A Paper: The Vernacular Architecture of Kerala, South India -An Architecture Knowledge on the Crossroad between Southeast Asia and South Asia

Dr. Indah Widiastuti, ST., MT

Lecturer – Department of Architecture

School of Architecture Planning and Policy Development

Institute of Technology Bandung

INDONESIA

widiastuti911@gmail.com

Abstract

The vernacular architecture of Kerala in India is explored to demonstrate an architecture with Southeast Asian characters but situated beyond the agreed (modern) boundary of Southeast Asia. In this paper I would argue that, the architecture of Kerala reflects a combination of Indic and Southeast Asian characters and it leads to critical questions on the relevance of geo-political distinction between Southeast Asia and South India, the Colonial assumptions of ethnic and nationality and the paradigm of Indianization, on the development of knowledge about Southeast Asian architecture.  The discussions would be drawn in three sections: 1) evidences of general convergence and divergence of the building typology; 2) evidences of shared social-spatial organization of the habitations that specifically brings up the importance of women; and 3) discussions on the shared claims of pre-Hindu characters and maritime culture. The study would principally suggests that for the case of Southeast Asia, with its unique cultural dynamic and multiplicity, it is also important to explore knowledge about the processes of becoming that lend base to the emergence of the people, its habitations and the architectural traditions.  In understanding the process, the geographical framework should be taken in rather flexible manner, because the discussion about Southeast Asian architecture seem to be extendable beyond the territorial boundary. Kerala architecture is one of the case. With regards to Southeast Asian architecture, Kerala architecture reflect the pre-modern vernacular architecture in the crossroad between Western Coast of India and the West Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Kerala, South India, Vernacular Architecture, tattakam, tara, taravad, Indianization, Network of Asia.

Bedah Buku "Gids Historische Stadswandelingen Indonesie"

Bedah Buku Panduan Jelaja Kota-Kota Pusaka di Indonesia

Medan, Jakarta, Cirebon, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Surabaya dan Malang

Penulis:  Emile Leushuis

Editor: Catrini Pratihari Kubontubuh dan Aditya Pratama

Penerjemah:  Vini Widyaningsih

Penerbit: Ombak

I. TENTANG BUKU
[1]

Pertama-tama saya mengucapkan selamat kepada semua pihak yang telah berupaya maksimal hingga lahirlah  “Panduan Jelajah” ini. Sudahlah pasti bahwa, buku ini sangatlah berguna bagi masyarakat dunia secara umum dan Indonesia secara khusus karena banyak tenaga dan waktu yang dapat dihemat secara efektif untuk mempersiapkan perjalanan di kota-kota pusaka Indonesia.

Selain untuk tujuan wisata, buku ini juga akan menjadi sumber informasi mengenai kota dan arsitektur pada masa sebelum Kemerdekaan yang kaya. Saya sangat yakin pembaca berlatar belakang sejarah, seni, arsitektur, tata kota, arkeologi, budaya, pecinta Bandung dan pencinta isu-isu konservasi akan menikmati buku ini, baik untuk tujuan-tujuan penggalian informasi, pengetahuan maupun verifikasi dan  kritik.  Lebih dari itu, Indonesia sendiri yang pernah menjadi bagian dari sejarah Eropa sendiri tentunya akan menjadikan buku ini cara untuk berapresiasi dan bernostalgia bagi masyarakat Eropa. Saya sering mendapati para pelancong berusia senja yang merupakan keturunan atau bahkan pernah menjadi tinggal di Indonesia. Keluarga kamipun kini memiliki kontak langsung dari Belanda yang ternyata sempat tinggal di rumah yang sama.

[2]

Buku ini disusun oleh bapak Emile Lieshuis yang didukung oleh jaringan  lembaga dan komunitas pelestarian pusaka bangunan kota. Menarik sekali bahwa buku yang sarat dengan konten arsitektur dan kota  ini ditulis oleh seorang geografer yang berprofesi sebagai pemandu wisata. Karena itu dalam kesempatan ini saya ingin terlebih dahulu mewacanakan buku “panduan jelajah” ini dalam konteks fenomena “panduan perjalanan” dan “panduan arsitektural” dan perkembangan apresiasi dan pengetahuan mengenai arsitektur dan kota. Secara harfiah sebuah panduan merujuk pada kegiatan memandu yaitu kegiatan yang bersifat mengarahkan pelancong   kemana harus pergi, bagaimana harus bersikap dan betindak. Sebuah panduan tidaklah sama dengan “peta” atau “petunjuk”. Sebuah peta adalah sebentuk representasi dua dimensi suatu daerah, sedankan “petunjuk” adalah instruksi berbasis teks untuk mencapai obyek pada daerah tujuan tersebut. 

Secara baku sebetulnya kita mengenal ungkapan “panduan perjalanan” (travel guide) dan “panduan arsitekural” (architectural guides). Sebuah “panduan perjalanan” mengandung informasi “peta” dan “petunjuk” yang dibutuhkan untuk mencapai daerah tujuan. Sementara sebuah “panduan arsitektural”  (architectural guides) mengandung semua  informasi yang dibutuhkan setelah sang pelancong tiba di sebuah daerah yang dituju untuk menemukan bangunan yang ditujunya dan informasi yang bermanfaat bagi apresiasi. Sebuah “panduan arsitektural” tak memiliki tuntutan memberi arahan  bagaiman  pelancong   menemukan tempat tinggal atau membeli makanan-  Informasi seperti itu diperoleh pada “panduan perjalanan”.  Ada banyak motivasi dan alasan sebuah “panduan arsitektural” dibuat, bisa jadi karena karena  keunikan fungsi dan desainya, karena peristiwa dan sejarahnya; fungsi relijius dan kejemaahanya, ataupun nilai-nilai artistik, sosial dan emosionalnya. Bisa juga ia dibuat sebagai sarana ajar maupun sebagai sebagai sebuah teks.

Namun alasan paling utama sebuah buku panduan perjalanan dan panduan arstektural adalah karena obyek arsitektural tersebut penting untuk dikunjungi secara langsung. “

[3]

Dalam budaya Barat, kegiatan verbal mengekspresikan sebuah obyek tujuan perjalanan sudah ada sejak jaman Yunani. Trend ini muncul seiring dengan kian ramainya perjalanan lepas laut. Buku epik Herodotus bahkan sempat disebut sebagai bentuk awal dari catatan perjalanan (Oddysey) pada tahun 400SM. Komponen naratif buku ini adalah kumpulan kisah sebuah tempat, deskripsi tentang manusia, kebiasaan dan ritualnya, hingga struktur bangunan yang ada. Namun dalam konteks Oddysey ini informasi yang disampaikan masih bercampur antara mitos dan kenyataan.

Pada abad 9M para pelaut banyak menulis catatan perjalanan secara anonim yang kemudian dikompilasi dalam sebuah rekaman yang disahkan lembaga gereja dan disebut sebagai Codex. Dalam Codex ini Fisik lingkungan, struktur, orientasi alam maupun bentuk bangunan dijelaskan dengan lengkap. Lewat catatan-catatan perjalanan inilah arsitektur mulai tercatat dan menjadi salah satu embrio pengetahuan, karena Arsitektur sendiri menjadi salah satu referensi utama untuk mengenali sebuah tempat baru.

Pada abad ke 14 sesudah masehi atau abad Pertegahan  alat cetak memungkinkan produksi masal ‘panduan perjalanan” yang memunculkan tradisi handbook dan pamflet, sebagai panduan perjalan terutama untuk kegiatan ziarah. Secara khusus,  format sebuah handbook dibuat demi kenyamanan genggaman tangan.  Sekalipun peta belum menjadi bagian utama, namun informasi mengenai jalur yang mengarahkan sudah mulai dibuat. Deskripsi kota Roma banyak diproduksi karena banyaknya pelancong datang ke Roma untuk urusan ziarah mengunjungi gereja-gereja bersejarah beserta relic dan artefak  relijius lainya. Alasan lain adalah bisnis. Salah satu terbitan “panduan perjalanan” di masa ini adalah  panduan ziarah” Mirabilia Urbis Romae, atau “Keajaiban Kota Roma”. Versi revisinya sempat ditulis oleh Leon Batista Alberti dalam Descriptio urbis Romae. Seperti kita ketahui Pada kurun waktu yang bersamaan Alberti juga menulis ulang buku catatan pertukangan Vitruvius. 

