hadbeen applied, little of which survives, inorder to make them lifelike. The Gallery

exhibition includes examples of a crane, aswanandawildgoosewhichEdmundCaponhas described as ‘not only masterworks ofbronze-casting but in the naturalism andrealismtheyherald,likethepotterywarriors,anewerainthematerialartsofChina.’

What is most astounding, considering therichesandexcessoftheQinShihuangburial,is that the main tomb itself is yet to beexcavated.AccordingtohistorianSimaQianwriting in the Shiji (recordsof thehistorian)100yearsafterthedeathoftheFirstEmperor,thetombwasaparadisewithmountainsandriversofmercury.DuanQingbo,professorofarchaeology at Northwest University, Xi’anreportsthatmercurylevelsinthesoilaroundthemoundofthemaintombaremuchhigherthan in surrounding areas. Sonar readingsalso indicate the tomb is very deep, anenticingbit of evidenceof the treasures thatarestilltobediscovered.Duansharesrecentarchaeological findings in a symposium inconjunctionwiththeexhibition.

Ann MacArthur is Senior coordinator of Asian

programs at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The First Emperor: China’s EntombedWarriorsisattheAGNSW4December2010-13March2011. For details of associated events, seeWhatsOnsectionthisissue.

CraNEwitHFiSHiNitSBEaK, cHINA, QIN DYNASTY 221-206 bcE. brONZE, HT 75 cM, L. 115 cM. ExcAVATED FrOM K0007

IN QIN SHIHUANG TOMb cOMpLEx, 2001–03, cOLLEcTION TErrAcOTTA WArrIOrS AND HOrSES MUSEUM, xI’AN, SHAANxI

SwordwitHiNlaidoPENworKHilt, cHINA, LATE SprING AND AUTUMN pErIOD 697-678 bcE. IrON AND GOLD WITH INLAID

TUrQUOISE, OVErALL L. 37.8 cM, WT 3.44 KG. ExcAVATED FrOM NO.2 TOMb AT YIMEN VILLAGE IN bAOJI, SHAANxI, 1992,

cOLLEcTION bAOJI MUNIcIpAL ArcHAEOLOGIcAL INSTITUTE, SHAANxI


C o N F E r E N C E r E P o r t: b O r N E O I N T E r N AT I O N A L b E A D S c O N F E r E N c E 2 0 1 0

Hwei-F’enCheah

eads have been an integral andcontinuing part of the material culture

of many peoples in Sarawak, the locationof the inaugural Borneo International BeadsConference (BIBCo) 2010. Organised byCrafthubSarawak,anon-profitorganisation,the conference took place inMiri, Sarawak,Malaysia,on9-10Octoberthisyear.Bringingtogether international bead and beadworkmakers, researchers, curators and users, theconferencereflectedontraditionsandcurrentdirections in Southeast Asian beads andbeadwork. An accompanying bead bazaarand demonstrations showed the practicalaspectsofworkingwiththismaterial.

Tenpresentationshighlightedtherichnessofbeadcultureandemphasizedthedynamismand ongoing significance of beads andbeadworkintheregion.IpoiDatan,Directorof the Sarawak Museum, discussed thebeads of bone, shell, glass and stone foundat archaeological sites which attest to thedepthofbeadculture inSarawak.Giventhewide range in bead types, the challenges ofstudyingbeads across islandSoutheastAsiawas addressed by US-based Jamey Allen.A noted bead researcher, Allen had littletime to catch his breath as he examined thebeads that participants had brought during

intervals. Reita Rahim, founder of fair-tradeorganisation Gerai OA, offered a highlyinformativeoverviewoforganicbeadswhichstillretainaplace,albeitaprecariousone,inOrangAsliandRungusculturesinMalaysia.

