Batik represents RI in London Festival of Architecture

A swirl of giant batik with the theme “Landscape of Diversity” flows through South Molton Lane in central London’s exclusive Mayfair district.

The sight is rare, not only because batik is hard to come by in London, but also because instead of fabric, the creation is made of plywood.

The installation was the work of six enthusiastic Indonesian architects who called themselves Alur Design, representing their country in the 2010 London Festival of Architecture (LFA2010). Five of the group are among the top students from AA (Architectural Association) School of Architecture: Ardes Perdhana, Kuncara Wicaksana, Prama Milyardi, Rizki Nindito and Olivia Putihrai. Monique Suksmaningsih, the sixth, is a graduate from TU Delft, the Netherlands.

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Tintin Wulia: ‘Attacking’ a wall

Visitors attending the opening of Tintin Wulia’s solo exhibition at Ark Gallery tonight are likely to be shocked when asked to partake in what may seem as an act of pure vandalism.

But to do so, they have to pay first: a colored grid a la Mondriaan will be projected on the wall, with one of its colored squares awarded to the highest bidder at the auction led by well-known auctioneer Amir Sidharta.

After the auction, only one visitor will be allowed to “attack” the wall — which involves making a hole in the selected square. By the eighth projected grid, the wall will be totally ruined, but probably still standing. The process will be recorded on three cameras — hung in three different sections of the ceiling — that will be taking pictures from different angles and time ranges, thus producing art of a different kind. 

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Indonesia comes to Harrods

Waiters wearing blangkon (traditional Javanese head-dress) and batik sashes, diners enjoying soto Madura to the unique sound of a Sasando stringed instrument, and girls modeling ikat dresses on a catwalk.

All this sounds familiar. Except the above didn't take place in Jakarta, or even Kupang, but in London, the UK. The event was a gala dinner on April 29 marking the end of the one-month "Remarkable Indonesia" extravaganza at the iconic Harrods department store, as part of the Indonesian government's Visit Indonesia Year promotional activities.

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