Pada masa Renaisans, Andrea Palladio  membuat buku serupa ini - Panduan mengenai kota Roma (La Chiese ) yang berisi senarai gereja di Eropa. Palladio tidak hanya mencatat aspek relijius namun juga apresiasi yang lebih rasional dan manusiawi. Upaya mengorganisasikan informasi yang mempertimbangkan efisien waktu mulai dilakukan. Memang, di masa Renaisans ini, seiring semangat pencerahan, stimulasi semangat jelajah baru  adalah rasa “penasaran”.  Di jaman sebelumnya, persepsi perjalanan berasosiasi dengan ancaman dosa dan ketakpantasan. Di masa Renaisans, buku  panduan lebih dibuat untuk tujuan menjawab keingin tahuan mengenai dunia-dunia di luar batas, terutama dikalangan para cerdik pandai. Melancong menjadi sebuah gaya hidup populer, yang kemudian memunculkan istilah “Grand Tour” , yaitu  sebuah konsep melancong bagi kalangan pelajar Eropa untuk mengenali  pusat-pusat budaya Eropa yang difasilitasi publikasi instruksi perjalanan luar negri (dibuat oleh James Howell, tahun 1642). Tradisi ini berlanjut hingga abad 18.

Buku panduan yang lebih sistematis dengan klasifikasi informasi yang lebih teratur dibuat oleh Herarius Pyrksmair dkk (Theodor Zwinger, Justin Hierony- mus Furler) pada abad 17 dalam bentuk buku saku berjudul Commentariolus de arte apodemica seu ver peregrinandi ratione (1577).  Francis Bacon menulis panduan dalam bentuk essay pertanyaan “Of Travel”(1612). Tulisan-tulisan ini mulai menggunakan metoda-metoda yang khusus dan merujuk pada pengalaman-pengalaman pelancong terdahulu. Pada masa ini secara fungsional buku panduan seperti ini menjadi penting karena “melancong” adalah sebuah kegiatan yang mengandung bahaya dan karenanya membutuhkan  sistem informasi yang akurat. Singkat kata, berkat produksi buku-buku panduan perjalanan dan panduan arsitektural, pada akhir abad 19 koleksi deskripsi kota di Eropa menjadi kian lengkap. Informasi yang dirancang pun disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan gaya hidup dan kelas sosial pembacanya, seperti panduan perjalanan khusus untuk mengenal gereja, biara. Kastil dan hunian bangsawanan kuno. 

Seiring berkembangnya sosialita para  “pelancong”, buku “panduan perjalanan” dan “panduan arsitektural” mulai menjadi industri. Salah satu inovatornya adalah Karl Baedeker (1801 –1859) dan perusahaan swasta mulai ikut serta sebagai sponsor pembuatan panduan perjalanan (seperti yang dilakukan perusahaan ban Michelin untuk membuat Green Guides). Pada abad 18 peta mulai menjadi bagian penting pada sebuah panduan perjalanan arsitektural dengan bangunan arsitektural menjadi rekaman awalnya.  Di Amerika “panduan perjalanan: ini pernah populer karena kebutuhan perjalanan para imigran baru untuk masuk ke Amerika. Dan bagi migran lama di Amerika, “panduan arsitektural” dibutuhkan bagi kalangan atas untuk melancong ke Eropa mempelajari budaya adiluhung Eropa. 

Pada tahun 1935 di Amerika  pembuatan buku panduan perjalanan dan panduan arsitektural menjadi sebuah proyek nasional Works Progress Administration, yandibawah instruksi presiden pada  waktu itu Rooevelt. Konsep ini masih dipakai hingga tahun 1984 dan menjadi bentuk kompromi publikasi yang menggabungkan konsep panduan praktis “practical guidebook” dan kompendium  kesarjanaan, dan merupakan cikal-bakal penulis buku kompendium bangunan di Amerika, lengkap dengan peta dan deskripsi kesejarahanya. Bagi beberapa kalangan buku-buku seperti ini bahkan disebut sebagai modus untuk mengimbangi popularitas gerakan seni radikal Arsitektur Modern di Eropa dan Amerika.

Setelah perang dunia kedua, seiring dengan pembanguna  jalan raya, industri bahan bakar menjadi spnsor utama industri publikasi panduan perjalanan. Nikolaus Pevsener, yang terkenal dengan pengalamanya mengenai arsitektur Eropa Klasik dan buku-buku tipologi arsitekturnya, menjadi salah satu kontributor di sekitar tahun 1951 dan 1974. Pada tahun 1960-an  perusahaan Reinhold Publishing Corporation di  New York memproduksi  A Guide to New York Architecture 1650–1952. , bekerjasama dengan asosiasi arsitek Amerika AIA. Ini mungkin bisa dilihat sebagai bentuk formal kombinasi antara institusi profesional arsitektur dan institusi pariwisata.  Buku Panduan perjalanan dan arsitkural utama terakhir di Amerika adalah serial Buildings of the United States (BUS) pada tahun 1993 yang dibuat dalam rangka upaya dokumentasi pusaka arsitektur di Amerika Serikat sekaligus sebagai bentuk sambutan dari Masyarakat Sejarah Arsitektur di Amerika -  Soci ety of Architectural Historians (SAH)   terhadap kerja dokumentasi Nikolaus Pevsner yang mendasari versi Amerika buku Pusaka bangunan Inggris.

Pada tahun 1960s dan 1970s rona urban mulai dibahas dan bahasan kota kian meningkat. Segmen pembacanyapun menjadi ebih spesifik, seperti panduan untuk ibu-ibu, pemuda.

Jelaslah belajar dari sejarah bahwa pembuatan Panduan Perjalanan atau jelajah baik dalam bentuk travel guide atau architectural guides bukan semata wujud perpaduan antara kegiatan melancong namun juga berdampak pada akumulasi pengetahuan dan apresiasi arsitektur, lewat kegiatan perekaman dan publikasi obyek-obyek arsitektural.  terlihat bahwa buku Panduan Jelajah seperti ini tidak hanya berfungsi untuk memandu, namun juga sebagai sarana belajar dan menanamkan kesadaran akan bangunan sebagai warisan pusaka, dan bahkan secara politis sebagai sarana  menanamkan nilai-nilai budaya, nasionalisme serta berbagai bentuk sinergi industri yang mendukung upaya pelestarian.

Berikutnya mari kita mulai masuk ke dalam isi bahasan….

[4]

Gids historische stadswandelingen indonesie secara harfiah berarti “panduan jalan-jalan kota bersejarah”. Tak aneh karena, memang secara khusus buku ini mengasumsikan pelancong akan berjalan kaki. Namun saya bisa bilang bahwa “panduan jalan-jalan” ini lebih merupakan “panduan arsitektural” atau architectural guides, karena ia memperkenalkan topik arsitektur lengkap dengan informasi mengenai sejarah dan detil informasi pendukungnya, sekalipun karakter informasi arsitekturalnya lebih mirip sebagai sebuah kompendium atau sebuah senarai bangunan bangunan pusaka di 9 kota. Beberapa buku panduan perjalanan seperti yang dibuat oleh Dorling Kindersley misalnya menyajikan informasi arsitektural yang detil hingga denah, aksonometri dan detil.

Namun sangat bisa dimengerti bahwa panduan jelajah ini memang nampaknya lebih bersifat mengenalkan dan lebih diperuntukan bagi kalangan pemerhati arsitektur yang seluas-luasnya dan tak secara khusus arsitek. Publikasi di Belanda kemungkinan juga dikarenakan adanya kebutuhan masyarakat Belanda sendiri untuk berapresiasi dan bernostalgia megenai tempat tempat yang pernah menjadi bagian dari dirinya.