Twospeakershighlightedthevalueofbeadsthrough their biographies and circulation.Eileen Paya Foong from Curtin University(Miricampus)spokeofthestoriesassociatedwithherfamily’sheirloombeads.PolineBalafromUniversityofMalayaSarawakdiscussedthevalueofbeadsonwomen’sbead-capsandtheirdifferentiationof‘old’and‘new’beads.Papers on regional beadwork focussed onnyonyabeadworkinMalaysiaandbeadworkof the Philippines. The latter, presented bysocial anthropologist David Baradas, wasenriched by actual examples of exquisitebeaded vests, bags and carrying bands forcosmeticcontainers.

ArecurringthemewasthecontinuingroleofbeadsintheculturesofislandSoutheastAsiaand the changes that have taken place. Thecontemporary role of beads asmediators ofcultureandtheevolvingnatureofbeadworkin Sarawak was succinctly presented byHeidiMunan, author ofBeads of Borneo andexecutive director of Crafthub. Nor Azmah

AbdKadirfromtheStandardsandIndustrialResearch Institute ofMalaysiadiscussed thetechnical and material challenges faced byceramicbeadmakers.Producedby the localLun Bawang group since 1993 for a localclientele, these beads are used in traditionaldress and ornament. Indonesian beaddesigner, Yekti Kusmartono, explained themodernproductionofreplica‘Jatim’beadsinEastJavatodayasantiquebeadshavebecomemorescarce.

The presentations elicited animateddiscussions, revealing the complexity ofbead categorisation and the diversity ofinterpretations these invoked. The audiencealsodiscussedtheimportanceofdocumentingthe beads and their ‘personal’ histories. Theconference not only offered an insight intoSoutheastAsianbeadandbeadworkculturesbutprovidedfertilegroundfortheexchangeofideas.ItaugurswellforBIBCo2011.

Conference proceedings have been published byCrafthub.ForfurtherinformationonBIBCo2010and2011,seehttp://www.crafthub.com.my/.

Hwei-F’en cheah lectures at the Australian National

University. She was invited to the conference by

crafthub to speak about nyonya beadwork.

B

KElaBitdaNCErS pErFOrM AT THE GALA DINNEr OF bIbcO, HELD OcTObEr THIS YEAr IN MIrI, SArAWAK. GUESTS IN FOrEGrOUND ArE DEcKED OUT IN THEIr HEIrLOOM bEADED cApS. pHOTO HWEI-F’EN cHEAH


r E C E N t t a a S a a C t i V i t i E S

taaSaNSw

‘Glorious pots’ - Lecture on Trade Ceramics in Southeast Asia Despiteinclementweather,agroupofTAASAceramics enthusiasts gathered at Irene andRossLanglands’NomadicRugTradersGalleryin Sydney on 14 September to hear DavidRehfuss’ talk on the trade in ceramics fromcountries in Southeast Asia. A monumentalclapofthundersoundedashebeganhistalk.

David Rehfuss is the inaugural – and stillserving-presidentoftheWashingtonOrientalCeramics Society; he works with the sherdscollection at the Freer and Sackler Galleriesin Washington and has curated successfulexhibitionsofAsianceramicsintheDCarea.

Because the overland silk trade routes arewellknown,Davidfocussedontheseatraderoutes,alsoofgreatantiquity.Accompaniedby excellent maps and images, David tookus on the journey of traded ceramics fromVietnamandThailandandalsodiscussedtheceramics ofBurma andCambodia, althoughtheydidnotplayaroleininternationaltrade.Those who attended this enjoyable evening–whichbeganwithrefreshmentsandactiveceramics conversations - are extremelygrateful to David for reinvigorating theinterestinceramicsamongTAASAmembers,toAnnProctorforinitiatingtheevent,andtoIreneandRossfortheirgeneroushospitality.

Textile Study Group Meeting, 15 September: West Timor textilesAbout 40 members attended Kate Johnson’spresentationonhertripinJunetoWestTimor,Indonesia, introduced by Carole Cassidyand illustratedwith images depicting villagelife, local textile artists and maps. Kate alsodisplayed16beautifultextilesacquiredduringhertwoweekjourneywithresidentartistRuthHadlow,knowntomanymembersofTAASA.

