12. Study on Kauman Residence in Yogyakarta, Suastiwi Achieves Doctorate Title
Submitted by marwati on Thu, 05/06/2010 – 03:13.
Kauman in Yogyakarta is a unique settlement. As the residence of the Sultan’s abdi dalem pamethakan (palace servants), Kauman is located at the west of Masjid Gede (Big Mosque), at the center of the Javanese cultural environment that in the nineteenth century was the center of small batik industry. In this village a religious movement called Muhammadiyah was also born.
After Indonesian independence, Kauman developed into a residential area, supporting educational services and tourism growing in Yogyakarta. At the present time Kauman is facing two significant challenges. On the one hand, it is related with the quite rapid development of Islamic religious life and the use of its symbols. On the other hand, it is related with its location at the city center, which directly confronts with the problems of urbanization and the city’s progressive physical development.
That was the statement of Dra. Suastiwi Triatmodjo, M. Des., lecturer of ISI Yogyakarta Faculty of Arts, during the open doctoral promotion exam of UGM Architecture engineering science program, Tuesday (4/5). She presented her dissertation titled Space Agreement and Secularization of Kauman Residential Area in Yogyakarta, with the promoter, Prof. Ir. Achmad Djunaedi, M.U.R.P, Ph.D., and co-promoters, Ir. Sudaryono, M. Eng., Ph.D. and Ir. T. Yoyok Wahyu Subroto, M. Eng., Ph.D.
In her research, Suastiwi found the local spatial theories in the form of space agreement and secularization as a reflection of Islamic monotheism and devoutness in Kauman. Space agreement and secularization are the purport of space by the residents which is built naturally, born from the daily living activities that require agreement of space and secularized space to obey God’s commands and prohibitions as well as to do righteousness in accordance with their religious beliefs.
She said that the spatial phenomena that arise in purporting Kauman residential space in Yogyakarta was divided into three concepts, namely, space of unity of god, space of agreement, and space of pioneer secularization. Space of unity of god is described as a space that is built up by the events based on the faith systems and Islamic value systems (tawhid) that become the guidance of life for people in Kauman.
Meanwhile, according to the wife of Prof. Dr. Marsudi Triatmodjo, S.H., L.L.M.’s, space agreement is a space built up by the act of agreement between two or more people, agreeing to manage and utilize the space or consent to use the space in a particular time. “The pioneer space secularization is an act to eliminate the sacred, magical or mythical nature of the space that had existed since the establishment of this residential area,” explained the mother of two children in Grha Sabha Pramana UGM. Suastiwi graduated with honors and become UGM’s 1218th doctorate graduate.
Source: http://www.ugm.ac.id/en/index.php?q=news/study-kauman-residence-yogyakarta-suastiwi-achieves-doctorate-title.
11. Tribal Orders Influence Dawan Tribal Spatial System Architecture
Submitted by marwati on Fri, 04/09/2010 – 02:35.
Yohanes Djarot Purbadi, MT, Atmajaya University’s lecturer in Faculty of Engineering, said the Dawan tribal settlements architecture in Kenbaun Village, Nusa Tenggara, contains a unique intangible elements. Existence of God (Uis Neno) and ancestors (Bei-nai) is highly respected. It can be seen in the spatial layout of Kaenbaun settlements architecture. “The uniqueness is born from the heart of the cultural community that blend Kaenbaun local beliefs elements with Catholicism, thus the existence of tribal houses, the Catholic church, and sacred stones become an important spiritual point at Kaenbaun residential architecture,” he explained.
Yohanes explained that the spatial layout of Kaenbaun architectural settlement is based on tribal orders which was declared by the early generations, in example about the relationship rules between tribal groups of men (lian mone) and women (lian Feto). Tribe order has become the sacred and lifelong foundation in the lives of the Dawan tribe, developed into a local indigenous cognition guide and spatial behavior guide in Kaenbaun community. “The implication is cognitions about tribe orders and various tribe’s guidelines that were descended are underlying spatial system of Kaenbaun residential architecture,” he explained in a doctoral promotion open examination conducted at the Grha Sabha Pramana at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Thursday (8/4).
The architectural spatial system in Kaenbaun is based on four distinct local values, such as, the value of ethno-spiritual, spiritual-cultural, cultural-ecological, and ethno-ecological. The four values live and flourish in the Kenbaun community life. These values are colored and coloring Kaenbaun culture which is based on the existence of faotkana (sacred stone), oekana (sacred spring), umesuku (traditional house), and the Catholic Church.