Sistematika buku ini dibuat cukup baik, lugas dan konsisten mulai dari pengenalan dari pihak penulis, penyunting dan penerbit, perkenalan atas materi berupa latar belakang historis, sosial dan kultural dari kota-kota yang dibicarakan sejak masa pramodern hingga setelah kemerdekaan. Materidari  masing-masing bagian diurai mulai dari latar belakang sejarah, sosial dan budaya, lalu diikuti oleh   skema panduan jelajah dalam bentuk peta panduan dan detil informasi dari masing-masing  titik jelajah, dengan uraian bangunan yang dijadikan tujuan jelajah. Pertautan antar informasi mulai dari yang paling umum dan yang khusus dihadirkan dengan baik dan menarik, seperti layaknya hyperlink dalam web.Penomoran menyerupai hyperlink menjadikanya cukup mudah ditelusuri.Informasi yang tersedia Untuk masing-masing bangunan yang disebut pun cukup kaya-  bukan hanya nama bangunan dan langgam yang digunakan, namun juga nama arsitek dan peristiwa-peristiwa unik dan bersejarah dari yang kecil hingga besar. Aspek lain yang sangat berperan adalah tata atur dari buku dengan pembedaan yang secara visual dibuat dengan menggunakan perbedaan tema warna. Entah mengapa Bandung diberi warna biru.apakah karna unsur Persib?

Memang ini lah salah satu fakta yang jelas dikerangkakan dalam Gids ini, yaitu bahwa kekayaan Bandung memang adalah arsitekturnya – Kota Pusaka. Mirabilia Urbis Romae dibuat sebagai sebuah panduan memahami kota pusaka Roma, tanpa pretensi membuat sebuah standwendelingen atau architectural guides, namun adalah fakta bahwa kekayaan Roma adalah kota dan bangunanya. Karena itu harapanya adalah bahwa Gids ini akan membangkitkan kesadaran akan kekayaan  bandung pada bangunan arsitektural dan tata kotanya.

Demikian kayanya informasi yang dimiliki sehingga memang ada kecenderungan bagi  pelancong yang tak terlalu suka membaca, akan menganggap buku ini cukup melelahkan untuk dibaca, apalagi dengan font yang kecil dan ukuran format B5 menjadikanya sedikit kurang handy. Karena itu sangat disarankan para pembaca untuk membaca buku ini sebelum perjalanan di mulai, untuk membiasakan diri.

 [5]

Gaya penulisan naratif-deskriptif yang sangat lugas membuat jalinan peristiwa dan pertautan antara berbagai informasi mudah diikuti, layaknya sebuah cerita yang  mengalir. Materi diurai secara lintas disiplin: arsitektur, tata kota, budaya urban, sejarah Indonesia. Gambar-gambar yang disajikan dapat membuat  pembaca tanpa harus  ikut berjalanpun bisa terbawa ke masa lalu mengmajinasikan Bandung seperti yang diharapkan penulisnya. 

Keterbatasan informasi mengenai arsitektur  Modern di Indonesia juga akan menempatkan buku ini berdampingan dengan buku akademis sejarah arsitektur, seperti yang selama ini ditulis oleh penulis seperti Bapak Handinoto, Yulianto Sumalyo, Dibyo Hartono. Secara ilmiah materi buku ini ditunjang oleh sumber-sumber sekunder yang cukup sebetulnya cuku umum digunakan dalam penelitian arsitektur di Indonesia-Kolonial, seperti  Huib Akihary, F colombijn, PJM Nas, Corr. Paschier, PKM. Van Roosmalen, Voskuil. Dan dari Indonesia, seperti Josef Prijotomo, Jo Santoso, gunawan Tjahjono, Pratiwo, Nina. Lubis, buku-buku pemerintahan Uraian buku ini juga mengikuti norma yang cukup bertanggung jawab, seperti pencantuman daftar pustaka, index dan glosarium. Memang pada akhirnya setiap uraian tentang kota adalah layaknya sebuah makalah naratif mengenai kota pusaka yang dimulai dengan latar belakang,  penjelasan singkat mengenai skema peta jelajah  dan detil uraian dari masing-masing  obyek jelajah. Tentunya hal ini akan memunculkan beberapa pertanyaan akademis untuk lain, apakah sebuah buku panduan jalan-jalan bisa dijadikan sebuah referensi akademis?

Bila melihat sejarah yang diurai sebelumnya sebetulnya memang tak menjadi masalah karena memang ada sebuah batasan antara buku arsitektur dan buku pariwisata ternyata juga porus. Saya hanya bisa mengatakan bahwa memang bagi pembaca kritis bagaimana kesahihan beberapa pernyataan diukur akan menjadi pertanyaan karena tidak adanya uraian tentang metoda  dan cara dari data dan informasi diperoleh dan ditata. Hal ini membuat pembaca dituntut sepenuhnya percaya pada penrnyataan penulis. Karena itu terutama bagi kalangan akademis yang hendak mempergunakan buku secara untuk kepentingan ilmiah, panduan jelajah ini tetap perlu diperlakukan sebagai sebuah informasi awal yang perlu diverifikasi lebih jauh. Panduan jelajah kota-kota pusaka ini, setara dengan buku populer regional “Semerbak  Kota Bandung” atau “Bandung Tempo Dulu”, sebuah narasi populer yang memberi gambaran holistik mengenai situasi Bandung.

 [6]
Menurut saya, inovasi luar biasa dari buku ini adalah kemampuannya menjalin sekian banyak  kajian-kajian ilmiah dan naratif  mengenai arsitektur, kota, budaya dan sosiologi Kolonial  yang berserakan kedalam satu narasi “epik-urban”. Ia juga berguna bukan hanya bagi wisatawan maupun, pula, kalangan akademis, namun juga masyarakat awam, bukan saja masyarakat Indonesia tapi juga masyarakat Belanda. Sifat naratif dari panduan ini menjadikan penggalan-penggalan kisah yang biasanya terdengat sangat dingin dan statis menjadi sangat hangat dan hidup, dan bahkan memberi logika yang berbeda dari yang biasa dikenal. Beberapa uraian yang biasa dipahami secara terpisah namun menjadi terpaut padu secara lugas misalnya adalah:

·         keberadaan masyarakat Tionghoa di masa yang berebda, seperti VOC, pemerintahan Hindia Belanda dan pasca Kemerdekaan berkorelasi dengan miliu, lingkungan dan bangunan yang berbeda pada arsitektur pecinan di era VOC, Hindia Belanda dan pasca kemerdekaan

·         Sulit bagi l\kita utuk membayankan jawa tanpa jalan Anyer dan Panarukan, ketika waktu translasi manusia dalam ruang adalah 30 hari, yang menjadi 4-8 hari setelah jalanan dibangun.

·         Biasanya kita mengenal sejarah desentralisasi sebagai produk dari politik etis, namun uraian dalam buku ini membuat saya membacanya sebagai sebuah narasi kapitalisme global yang melahirkan kebutuhan-kebutuhan lingkungan binaan baru beserta inovasinya, yang kemudian melahirkan arsitektur modern di Indonesia.  Diskusi tentang itupun tidak hanya berhenti pada langgam, namun juga tipologi baru, manajemen baru, dan pranta- pranta baru yang berkaitan dengan kota.

·         Fakta pembagian kelas sosial warga Eropa, warga pribumi dan warga Tionghoa yang secara mainstream disajikan sebagai perwujudan rasisme, disajikan sebagai wujud pembagian administrasi demografi berdasarkan manajemen karesidenan dan kabupaten.

Bilapun ada hal hal yang mungkin agak mengganjal adalah penggunaan penggunaan istilah yang tidak biasa, terutama bagi pembaca indonesia, seperti beberapa istilah:Luifel,bukanya kanopi dan Piron, bukanya finial. Namun itupun masih teratasi dengan adanya glosarium. Pengertian gaya atau langgam pada istilah arsitektur Indis tertutup dan terbuka, atau arsitektur Pecinan tertutup dan terbuka, itupun bukanlah istilah umum yang sering kita pakai dalam dunia akademis. Tentunya situasi ini tak dapat dibebankan kepada penulis. Secara umum memang belum ada pembahasan yang terlalu mendalam untuk membangun kesepakatan mengenai derivatif gaya gaya tersebut. Ketika di satu sisi Art Deco disebut, Art Nuoveau pun juga disebut. Namun apa gerangan perbendaanya ketika ini dibicarakan. Dalam bahasan ini sempat disebut Arsitektur Indis. Dalam buku ini Arsitektur Indis dipandang secara normal sebagai sebuah gaya hibrida yang normal yang merupakan wujud kreativitas lokal yang bersifat informal. Sementara konotasi Arsitektur Indis dalam pemahaman arsitektur Indonesia seringkali dianggap disebut sebagai seni rakyat dengan nilai yang tidak adiluhung.