Despite colonisation, West Timor retainsa vibrant textile practice, crafting richlypatterned colourful cloths for domestic andritual occasions. Kate revealed the region’smaterialsandtechniques,motifsandhistory.ManyvillageandtowncentresinWestTimorproduce fine warp ikat and supplementaryweft decorated textiles using both natural,locally-gathered dyes along with syntheticdyes,andmakinguseofrough,home-growncotton.SomeoftheexamplesKatepresented

were made by weavers working under theauspices of Yayasan Tafean Pay (TafeanPah Foundation), which started in 1989 inKefamenanuwith8weaversandnowhas14co-operatives in TTU (north central Timor)withover700weavers.

The long arid island of Timor has absorbeda wealth of migratory influences over time.Kate discussed the artistry and technicalexpertise of contemporary weavers in WestTimorwhileexplainingtheoriginofaestheticand customary considerations. Among themany designs are traces of Dongson metal-work culture. Each area has its distinct stylebutcommonmotifsacross theregion includeanthropomorphicfiguresandbirdandreptilelife. Said Kate, ‘Animism is still a force andtraditional life is strong under the trappingsofmodernity.’Inanysignificantlifeevent,theadat (the customary law that governs socialandreligiousorder)isstrictlyadheredto.

Textile Study Group Meeting, 13 October: Tampan from SumatraChrisReid brought in amarvellous collectionof tampan, traditional handwoven coveringcloths from South Sumatra. These squaresof cotton cloth played an important role infestivalevents in that region.Whilemoreorlessthesamesizeandwithsimilarmotifs,eachdistrict displays its own particular variationofcommonthemes.Patterningwasachievedin the supplementary weft technique. Whatis of significant interest in terms of datingthesesought-after textiles is that theyareallpre-1883, because the devastation wroughtby theeruptionofKrakatoaandsubsequenttsunamitragicallywipedoutthepopulations,

withtheirpossessions,ofthecoastalareasoftheisland.

TAASA Iranian Arts and Crafts Seminar, SydneyThis stimulating one day TAASA seminarwas held on 30 October at the PowerhouseMuseumwith80attendees.Afullreportwillbe provided in theMarch 2011 issue of theTAASAReview.

taaSaqUEENSlaNd

Talk on Hmong Costume ArtAt a well attended and much enjoyed eventheld on Saturday 14August, DrMaria Friendgave a talk on Hmong costume art in theQueensland Art Gallery’s lecture theatre toTAASA members and friends. The talk wasenhanced by the presence of five members oftheBrisbaneHmongcommunityofwhomtwoyoungeronesworetheirtraditionalcostumes,asdidtherepresentativeofACAPA,theAustralianCentreofAsiaPacificArt!ExamplesofHmongembroiderieswereondisplayforexamination.

looKiNGatTAmpAnSiNNSw: (L-r) cHrIS rEID, DIANE ScHULTZ TESMAr, rOSS LANGLANDS, rOZ cHENEY, KATE JOHNSTON. pHOTO GILL GrEEN

twoHMoNGCHildrENiNtraditioNalCoStUME

AT THE QUEENSLAND TALK. pHOTO cOUrTESY rAY FULTON

TA A S A r E V I E W V O L U M E 1 9 N O . 4

This isaparticularlyauspicious time inTAASA’s history tohavetheprivilegeofbecoming the newTAASA president:it is the preludeto TAASA’s 20thanniversaryin2011.