Yohanes added, tribal order in Kaenbaun also regulates the structural relationship of the tribes, especially the male tribal relations. In Kaenbaun community cognition, tribal relations are relations of brotherhood, but are set hierarchically. The implication is, continued Yohanes, the tribal king (basan) is located in the middle of the circle as the central point is an important point and is supported by four other tribes, namely Timo, Taus, Foni, and Nel, in the four compass points.
Some implications are materialized in the spatial system of Kenbaun settlements, such as, tribal house order in the Kaenbaun village center, the presence of the sacred stone in Kaenbaun tribe, the spatial pattern of the front-middle-back, the spatial perception of old village and young village, the old village and the new village, the outside village and the inside village. Moreover, the presence of Taksoen area which has a role as receiving field near the village gate, the honor of village leader whose tomb is placed in the east area of the village, and the presence “door of both worlds” which marks the relation of human and spirits worlds.
Disclosed by the man born in Yogyakarta, June 16, 1957, that the results of his research entitled “Tribal Orders and Dawan Tribe’s Settlement Architectural Spatial System of Kaenbaun Village on the Island of Timor” proved that the theory of spatial system is supported by four specific concepts, such as the concept of tribal brotherhood, unity of ancestor and church, the concept of cultural diversity in unity, and concepts to blend with nature. “These four concepts are rooted in one important concept about life, which is the ideal life for Kaenbaun people that is united with God, ancestors, brothers, and the universe.”
Source: http://www.ugm.ac.id/en/index.php?q=news/tribal-orders-influence-dawan-tribal-spatial-system-architecture
10. Dr. Dhani: Political Influences on Chinese House Architecture
Submitted by marwati on Thu, 01/14/2010 – 02:55.
Chinese people in Surakarta live in politically influenced neighborhood. The problem is which political factors have influenced Chinese house architecture since the period of Mataram Kingdom in 1745, Dutch colonisation (1755-1942), until the reform in 1998; and how the Chinese community deals with those.
That was delivered by lecturer of Faculty of Engineering, Architecture Department, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Ir. Dhani Mutiari, M.T., in open examination of doctoral promotion of Engineering Science at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Tuesday (12/1). She was accompanied by promoter, Prof. Ir. Nindyo Soewarno, M.Phil., Dr. Ir. Arya Ronald, and Ikaputra, M.Eng., Ph.D., defending her dissertation entitled “Political Influence on Chinese House around Pasar Gedhe, Surakarta”.
According to Dhani, the relationship between politics and architecture was the focus of theory she adopted in analysis process. Those theories were related to sustainability of architecture formation in anticipating its modification factor. The substantive theory adopted include concepts of way of life, personality, Chinese culture and also traditional architecture formation which then developed in urban areas. “The method was case study research with combination strategies between textual study and artifact study through observation and interview,” explained Dhani at Auditorium of Faculty of Engineering, UGM.
Textual study was used to find out texts in references about Chinese architecture and political development in Indonesia and Surakarta. This process was followed by searching of meaning of Chinese house/home store in Surakarta based on text, interview, and direct observation. “Both strategies were used to enrich the proposition,” added the lady born in Surakarta, 7 February 1967.
Dhani’s research showed that politics not only influences architecture, but it is also used as a reaction toward political policy or events. The political factors that have influence on Chinese house architecture in Surakarta consist of ethnic segregation and access opening to Chinese areas. Those have been done by acculturation, assimilation, and economic development, economic limitation in rural areas, ban on expression of Chinese identity, and Chinese house destruction.
“Chinese people’s reaction to political policy and events can be seen in spatial and facade planning that lead to Chinese identity strengthening, adaptation to other culture, modification, new identity creation, closure, and old house conservation,” said the Head of Architecture Department of Faculty of Engineering, UMS.
Chinese facade traditional characteristics are seen in arched roof, symmetric flat roof, and two story shophouses. This finding is expected to give the description that political policy can be applied in urban planning or architecture formation. However, it can not be denied that this policy is not linear and still causes reaction among other architectural formations.
This architectural formation can be same with or different from the target objective. “Of course this finding will broaden the knowledge and can be used as the basis of political decision making related to urban planning and architecture, particularly for planning and conservation in Chinese areas,” said the Director of Center for Islamic Architecture Study, Architecture Department, UMS.
Source: http://www.ugm.ac.id/en/index.php?q=news/dr-dhani-political-influences-chinese-house-architecture