II. MATERI KHUSUS-BANDUNG
[7]
Untuk materi khusus saya akan ambil salah satu contoh kasua Bandung, Seperti halnya pada uraian umum, materi khusus juga diuraikan secara sangat mengalir dan sistematis, mulai dari Bandung sebagai pindahan kota karesidenan, menjadi  kota perkebunan hingga menjadi pemukiman warga Barat, gementee dan calon ibukota negara. Ketika sejarah umum nasional lebih bercerita mengenai suksesi kekuasaan, dan sejarah arsitektur dan tata kota hanya menyampaikan langgam, tipologi dan teknologi, buku ini membahas keduanya sebagai sebuah jalinan kisah transformasi yang dialami oleh masyarakat dan dan lingkunyannya yang kemudian refleksinya terwujud dalam ungkapan arsitektur dan kota.

Ketika sejauh ini, dalam konteks pusaka, Bandung lebih dipahami lewat estetika, tektonika dan langam arsitektur, dan dalam konteks kota mengenai garden city, dalam buku ini arsitektur dan lingkungan binaan di Bangunan  dinarasikan sebagai cerita sebuah inovasi kota. THS digambarkan sebagai bagian dari rangkaian inovasi kota yang tak dapat dipisahkan dari kemunculan fungsi-fungsi lain seperti Jarbeurs atau pusat ekshibisi, institut kanker, institut orang buta, observatorium, rumah sakit dan kantor perusahaan telepon. Lebih jauh lagi inovasi tersebut juga ternyata inovasi tersbut juga adalah wujud pro aktif warga Eropa di Bandung pada masa itu yang diwadahi lewat socialita seperti Bandung Vooruit. Tak banyak yang paham bahwa atas dasar kelengkapan yang dimiliki Bandung lewat fungsi-fungsi ini peristiwa KAA diputuskan diselenggarakan di Bandung. Bukan hanya aspek engineering, braga menjadi mirip Broadway dengan gambaran fashion peranncis dan toneelnya.

[8]
Buku ini juga memberikan refleksi balik terhadap konteks dari definisi “Kota Pusaka” yang sudah didefinisikan oleh editor di awal uraian. Namun tentunya konsep pusaka bisa berbagai macam. Kita belum banyak mempertimbangkan bangunan pasca Kemerdekaaan sebagai bagian dari artefak Pusaka, sekalipun dalam buku ini juga dibahas kantor telepon dan gedung KAA yang renovasinya menghadirkan wujud tahun 1950an. Apakah Gaya arsitektur Jengki juga bisa dipertimbangkan sebagai arsitektur Pusaka, sekalipun bukan produk kolonialisme Belanda? Lalu bagaimana dengan kreativitas lokal yang mengambil inspirasi arsitkektur Kolonial yang mungkin bisa dipahami dengan kacamata etnografi dan sosiologi, seperti pada Deco Kampung.

Konteks Pusaka dalam buku ini melekat pada artefak yang memang sudah banyak dipahami secara umum dan didiskusikan secara intensif – yaitu sebuah arsitektur yang dirancang sebelum kemerdekaan dan dibangun dalam skema-skema yang sudah direncanakan oleh pemerintah Hindia Belanda. Selebihnya, masih banyak ruang bagi penulis-penulis lain untuk membuat seperti apa yang sudah dilakukan bapak upaya Emile Leushuis ini untuk membahas fokus fokus pusaka yang lain, baik yang bersifat arsitektural maupun non-arsitektural.  Sejauh ini bandung sendiri sudah memiliki panduan jelajah seperti Geo-Track yang mengkhususkan diri pada jelajah geologi yang dibuat oleh bapak T Bachtiar bersama ibu Dhian Damajanindan Budi Brahmantio. Sama seperti halnya bapak Emile Leushuis, bapak Bachtiar ini juga adalah seorang Geografer. Atau Peta Angkot bandung yang dibuat oelh teman teman di anggota sebuah Komunitas Peneliti Independen.

[9]
bagi masyarakat pariwisata buku ini kembali menjadi bukti bahwa salah satu penggerak utama dari pelestarian bangunan bersejarah adalah para komunitas  pariwisata. Karena itu ketika kini bisnis pariwisata di Bandung justru kini menjadi salah satu penyebab berhilanganya bangunan bangunan bersejarah, buku ini juga menjadi sebuah sarana apresiasi dan kritik terhadap bangunan bersejarah, di tengah-tengah carut marut dampak industri pariwisata masa kini di Bandung.

Pada akhirnya kehadiran buku Panduan Jelajah ini layak mendapat apresiasi yang tinggi, karena seperti disampaikan oleh sang editor bahwa “melalui buku ini Emile Leushuis secara sederhana mengajak kita semua mengenali aset-aset pusaka yang merupakan keunikan yang khas dari setiap kota”. Saya sangat yakin dengan segala kelebihan dan keterbatasannya, buku ini akan sangat bermanfaat untuk memberi wawasan pengetahuan yang kaya mengenai konsep Kota Pusaka.

Bandung 30 Januari 2015

Indah Widiastuti

Essay: Membaca dan Berwacana: Eksplorasi dan Keingintahuan lewat Teori dan Sejarah Arsitektur, September 20, 2013

Essay: Membaca dan Berwacana: Eksplorasi dan Keingintahuan lewat Teori dan Sejarah Arsitektur, materi diskusi pada acara "Afternoon Tea" bertajuk "Ada Apa dengan Profesi Arsitektur", Sabtu, September 20, 2013, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space dan dimuat pada Artikel Ikatan peneliti Lingkungan binaan

ISVS e - journal, Vol. 2, no.4 , September , 2013 Journal of the International Society for the Study of Vernacular Settlements

The Living Culture and Typo-Morphology of Vernacular Houses in Kerala

Abstract
This paper is an account of observations of traditional-vernacular houses in Kerala using the frameworks of Typo-Morphology and vernacular architecture. The observation yielded five general types of residential buildings with regard to structural, spatial arrangements and their nature of development. Rectangular hall with veranda or porch turns out to be the basic form for the more elaborated design. The observations also yield a glimpse of the living culture and the characteristic feature of the vernacular and traditional architecture of Kerala which share the characteristics with Southeast Asian Arch itecture. This study confirms the existence of an uninterrupted continuity between the architecture of South India and the Southeast Asia
.
Keywords: Southeast Asian architecture, Kerala, nalukettu, ekasala, veedu, pattayapura, vaastu, Vaastu typo-morphology, vernacular, traditional architecture

Bedah Buku: TEGANG BENTANG, 100 Tahun Perspektif Arsitektural di Indonesia.,Jumat, 3 Mei 2013

Available in IPLB article, 19 May 2013

ISVS e-journal, Vol. 2, no.3, January, 2013 (ISSN 2320-2661)

 Arapura: Spatial Configurations of Granary Houses in Kanyakumari, South India

Indah Widiastuti
School of Architecture Planning and Policy Development
Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia
&
Ranee Vedamuthu
School of Architecture and Planning
Anna University, Chennai, India

Abstract

Arapura in this discusion refers to traditional residential building that accommodates agriculturist matrilineal joint-family (taravad) in Kanyakumari area. This paper outlines the evolution of the Arapura from the prototype of granary whose sequential transformation could be traced from the design of granary box, pattayam. Three cases of Arapura are documented and analyzed with respect to their spatial configurations.

Keywords:
arapura, veedu, nira granary-house, granary-box, Kerala, matrilineal, Kanyakumari, India and Indonesia

International Conference on Culture, Society, Technology and Urban Development in Nusantara (ICCSTUDN) 2012, Brastagi, North Sumatera

DISCOURSE OF “WOMAN POWER” IN TRADITIONAL SETTLEMENT CONCEPT OF SOCIETY PRACTICING MATRILINEAL KINSHIP IN MINANGKABAU, WEST SUMATERA INDONESIA AND KERALA, SOUTH INDIA
Dr. Indah Widiastuti

ABSTRACT

This paper tried to critically look on the reflection of matrilineal descent rule on the concept of traditional settlement of the society practicing the same. The study was based on the comparative study of settlement concepts of Nagari in Minangkabau, West Sumatera Indonesia and Tara-Nayar in Kerala, South-India. Minangkabau and Kerala represent matrilineal society in Asia.  The exposition would start with questioning the matrilineal descent rule concept against the fact that female position is not always strong and how the patriarch power of elder male's member (Penghulu in Minangkabau and Karanavar in Kerala) could be more decisive than the female. This paper would further argue that the role of female power is more related to a phenomenal relation female as principal anchor of clan in a location, rather than their superiority. The interconnections of female and their houses symbolize the existence of a clan in a geographical scope. The relation among three houses would be articulated in a network that could territorially constitute a settlement.