Together with ourdedicated TAASA

Management and Publications Committees,TAASA Vice President Christina Sumnerand I are particularly proud to be able tobuild on the sterling efforts of precedingpresidents-CarlAndrew,JackieMenziesandJudithRutherford-whosedeterminationandwealth of expertise have forged ambitionsanddirectionsforTAASAoverthese20years.Timehasattestedtotheirsuccessinprovidinganavenueformemberswithdiverseinterestsandexperiences in theAsianarts to exploretheirparticularpassion.Intheseendeavours,thecooperationofanumberofmajorgalleriesandmuseums around the country has beenseminal in assisting TAASA by offeringvenues to run seminars and meetings andby contributing their expertise through theTAASAReviewandTAASAevents.

The TAASA Review has gone from strengthto strength and in the last 10 years hasblossomed from black and white into fullcolour. The Review’s editors – HeleanorFeltham, Ann Macarthur, Sandra Forbesand currently Josefa Green have put in aninordinate amount of dedicated effort andexpertisetoproduceapeer–reviewedjournalof stature, subscribed to by university andmuseumlibraries.ManymembersofTAASAacknowledge theReviewas themainvehiclefor their connection with TAASA and theworldofAsianarts.

With such a solid base TAASA canconfidentlylookforward.Whatactivitiesarethe Committee planning for the immediatefuture? The TAASAAsian Arts Essay Prizeis being offered in 2011 for the first time.Asumof$2000willbeawarded for theprize-winning3000-wordessayonanytopiconanAsianartssubjectbyatertiarystudentundertheageof35.

Onacompletelydifferenttack,travelcompaniesfamiliar to TAASA members are schedulinganumberofspecialist tours in2011and2012,badged as ‘Travel with TAASA’, to celebrateour anniversary. Members will be receivinginformation over the next few months. On a

practicalnote,theTAASAwebsiteiscurrentlybeing substantially upgraded into a moreresponsiveandusefulportaltoaccessTAASA’sactivities and links.Amember email list nowaffordsaninstant,effectiveandlessexpensivemeans of communication with members. Forthenextyearandintothefuture,TAASAlooksforward to continuing toprovide a forum forpeopletosharetheirinterestsinandpursuethestudyofallfacetsofAsianarts.

Gill Green, president, The Asian Arts Society of Australia

29

a M E S S a G E F r o M t a a S a’ S P r E S i d E N t

t a a S a M E M B E r S ’ d i a r Y

D E c E M b E r 2 0 1 0 – F E b r U A r Y 2 0 1 1

taaSaNSwEVENtS

TAASA NSW End of Year Party and BazaarWednesday8December6-8pm,BriefingRoom,PowerhouseMuseum,Sydney.AllmembersandtheirguestsareinvitedtotheNSWannualend-of-yearPartyandBazaar.EntrytotheBriefingRoomisfromthelowerlevelentranceofthePowerhouseMuseuminMacarthurStreet.ThispromisestobeabumperyearfortheeverpopularBazaarwithAsianrelateditems,booksandnoveltiesatbargainprices.Drinksandsnacksareprovided,convivialityisexpected–andappropriatedress-ups!Cost:$10members,$15guests.IfyouhaveitemstodonatepleasecontactGillGreenat0203311810oremailgillians@ozemail.com.au

TAASA Textile Study Group6-8pm,BriefingRoom,PowerhouseMuseum.The10NovembermeetingoftheTextileStudyGroupwasthelastfor2010.MeetingswillrecommenceinFebruary2011.Programwillbeannouncedearlyintheyear.AllenquiriestoGillGreen,[email protected].

taaSaqUEENSlaNd

DiscussionshavebeenheldwithProfessorHuibSchippers,DirectoroftheQueenslandConservatorium,whoisplanningconcertsofAsianmusictowhichhewillinviteTAASAmembers.Othereventsareintheplanningstageandwillbeannouncedtomembersinthenewyear.


w H a t ’ S o N i N a U S t r a l i a a N d o V E r S E a S : D E c E M b E r 2 0 1 0 - F E b r U A r Y 2 0 1 1