This working paper is not intentionally designed to present a theory but a discussions to reach comprehensive understanding about the nature of matrilineal kinship and how it affect environment and landscape. It is discovered that their matrilineal descent-rule concepts in both regions cannot be detached from the other traits such as the role of senior male-members and assembly of elders, the corporate enterprise and its networking systems articulated spatially and territorially as habitation (nagari and tara). Keywords: Matrilineal kinship, nagari, tara, kampung, kaum, taravad, marumakattayam, ninik-mamak.

Paper for Artepolis 4

NETWORK MECHANISM IN TRADITIONAL HUMAN SETTLEMENT IN ASIA (Cases: Nagari in Minangkabau, Indonesia and Tara in Malabar, Kerala, India)

2012: Paper presented for Arte-Polis4 on Bandung, 5-7 July 2012 held by ITB,,Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper tried to elaborate the concept of network and connectivity of two settlement concepts of matrilineal society: Nagari in Minangkabau, Indonesia and Tara in Malabar in Kerala, South India. In this concept of settlement network and connectivity are central mechanism and process that build the unity of habitation referred to integrative notion of maternal ancestress, regardless the  spread spatial distribution of the settlement components. Adding to it, the economic expansion also attach on this concept, proved by situations that both ethnic of Minangkabau and Kerala are known as entrepreneuring ethnic.

This topic is brought as a critical review on architectural discourse about traditional settlements, which often describe it as static, obsolete and therefore irrelevant topic to contemporary situation, This architectural description often contradicts the ethnographic descriptions where the pre-Colonial and traditional settlement of Asia had been also described as dynamic and enterprising, comparable to modern situations in manner of network and connectivity.

Realizing the difficulty to elaborate the dynamic situations concepts of the traditional settlement this paper would use the term coined by Egenter (1997) - settlement-architecture. Settlement-architecture defines habitation not as a static unity configured by settlement component. It is a controlled territory composed by elements of a horizontal network of landscape which maintained network equilibrium with other habitation units in an indefinite extent. In this framework kinship, maternal ancestor would be exposed to explain the development of network and connectivity that build up a habitation with which the economic flows manifest though its spatial interconnections.

Guest Lecture

"Wacana Pengaruh Budaya India pada Arsitektur Nusantara" Kuliah Tamu, Departemen Arsitektur- Universitas Tarumanegara, Jakarta, 4 April 2012

Phenomenon of District Art in Kala Godha Festival, Mumbai

Presented in Cultural Arts & Design of Creative Communities session

International Conference Arte-Polis 2, 2008, Bandung, Indonesia

This paper is a descriptive discourse that try to uphold the globally growing discourse of creative society in urban area where urban space, is functionally discussed more than engineered physical object. Street, district,

landmark contain more than cognitive and artistic value as conventionally understood. It molds multi-facet social relations between space and people as stake holders and participants, simultaneously or specifically for artistic,

social, religious and cultural motive. The events of Kala Godha festival is a case where urban space articulate participative and holistic designed object and in return contribute to the shaping of identity, place-making as well as awareness for environmental preservation.

Vernacular Houses in Thazhathangadi Theruvu, Kottayam, Kerala, India

Jurnal, Tesa Arsitektur - Journal of Architectural Discourse, Volume 9, No.1, June 2011, ISSN1410-6094

Abstract

This article is written based on an observation on vernacular residential architecture in Thazhathangadi Theruvu, Kottayam, Kerala, and South India. The approach of study is descriptive approach, done by field documentation and interaction with the owners.  The result demonstrates that houses in Thazhathangadi Theruvu had concept of granary-house. The granary-house concept appears as a core-hall structure that contains set of storage structure ara-nilavara and pattaram. From this core-hall further extension to develop more elaborate dwelling space starts. The structural extension of a residential building generally develops in concentric order around the core-hall and or connecting it to annex buildings.   People, regardless community and caste, considers this core-hall with full respect.

Keywords: vernacular house, granary, granary-house, ara, veedu, nira, nilavara, ekasala, Kerala

Event: Pecha Kucha Night Vol.13, Novermber 2011

A Study of Typology of Vernacular Residential Architecture in Kerala

Title Article for

International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 5),2007, Kuala Lumpur


Abstract

Traditional-vernacular architecture of Kerala is an exceptional South-Indian artistic typology, found nowhere else in India, and interestingly shared artistic commonality with traditional architecture in Southeast Asia. In this case, author use sample of architectures in Sumatran, Indonesia as typological comparison. Tropical climate, living culture based on wet-paddy agriculture, matrilineal kinship, and history of maritime trading, had contributed shared characteristic to both regional outlook of the architecture. Aspects of Southeast Asian Architecture, rendered by Roxana Waterson (1988), Gaudenz Domenig (1980); and Jacques Dumarcay (1988) are in many respects applicable to verify traditional-vernacular architecture of Kerala, by marking: hipped and gabled roof running steep- closed to typical of Dongson's art; significance of granary and its development into residential shelter, wood construction, and the organic settlement's arrangements. Typical of courtyard house (nalukettu) in Kerala may be the only mainstream characters of Indian architecture that marks discontinuity of Kerala architecture's vocabulary with the Southeast Asian architecture. For case of Kerala's architecture, possible background suggested to lend base on the shared characters are: first, the cultural seclusion of Kerala from the rest of Indian sub-continent until first century AD, due to natural boundary of Western Ghatz. This had held progressive Aryanization to deep South-India until the approximate reign of Indianization in Southeast Asia. Second: the development of maritime trading with overseas countries played important role in the establishment of the culture, including contact with Austronesian and Austro-Asian culture. Coedes (1964) has underlined that remnant of the Austro-Asiatic and Austronesian culture was observable by marking existence of social tradition based on canal settlement, wet paddy farming tradition and irrigation, with matrilineal kinship, as well as the importance of coastal community. (Coedes, 1967; Hornell, 1920). These characters are found in traditional-vernacular domestic living culture and residential architecture of Kerala. This paper is a discursive attempt to respond on narration of Asian architecture as formatted mostly based on high-traditional architectural artifacts (palaces, religious buildings), and is directed to mainly mark distinctions among Asian cultures. This paper also responds on mainstream viewpoint about South Indian culture which is tended to be mainly explained as affiliated with culture of Central Asia, Mediterranean and Arya. Realm of vernacular architecture study on the other hand shall show how in the operating day-to-day art and craft, the commonality with Southeast Asian culture is more obvious. Before 1960's field of vernacular architecture (architecture of the commoners) such as house were considered negligible to signify cultural importance. But currently it is realized that vernacular art reflect more indigenous, less historical, less political and more spontaneous living culture than High-Traditional architecture, so as to be able to represent more natural development of a indigenous living culture. Observing case of traditional residential architecture of Kerala and Sumatra, we hopefully learn that it seems obvious that part of Southeast Asian and part of South Asian architecture might have once belonged to a global and homogeneous tradition, regardless current modern but unraveling, different geo-political boundaries. Hypothetically, traditional architecture's style of Kerala when is compared with Southeast Asian traditional architecture potentially make obvious a sustaining shared typology of the indigenous structure of Asian domestic living architecture.

A Comparative Study of Vernacular Settlement and Dwelling Culture: A Case Study in Kerala, South India, and Minangkabau in Sumatra, Indonesia

Title Article for

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Volume 4, Issue 2, pp.15-30. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 1.527MB).

By Indah Widiastuti and Ranee Vedamuthu.