A S E L E c T I V E r O U N D U p O F E x H I b I T I O N S A N D E V E N T S

CompiledbySabrinaSnow

aUStraliaNCaPitaltErritorY

Connections

National Gallery of Australia, canberra

16 October 2010-15 May 2011

ExhibitionintheChildren’sGallerywhichrevealsthebeautyanddiversityofIslamicartandhelpsdevelopanunderstandingofitsinfluencearoundtheworld.Islamicworksofartarepairedwithotherobjectsinthecollectionunderthemessuchascalligraphy,geometry,colourandthegarden.See nga.gov.au/connections

artfromtheSolomonislands

National Gallery of Australia, canberra

26 February-29 May 2011

ThefirstmajorexhibitioninAustraliashowcasingthefinetraditionalartsfromtheseislands,whichhaveanincrediblehistoryofwarfareandart-earlyEuropeanaccountsspecificallynotetheartisticattentiongiventothedecorationonweaponsandraidingcanoes.DrawnfrommuseumsandgalleriesacrossthePacific,theexhibitionfeaturesworkswithpitchblack,glossysurfaces,iridescentnacreousshell,distendedfacesandfluidlimbs-distinctivefeaturesofSolomonsart.See nga.gov.au/exhibitions/solomonislandsart

ViCtoria

reflectionsofthelotus:ceramics

fromthailand

Geelong Art Gallery (touring exhibition)

30 October 2010-30 January 2011

ThisexhibitioncomesfromtheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia’sinternationallyrecognisedcollectionofThaiceramics.Itstitlereferstothelotus,thewaterflowerthatisthecentralsymbolofBuddhisminSoutheastAsia.TheexhibitionincludesthemostunusualoftheSawankhaloksculpturalsubjects,therare16thcenturyWarElephant.See geelonggallery.org.au/reflections of the lotus.

NEwSoUtHwalES

theFirstEmperor:China’sEntombedwarriors

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

2 December 2010-13 March 2011

Forpreviewofthisexhibition,seepp.25-26thisissue.ItshowcasestheterracottaarmywhichprotectedthetombofChina’sfirstemperorQinShiHuangdi(221–210BCE),whounifiedChinamorethan2000yearsago.Thesome120objectsinclude20oftheworld-famouslife-sizewarriorsfromXi’an,terracottafiguresoffootsoldiers,generals,kneelingbowmenandcavalryandchariothorses.Displayedalongsidetheseiconicfiguresareceremonialvesselsandbells,ornamentalgoldandjade,weaponsandarmour,palatialarchitecturalremains,potteryandceramics.SignificantrecentfindswhichhaverarelybeenseenoutsideChinaincludeanexceptionallife-sizebronzecraneandswan,discoveredonlyinthelastdecade.

Theexhibitioniscomplementedbyasymposiumon4-5Decemberwithinternationalscholars,andasubsequentextensiveprogramofeventsincludingcelebritytalks,performances,toursandfilmprogram.See artgallery.nsw.gov.au/calendar.

The Indian Empire, Multiple Realities: selections from the Portvale CollectionArtGalleryofNewSouthWales,SydneyUntil11January2011Imagesofthepeople,architecture,customsandcostumesofIndiawhichcaptivatedtheimaginationofpatronsasdiverseasIndianmaharajas,EastIndiaCompanyemployeesandtheadministrativepersonnelofthe

BritishRaj.Manyobjectsdatetothelate18thcentury,whentheBritishinparticularcommissionedartiststoportraytheworldtheforeignersencounteredinIndia.Mediausedincludelithographsandthethennewartofphotography.Thereisalsoasubstantialtextilesection..See artgallery.nsw.gov.au//calendar.