Abstract

This paper discusses several aspects of vernacular settlements in Kerala and Minangkabau. The framework for the study is architecture as part of holistic system of landscape. The inquiry is directed to explore simultaneous correlation between social organization, settlement configuration and the architecture of ancestral house in both regions of Kerala and Minangkabau. The comparative study is directed to elaborate the aspects of agreement and difference by which contextual conditions underlining the design could be identified. In general both vernacular settlement organization in Kerala and Minangkabau acknowledge the concept of network of villages, called Nagari in Minangkabau and Tara in Kerala. The activities of settlement are generated by the corporate house-hold unit managed under matrilineal descent-group, or Saparauik in Minangkabau and Taravad in Kerala, which is institutionalized architecturally in ancestral maternal house, or Rumah Gadang in Minangkabau and courtyard house in Kerala (naluketttu, ettukettu or Patinjarukettu). Several maternal-ancestral houses were traditionally organized in communal assembly of male-head care-takers in settlement level which is called kuttam in Kerala and Ninik- mamak in Minangkabau. Originally the organization was clan-based but following the length of a historical process, it underwent contextual transformations, and therefore made distinctions. The topic is expected to raise a discourse about a subtle transitional difference between Indian and Indonesian culture. The discourse would provide base for a critical review on geopolitical-based scholarly classification in the traditional and vernacular architecture studies in general, such as Southeast Asian architecture and Indian architecture, and on discourse of cultural diffusion such as “Indianized Southeast Asia”. This topic of this paper would emphasize the importance of settlements formation as factors that define architecture and its theoretical classifications. Theme 2: Interdisciplinary Social Science Practices Of human life-ways: anthropology in its contexts.

Keywords: Settlement, Architecture, Tara, Nagari, Dwelling-culture, Vernacular, Minangkabau, Kerala, Matriliny

Sacred Landscapes in Asia : Shared Traditions, Multiple Histories

Book

Edited by Himanshu Prabha Ray, Manohar, 2007, xii, 396 p, tables, figs, ISBN : 81-7304-726-X, Rs. 995.00 (Free shipping within India only. No extras for postage and handling. 10% discount on purchases over Rs.1000)


Contents: Preface/Kapila Vatsyayan. 1. Introduction/Himanshu Prabha Ray. 2. Aesthetic theories underlying Asian performing arts/Kapila Vatsyayan. I. Monuments: Multilayered Histories: 3. Sunya: immanent and transcendent: investigating meanings of void through art's space/Sung-Min Kim. 4. The Stupa: symbolizing religious architecture in Asia/Himanshu Prabha Ray. 5. Merchants, Ghazis, and the inception of an 'Islamic' architecture in South Asia/Alka Patel. 6. Marks and symbols of professionals on Mughal monuments/Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi. 7. Spatial organization of Paharpur Buddhist establishment/Sandrine Gill. 8. A study of living culture: Typo-Morphology of vernacular traditional Houses in Kerala/Indah Widiastuti. II. Motifs: Multiple Expressions: 9. Avalokitesvara as continuing Theogony of interiorization/Lokesh Chandra. 10. The flying messenger/Kapila Vatsyayan. 11. The Saiva Pantheon in Indonesia: Acculturation/Assimilation/Convergence?/Nilima Chitgopekar. 12. Kala-Makara-Toranas: Javanese expressions of a shared motif/Parul Pandya Dhar. III. Narratives: Meanings and ralization: 13. Questioning narrativity and inscribed labels: Bhuddhist Bharhut, Sannati and Borobudur/Vidya Dehejia. 14. Understanding the painted Jatakas in ancient India and Sri Lanka/M. Somathilake. 15. Crown Jewels of Buddhist Art: comparisons between Ajanta and Dunhuang/Chang Wen-Ling. 16. A system of knowledge transmission: the narrative in Indonesia (c. AD 700-900)/Malini Saran. 17. A comparative study of the Wayang Kulit and the Tolpavakoothu Shadow Puppet Theatre/I. Nyoman Sedana. Index.

"Throughout history the peoples of Asia have been known for their mobility and interactions. The notion of territorially defined nations is historically recent. There was a continuing dialogue between Asian cultures which functioned at both the spatial and the temporal level, propelled by the movement of the great religions of Asia across continents via trading communities, clergies, Buddhist and Sufi scholars and communities of artisans.

The present volume explores the aesthetic theories underlying many genres of the Asian arts. These characterize the dialogue between and amongst different Asian regions. The same Asian notions of space and time are manifested in architectural form as also in a wide variety of visual arts. The contributors in this volume identify the multi-layered discourse comprising the nature of monuments, as also the movement of motifs and symbols through sculptured and picturised representation. Some essays focus on fundamental notions such as Sunyata as common to the India, Korean and other Asian countries Also, the papers bear testimony to the phenomena of dialogue and distinctiveness, continuity and change. This is evident in architectural structures sculptural forms, particularly in iconography and of course in the performing arts.

The IIC-Asia Project in its second phase has, with purpose, traced the trajectory of transmission systems in Asian civilization in different domains and at different levels, be it the vertical transmission from generation to generation in education, or the artistic transmission and diffusion through the arts. This volume will add to the meager literature that exists on the subject and will stimulate further research and study." (jacket)



Reviews in
Scholar without Border
South Asian History

“Design Thinking”: Holistic Approach for Sustainability

Updated from the same essay for “Design Thinking” Alternative Approach on Educating And Learning Sense of Sustainability (17th Inter Schools Conference : SUSTAINABLE CITIES: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – The Urban Agenda in the Developing World, April 2000, Sheffield) and SENVAR 2000, Surabaya Indonesia

Introduction [1]

Design is conscious and intuitive efforts to impose significant order …It is one of the most basic human drives – both intellectually and emotional – to order, arrange, organize and discipline a seemingly chaotic environment - Generation to come – (Papanek: 1995:p.211)

This paper is not meant to bring forward a robust or practical detail about pedagogical and methodological principle of education but offering a conceptual discussion about a model of learning and educating sense of holistic, and more particularly is for the interest of familiarizing discourse of Sustainability. It is well acknowledged that overcoming environmental problem does not only matter technique and ethic. It also concerns conceptual mind-frame of about man-environment relation, about mind-frame of doing so or way of thinking and doing. Sustainability itself is historical discourse whose issues has been recurring through history. Therefore the matter of implanting notion or sense of holism, stands beyond the discourse of Sustainability. It is about establishing a world-view, rather than modifying technique. For implementing this sense of holism as world view I introduced design discipline as to bridge the act of knowing and the act of doing.

Practically sense of holism in designedly act and sense is not a new thing. It is a characteristic trait that has been by nature or education internalized tacitly by designers as part of its creative force. What made difference was the historical moment that has been representing it as paradigm of Sustainability in late 1980′s-1990′s. The rise of awareness of cultural and social side of architecture’s theory that enhance viewing architecture as a holistic perception, arose discourses of Phenomenology in 1930′s, the importance of Vernacular architecture in 1960′s , and the discourse of Green Architecture in 1985′s. And the most recent dicourse uplifting the sense of Holism is the Sustainability and discourse of Post-Positivism science. In this paper also Post-Positivist science would be exposed as core arguments of how incorporating design thinking could supply ontological base for implanting notions of holistic. Ultimately this exposition tried to promote design thinking as a potential model for cultivating sense of Holism, for the interest of introducing subject of Sustainability.

In the Positivism, sense of holistic in knowledge had been often stumbled on problems of the categorical and mechanistic nature in any of scientific justification. As design is taken as object of learning, in positivist way, designing has been silently separated from its state of part of human reflex. In Normal science tradition or Positivism, knowledge properties of Designing had been generally imparted categorically, into processes and forms of concept, structure, utility, space, and places. And naturally, issues that concerns aesthetics, spirituality and intuitions as prominent property of creativity had been considered unscientific, and therefore were peripherally justified by Positivist traditions. On the other hand the recent Post-positivist paradigm of science showed more generous space to regard esoteric dimension, more imaginative, more chaotic and aesthetic, intuitive, and more complete. Design as a process creative acts and process of obtaining goal, as experience of developing a zero point into something, gain more respect to as model a comprehensive notion of holism. Some thinker even had promoted design as discipline for learning in general.

For this reason this paper tried to highlight design , which is normally taken as as object of learning, as way of learning. This designedly way of thinking is relevant in the study of Sustainability because it promote the notions, value and sense of Holism. And Holism itself has been the core knowledge of creative intelligence in designing, as well as paradigm in Post-Positivism science. There is nothing conceptually new in the preposition regarding sense of holism, design and Environmental issues. But the discourse of this ”Paradigm Shift”" (Kuhn, 1963) in science is a milestone to reform many courses of knowledge buildings including in design knowledge, environmental awareness and ultimately paradigm of Sustainability.