ComingsandGoings:lailaiwangwang

chinalink Gallery, 107 regent Street, redfern, Sydney

29 October -18 December 2010

TheopeningshowoftheChinalinkGallery,establishedinSydneyin2010bytheZhuongGuoSociety,anotr-profitorganisaionwhichaimstoexplorethedynamicsofcross-culturalexchangebetweenAustraliaandChinaviathevisualarts.Thisexhibitionshowcasestheworksof20Australian-Chinesecontemporaryartists,whohavebecomeanincreasinglyvisibleandimportantforceintheformationofAustralianidentityandwithintheevolutionofAustralianarthistory.See chinalinkgallery.com.

Zen:theartofJapaneseCeramics

Newcastle regional Gallery

6 November 2010 -16 January 2011

Celebratingthesister-cityrelationshipbetweentheCityofNewcastleandUbeinJapan,thisexhibitionexplorestheinfluenceonceramicartofZenBuddhismwithitsemphasisofgesture,simplicity,spontaneityandtheessentialqualitiesofmaterials,techniqueandtheobject.ThroughtheGallery’ssignificantcollectionofJapaneseceramicstheseprinciplesaregivenformandarefurthertranslatedintoaccompanyingpaintingbyAustralianartistsincludingRoystonHarper,PeterUpwardandTonyTuckson.See newcastle.nsw.gov.au/nag/exhibitions.

HEXaGoNaltilE,iraN,

prObAbLY 17TH cENTUrY.

GLAZED EArTHENWArE,

31.2 H x 27.8 W x 2.3 D cM.

bEQUEST OF WILLIAM F WELLS,

cOLLEcTION NATIONAL

GALLErY OF AUSTrALIA

MotHEraNdCHild,

SoloMoNiSlaNdS/

pApUA NEW GUINEA,

c1940. WOOD, pAINT,

HT 49.0 x W 11.0 W x

D 18.0 cM. NATIONAL

GALLErY OF AUSTrALIA

arMoUrEdGENEral, cHINA,

QIN DYNASTY 221-206 bcE.

TErrAcOTTA, HT 203 cM, WT

250 KG. ExcAVATED FrOM pIT 1,

QIN SHIHUANG TOMb cOMpLEx,

1980, cOLLEcTION TErrAcOTTA

WArrIOrS AND HOrSES MUSEUM,

xI’AN, SHAANxI


iNtErNatioNal

UNitEdKiNGdoM

imperialChineserobesfrom

theForbiddenCity

V&A Museum, London

7 December 2010-6 March 2011

ThreecenturiesofbeautifulandhistoricgarmentswornbytheemperorsandempressesoftheQingdynasty(1644-1911).Ondisplayareexquisiterobes,hats,shoes,children’sclothes,andelaboratefabricsmadeforthelastEmpressDowagerCiXiandhercourtladies.Theexhibitionexploresthecomplexconventionsspecifyingwhichclothesshouldbewornondifferentcourtoccasions:fromofficialrobesforimportantritualstofestivedressesforbanquetsandcelebrations.AllobjectsarefromthePalaceMuseum,Beijing.See vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/imperial

imagesandSacredtexts:

Buddhismacrossasia

The british Museum, London

14 October 2010-3 April 2011

ExploresthesharedtraditionsofBuddhism-the‘threegems’-throughoutAsia,fromSriLankatoJapan,throughsacredtexts,paintedscrollsandsculptures.See: britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/buddhism_across_asia.aspx

UNitEdStatES

theworldofKubilaiKhan:

ChineseartintheYuandynasty

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Until 2 January 2011

Coverstheperiodfrom1215,theyearKubilaiKhanwasborn,to1368,theyearofthefalloftheYuandynastyhefoundedinChina.Itfeaturespaintings,sculpture,decorativeartsingoldandsilver,ceramicsandlacquer,whichallillustratethenewartformsandstylesgeneratedinChinaatthistime.ManyworksrelatetothevariousreligionsthenpracticedinChina,includingBuddhism,Daoism,NestorianChristianity,Islam,ManichaeismandHinduism.See: metmuseum.org/exhibitions/kubilai khan

theGodsofangkor:Bronzesfromthe

NationalMuseumofCambodia

Arthur M Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution,

Washington, Dc (until 23 January 2011)

paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

(12 February-14 August 2011)