I. Notions in Sustainability

The objects of concerns and scope of works of Sustainability were basically loosely arbitrary. They stand on diverse narration, depending on the historical context, ideological backgrounds and techniques which doesn’t necessarily always call for relations. Recently Sustainability cover historical and compelling multidisciplinary and various themes ideologically that are concentrated in discourses of environmental crisis, global environment awareness, inter-generational natural resources, even also emancipation and empowerment etc. Indeed as outlined by Dovers & Handmer that the notions cover deep and diverse historical roots in energy analysis, classical economics, renewable resources management, and many other (Dover’s & Hander: 1999). Institutionally, Sustainability has been made explicit by some milestone during 1960-1970 environmental issues in Europe and America, followed by the declarations of environmental acts, such as UCN: 1980, Brundtland Commission (1977), and the most recent Agenda 21 (1992) (Steele: 1996). However there are certain homology of issues concentrated in discussion about wilderness, forestry, and Green design.

However, as mostly risked by any historical discourse, once Sustainability,turned into globalized homology it becomes paradoxically imperative, moved silently away from the spirit of emancipation and context that had been promoted at the outset, and ironically ended up in intellectual fashions for any other possible discourses. Some discourse could be so extreme and brought Sustainable back to tha old intellectual fashion of Environmental Determinism in 1970′s and therefore was called satyristically by some critique as Eco-facism. There are also certain discursive fashion that could potentially turn Sustainability contradictory against its noble notions on building awareness to environment. When attached to the concept of development – Sustainable development – the ideas of growth are in fact on the contrary to principle of stable continuity. Here again the perception of stability to describe environment stumbled on assumption of stable environment as mostly believed in positivist science. Dovers & Handmer also posed some contradictions within Sustainability such as the rise of industries labeled after ecological, which are in fact caused more damage to natural resource, whereas the corporate itself run unsustainable and environmental -unfriendly management.

There are also other historical notions steering the discourses of Sustainability. Most Modernism narrations have been always put in opposite to Sustainability so as any technological mastery. In the mean time Postmodernism is always attaches to Sustainability and became universal intellectual fashion toward which issues everybody are compelled to update themselves. Polemics such as Nostalgic-Regionalism, Neo-Vernacularism, Ethnocentrism and Traditionalism is by itself attached upon the issues to support Sustainability and to set against Modernism. Sustainability has been also heralded as contra narrative to consumer culture and deforestation. The 3rd world society is usually pointed to model the way industrialization and Modernism had been naturalized into system of universal education and place very little percentage on study that enhance local knowledge.

Economically Sustainability inevitably has been also commodity packed in academic fashion. The discourse float on academic institution, sometime without any concerns on how it internally establish a frame of doing and behaving for the learner. Revolutionary perspective against environmental destruction often crashed against other typical revolutionary perspective promoted by Post-Modernism such as Deconstruction, Dislocation, Hyper-reality. Here again the perception of stability to describe environment stumbles on general assumption about static environment as inhered in Positivism paradigm. It indicated more a paradigmatic chaos where plurality and paradox, are used more to legitimate practical uprooting of identity and allowing superficial game of signs, than invoking sense of dynamic nature of holistic body .

Other epistemological paradox renders the fact that Sustainability in general discourse could not also escape anthropocentrism, where natures are mostly described as which benefiting human needs. Opposition of human as subject of nature turns out to

be the counter-ideas of principles of holistic sense where human is supposed to be taken equal parts of nature. In this way the notions holistic are not holistic enough since human are always unconsciously put outside the holistic system, and silently and positively assumed as agent of positive changes.

Those notions above prove that Sustainability, as theoretical concepts are historically and ideologically vulnerable. It is also part of global cultural agenda of universal meta-naration. In other hand problems of ecology has been apparent and indeed we need strategic methods to overcome it. One of it is through strategic education. But as a way of thinking it should not be delivered as mere technological innovations, theoretical propositions and ethical rules but maintaining humane enterprises and their perception to the world. We need establishing methods and academic enterprises suitable to cover all human intelligence that develop and compose the nature of holistic way of thinking. Multidisciplinary approaches tend to be alternative approaches to enfold the grip of various discourses, including those, which incorporated beyond-normal scientific explanations. Nevertheless if can than we also have problems on how method, establishing body of knowledge and ultimately, on how the learner could internalize it.

The dilemmatic questions is whether science would ever be enough to bring forward the very ideas of Holism, even by the term of Sustainability? Could there be any meta-theory which could enfold normal science along with other basic way of thinking. One problem of defining holistic lies in the basic structure of scientific tradition applied, on which base the academic scholarly knowledge are established, taught and learned. One fundamental problem roots down in the very foundation of scientific tradition which separate the scientifically-explained enterprise and scientifically-inexplicable enterprises and put humane aspects out of context. These kind of problems has been spanning along history of Western Philosophy on which general scholarly traditions has stood.

2. The Holistic Nature of Design Thinking and Sustainability

Environmental knowledge has a very long history of its theoretical recursions. Even environmental approach in design knowledge had been well recognized enterprising over the history of design and architecture, such as traditional design, Organic design, Community Based Development, Greendesign, and etc. Disintegration within community which somehow destructive environment is also caused by the loosing spiritual or humane quality which signify respect and multiplicity and plural way of thinking. Practically unsustainable behavior start from nitwit ignorance and the losing attachment of human properties and to its enterprises, plotted in self, surrounding and environment. The rise of individual live, consumer culture, poverty, pragmatic environment daily practices, colonizations, abandoned local knowledge are mere expressed consequence of a far deeper problem that contribute to environmental problems. These problems are not only caused by lack of information or knowledge about environment. But about framing self and environment as a unit of design, and how education should introduce the frame.

Considering that environmental problem is quite apparent and could not be responded individually. It should be overcome more holistic mechanism which principally establish a capability to sense a wholeness. The the pedagogy would somehow transcends common scholarly or academic traditions point of view. Using the word of Papanek, I would conceptualise that internally in human self, designing is a mental activities of refining form for a given complexy reality (Papanek: 1995). It is an articulative effort to externalize comprehended order or thoughts. Therefore the close-end-product is not the goal of design. Maintaining intelligence within the continuing self-organizing environment is so. Here I would like to introduce an idea that. Design can bring great benefit to education not just with the education.

Of designers, but with the education of everyone. (Papanek: 1995,p.210).


Which Design?

Design has been always associated with designer and architects or artists. Definition of design is apparently overly broad. There are two ways of defining scope of design; (1) those which refer to designing process or human action of design and (2), that refer to theoretical and normative aspects of design (Rowe: 1988). The first one is compatible to designing whichbeyond a process of creating a product, nor is myth of building mastery who as if always in absolute control on designed object as a constructed reality.

Basically, design essentially notify act of finding the right structure (Alexander: 1963), problem solving (Archer: 1963), decision making, in the face of uncertainty (Asimow, 1962), and simulation (Booker: 1964), (in Christopher Jones, 1992). In a context that in design learning, the establishment of knowledge and its learning process are inseparable, or in other words. the design process is the learning process itself (Cross: 1981:281 in Powell). Transformations from the making of knowledge and learning process or vice versa take places simutaneously. No wonder if design is said to be the knowledge of how much knowledge is prepared (Cross: in Powell: 1981). Projecting this on the sense of environmental harmony, designerliness is directed toward abality to conceptualise abstraction of reality which is able to contain new establishments without interfering balance of the systems in the designed world itself.

Functionally the relation between object and self is inseparable within the action of design. (Sachari: 1987:p.25). It comprehends engineering, aesthetics and spirituality as one affair. It is a hybrid activity. It doesn’t operate on abstract relationships and independent of historical times as much as in mathematics (Jones: 1987 p.10). Scientists assesses the physical world as it exist or looked exist, while design assesses the conceptualizing and articulating equilibrium in existence. This is how design discourses may transcend science and art, in the case of confirming learning by doing. Sustainability in terms of the way knowledge is transferred. Sustainability may be practical bridging the substantial science and art with the hard-dealt reality. Sustainability may contain archetypical an apriori premises, but it practically concern contextual medium . In a simpler words, designer is usually acknowledge as knowing many, though somewhat not much, accumulating all properties, spirituality, aesthetic and science, to come up with a singular image or concept in a creative work. Designer mind is meant to be qualified at mapping reality, as designed object.