ThefascinatingstoryofbronzesculptureandcastinginCambodiaisrevealedthrough36exceptionalworks.Examplesfromtheprehistoricperiodtothepost-Angkorianperiod(3rdcenturyBCEto16thcenturyCE)presenttheorigins,uses,andtechniquesofbronzecastingandthedevelopmentofadistinctlyCambodianstyle.See asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/godsofangkor.asp; or getty.edu/museums/exhibitions.

Freshink:tentakesonChinesetradition

Museum of Fine Arts, boston, Mass.

20 November 2010-13 February 2011

AgroundbreakingexhibitioninwhichcontemporaryChineseinkpaintersengageindialoguewithclassicalartworksfromChina’spast.TenleadingartistsfromChinaandthediaspora,allofwhomhaveadeepengagementwithtraditionalChineseinkpainting,cometoBoston’sMuseumofFineArtstostudyitssuperbcollectionofChineseartandcreatenewworksinresponse.Theywillreinterprettheartisticpast,creatingavibrantartisticfuture:amissionnotonlyof‘FreshInk’butofcontemporaryChinaitself.SeearticlesandinterviewsinOrientationsmagazineOctober2010;andmfa.org/exhibitions/fresh

FourthousandYearsofSoutheastasianart

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu

Until 9 January 2011

Presentsmorethan150worksofartfromCambodiaandThailandrangingfromthe4thmillenniumBCEtothe16thcentury.Theexhibitionincludesawidevarietyofsculptures,bothmonumentalandminiature,instoneandbronze,fromtheAngkorkingdom,andalsoexploresthedevelopmentoftheuniqueAngkorianceramicstradition.ArtsfromtheSukhothaiKingdomincludeselectChineseceramicsfromthesameperiod,andlaterexamplesofJapaneseteaceremonyceramicsinfluencedbySukhothaiexportwares.See:honoluluacademy.org/exhibition/fourthousandyearsofsoutheastasianart.

With Angkor as its capital, the Khmer empire ruled over what is now central and southern Vietnam, southern

Laos, Thailand and part of the Malay Peninsula. Angkor’s superb ruins are the major reason travellers come to

view the great empire’s remnants. Yet Cambodia offers travellers a host of other experiences, including the legacy of outstanding ancient and French colonial architecture, spectacular riverine environments, a revitalising Phnom

Penh and beautiful countryside.

Our wide-ranging Travel With TAASA program sets out to reflect this variety. As well as Angkor we visit other evocative Khmer temple complexes including Preah

Vihear, the breathtaking mountaintop temple of immense historical and political significance to the Khmers. An

interesting diversion across the border into Thailand to experience Phanom Rung and Phi Mai is also included.

Two highly qualified leaders are looking forward to sharing their enthusiasm for Cambodia with you: Gill Green, President of TAASA, art historian and author

specialising in Cambodian culture; and Darryl Collins, prominent Australian expatriate university lecturer, museum curator, and author who has lived and

worked in Cambodia for twenty years.

Price per person twinshare ex Phnom Penh $4800

To register your interest, reserve a place or for further information contact Ray Boniface

PO Box U237 University of Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

p: +61 2 4228 3887 m: 0409 927 129e: [email protected]

ABN 21 071 079 859 Lic No TAG1747

H E R I TA G E D E S T I N A T I O N SN AT U R E • B U I L D I N G S • P E O P L E • T R A V E L L E R S

Travel with TAASACambodia:

Angkor, Preah Vihear and Beyond

With Gill Green and Darryl Collins30 October – 18 November 2011

review 19-4-2010 december

Documents

australia post

e s t evolume

result of material

nd t i mo r

n don e s

potts point nsw

po box

additional copies