Design as Social Intelligence

Design doesn’t apply only to they who work design professionals. But also applies to all kind of activities that incorporate creative thinking and doing, such as social, economic, legislators, managers, publicist, applied researchers, politicians. It is applicable for various realm such as market analysis, urban areas, public service, law and the like that incorporate act of modification. (Jones: 1987: p.5). That humanistic view of design indicates that the conceptual preparation of action is its social essence (Gaparsky in Powell: 1981: p.98).

It seems essential that social role for design and the social organization of the design process, that apart from specialist knowledge, humanistic axiology should also be established in the design process framework. (Gaparsky: 1981: p.104). Principally it should encourage the way putting self to fit the environment, socially and objectively, to feel the rhythm of the day, its changes, imbalance or balance and to feel the need of fixing the holism of their environment, either home, neighborhood, and other bigger spatial context. To intelligently find out how parts of environments should interconnected and figures out how to contribute to the holistic performance of self and environments. Therefore Sustainability shall be part of social intelligence.

Design approaches and paradigm of Sustainability are both have the same interest, in dealing with dynamic effort of achieving balance in holistic performance and durability in time. One of its methodological and epistemological character that could cope with concept of Holistic, is the controlling mechanism upon dynamic, uncertainties and Paradox and modes of integration in a system. Design thinking put system in all scale as a designed field of interconnectedness. This outlines characterizes sense essential to creative process. Ephemerality and pereniality become alike options, dependent upon context.
3. Design Thinking as Approach for Educating and Learning Holistic sense

Positives science tradition is not broad enough to contain notions of holistic as described above. Even the design process stumble on methodological and pedagogical problems when it has to be justified scientifically. One problem to formulating knowledge and pedagogical practice of holistic sense in Sustainability would be methods and techniques to verify the properties of the “so called”subjective and esoteric aspects of humane enterprises. This problems roots on the devoid between science as the discovery of real things and as an elaborate mental creation designed to make sense of some vague reality. Consequently each properties is usually presented as separated object, design as knowledge and as practice. The risk of misinterpretations or apparent since both enterprises stand on different language – scientific and non-scientifi (ethical, aesthetic, social, spirituality). Worse, they may be inappropriately brought forward as mere verbal proposition. The essence gets oversimplified, formal or worse misinterpreted.

All design is goal directed endeavors. There are senses essential to its design learning philosophy, such as excitement, playfullness. wonder, a notion of completion which is lacking in many other fields of science. These senses enrich human beings and provide joyous affirmation of what is being worked out. The element of joy come from curiosity and playfulness and delight in learning from trial and error in experimentation; deep need to bring order out of chaos; compulsion to bring meanings and patterns to a world that seems random and confused (Papanek: 1995,p.7). Here all human senses, kinesthesia, haptic muscular sensitivity, and intuition beside cognitive enterprises take part in learning process. Pedagogical practice therefore should not end in cultivating skills and ability, to impart a knowledge of facts, theory and understanding of beliefs but also is designed so as to internalize a way of doing.

Paradigm of design and Sustainability shares the same preferential logic of holism whose epistemological nature has been more well expressed within Post-positivist science paradigm. It is presenting the arising significance of creativity and holism in opposition to categorical character of Positivism (Widiastuti: 1999). This model is corrective to the mechanistic point of view, which today is broadly criticized for being so simplistic that somehow ascribed for having caused human alienation to the environment. It is true as Egon Guba (1991) maintianed that ontologically, Post-positivism science attributes spiritual and aesthetic abstraction as well as verification. He explained that in new science paradigm, scientific truth is revealed through “holistic abstraction” as well as “empirical experiment”, where both spirituality and aesthetic are achieved to indicate intelligence through phenomena of abstraction (Guba: 1991).

There are some courses of thought derived from Post-Positivistic science I refer to explore methodological property of seeing environment as ordered and designed field. Principally, it laid on assumption that changes, interferences to system or any modifications made about the environment is action of modifying the order. Designer is agent of modification or modifier. But standing as designer here is practically any participants who contribute modifications. It could be any party of various realm. Environment is here a system with its equilibrium-making property. Environment is stable and active. It is designed because it recurrently acquiring its homeostasis. In my earlier paper I introduce characters of system, process and modifier in the frame of dynamic equilibrium. and as designing process is systems, which are: organismic, probable and chaotic (Widiastuti: 1998). (1) As organismic agencies, designing process is dynamic and amoebic abstraction or environmental text inhered in the field of contextual existence. Within designing action the edge of designer thinking and the dynamic of object of design in progress are blur. And the result of design should be seen as emergent reality, rather than iss objective states. (2) As chaotic agencies the act of design are seen as bridging order and chaos (papanek: 1995; Widiastuti: 1998). Designing process is a jump into higher level of environmental order. Design, as emergent reality is the whole superimposed and multi-layered conditions, potentials and context of environments. (3) As probability agencies, designing process are the processing if pattern and information of environment. Here designing process should account the recurring reformulation of environments. And within process of reformulation, any status of designed object is becoming ambiguous. Here designed orientation put environment always in position of virtual transition or dynamic, the over-layering of eventualities.

In term of Positivism we know two extreme mind-frame on which learning process is working – the logical and the intuitive. Both actually proceeds common sequential scientific verification and learning process. The difference between them is only that the logical property verify and learn by conducting observation and assessment while the intuitive does it by conducting rigorous sensing and articulating. Let see as follows how both could come hand in hand.

As well as in science, abstraction is a learning process within first stage of design. It should principally direct to maintain ability of accumulating and bringing image of fact, knowledge and information. Logical approach may direct observation to any information or data and intuitive approach may direct to sensing the move of field. The second stage, conceptualization, is the early phase of interference to environment, where learning process are directed to ability of conceptualizing the dynamic of changes in environment. Here logical approach would conduct analyzing while intuitive approach would conduct imagining. The rational student may find the truth; the intuitive may find aesthetic and conform-ability. Finally they both may have learned a complete and interconnected features of what they learn. But that ist not yet holistic.

Within Positivist science the intuitive enterprise has not been being considered positively and was categorized outside science, into humanity and artistic domain. Logical enterprise has been considered prime. Post-Positivist science tends to form ontological base that reconciles both logical and intuitive enterprise. Designers in whichever field of practice or thoughts are trained to exercise both logical and intuitive approaches, and therefore they are closer to sense of holistic. Therefore here design knowledge s has the capacity to reconcile both enterprise to form epistemology that could bear the idea of holistic sense.


Diagram 1: Ontological Base of Positivism


Within Positivist paradigm sense of holistic could never be explicated enough, since the model separates the nature of subjectivity from his ontological paradigm (see diagram 1).




Diagram 2. Ontological-base of Post-Positivism Science.

On the other hand sense of holistic are explicated more completely within of Post Positivist paradigm, since it tend not to Clear-cut the difference between objective and subjective aspect of natural event and natural object (see diagram 2).

“Thinking about thinking” is principle of any empowering practice of education. Other than principle of objectivity, as similarly suggested by Zohar suggest, education should lead learner to atain capacity of “learning the impossible (Zohar: 196,p.37). Aesthetic, participatory reflex, the feeling or notion of fullness should be taken as significant and essential supplement to cognitive appreciation as this is what design field may contribute to the education. Learningby doing is the essence (Bruner: 1997: p.xii). The property of meaning does not lay in the narrative of science or knowledge but inhered within the learning capacity of the learner. The model must enable space to expand the learning capacity and imagination. Even for some simple subject like natural science, e.g. math, humanity ethics, and art, or art, e.g. sculpting, painting, and social activities any normative material should be acompanied by practical things. Metaphor could be used as method to methodologically amalgamate the whole property of the subjectn and the wholesome of idea of the subject, the way a designer conceptualise a design.

In this way sense of holistic frame should be conceived as essential instinct to human thinking and action. Paradigm of design may contribute pedagogical practice for any knowledge, which expect holistic way of thinking. In this way pedagogical practice and learning process within paradigm of Sustainability should be an art of doing, pleasure of making and spiritual experiences of experiencing the world. This should be familiarized by means of the whole enterprises of human intelligence because it is indeed the core of human intelligence. And therefore, let sustainability unfold on this base.
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