Indonesia is the Gold of Architecture

City architecture should create a humane face of the city, uphold sustainable development for a golden Indonesia.

SUPRIYANTO

Illustration

Mohammed Ali Berawi wrote IKN Nusantara and Indonesia Emas 2045 (Kompas.id, 6/3/2024). IKN Nusantara was designed as a global city that is livable and loved, IKN Nusantara was built with the vision of becoming a modern city of the future that is green, resilient, sustainable, intelligent and inclusive as a symbol of transformation and progress of Indonesian civilization.

This description is interesting because it is indicated as a civilization with character, as a national identity through architectural (space) products. Reading (semiotics) of architecture in identity symbols and its intersection with architectural products (space) and (history) time, socio-political-cultural aspects in architectural formation in a synchronic-diachronic manner.

Indonesia, throughout the leadership history of three presidents (Soekarno, Soeharto, and Joko Widodo), has placed architectural products as a means of communication towards its identity politics. Although the three presidents have fundamentally different approaches to architecture, it is closely related to the political policies of their leadership during their time in power.

Also read: Bung Karno, the Palace and the Padma Symbol

Soekarno used a modern architectural approach as a means of unifying diversity, the existence of identity, and raising the dignity of a nation that was destroyed in the era of colonialism. Soeharto used architectural diversity more as an architectural identity (regionalism) with his centralized and authoritarian political approach. Meanwhile, Joko Widodo uses contemporary (Indonesian) architectural diversity towards the golden age of Indonesia.

The city is an arena where various interests, conflicts, and uncertainties inevitably arise. For example, conflicts between economic growth and equity, physical development and environmental preservation, formal and informal sectors, as well as policies, expectations, and the interests of residents.

Without negating these issues, there is a rather acute problem of "identity" slowly disappearing without realization. Identity is a cultural process that never stops and is related to the condition and dynamics of social-political-cultural aspects. This reading signifies the search for one's identity (Indonesian architecture), which sometimes traps one and distances them from the reality (root) of the problems surrounding them.

Indonesia, throughout the history of the leadership of three presidents (Soekarno, Soeharto, and Joko Widodo), has placed architecture products as a means of communication towards its identity politics policies.

As with, ”the face of the city” and the notion that design is what is at stake, this merely questions one or two aspects of the structures and forms produced as a process of transformation culture. For example, like the general activities of urban communities, the face of a modern city must be humane, in addition to upholding sustainable development with an environmental perspective. Here, they question design by instigating forms on a large scale.

The design of producing a collective identity through architectural products (urban design) like Soekarno's also occurred in several countries, one of which was Egypt (anwar Sadat era). He wanted to present a “new Cairo identity” to the world.

In Indonesia, the cultural transformation of most of its cities shows that the face of the city has only become a medium for communication to convey thoughts and feelings, not yet forming thoughts as a "world view".

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A model of the Nusantara Capital region or IKN was exhibited at the Nusantara Fair at Kota Kasablanka Mall in Jakarta, Friday (26/1/2024).

Still left behind

Why are our jumps still lagging behind?

It appears that there is indeed something problematic about the way we perceive cities. On the other hand, there is a suspicion that the face of the city may be a constant in the world of city planners and designers from time to time.

This statement can be contradicted by a fairly significant masterpiece in the past, as revealed in the analysis of JJ Rizal, a columnist on the history of old Batavia in Moesson Het Indisch Maanblad, as well as works in other regions (Nusantara) that apparently not only show the dominance of sensory thinking.

Sophisticated and complex structures can be found in temple buildings and palaces in the Nusantara, while there is magnificent simplicity (in the form of Kampong Tua) in traditional villages such as Nias, Badui, and others.

Now the issue is why the thinking tradition that has produced sophisticated and complex structures is cut off and hangs as a basic identity of creation?

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Perhaps the cause lies in urban politics which is ambiguous between a "half-hearted" desire to emphasize the spirit of nationalism and helplessness regarding the onslaught of urban design with its efficient and practical-pragmatic characteristics promoted by global capitalism.

The unfortunate consequence, without realizing it, is that our (tradition) is then severed from our own past, and designs with local spirit may no longer be "exciting" to implement in a nation that promotes only one nationalist face.

The discontinuation of traditions has also resulted in the local treasures that are actually very rich, no longer being the basis for creation. Because we do not have a traditional basis for creating the face of the city today, on the other hand we are still dependent on dialogue with works outside. Although some Indonesian architects, with their works venturing into the international scope, have even won international awards.

In reality, the quality of our city's work has not yet shown significant identity compared to works outside, especially compared to the tradition that existed in the past. Efforts are being made to direct resources and energy towards the initial search for a (symbolic) "identity".

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The new pedestrian path in the Old City area of Jakarta was opened on Wednesday (3/8/2022). The arrangement of pedestrian paths is to support the Old City as a global historic tourist destination.

Personal identity is a way of nurturing our "unique characters" and "different qualities" that generally serve as an important reference for our identity's existence. Understanding it requires a comparative mirror, the presence of "others" as a different reference becomes important to understand who "we" are. Reading the layers of identity character present must be read as diversity in order to enrich the culture and refine the architectural cluster in Indonesia.

Next, in the effort to develop cultural identity based on the traditional heritage can begin by socializing ideas involving local governments, provinces, architectural education institutions with cross-sectoral programs that emphasize the importance of cultural politics for national image rather than tourism economics.

By forging a form of regionalism, tradition must or at least rely on postmodernist arguments. Of course, by examining the "zeitgeist" in modernism which is considered to have made architecture and cities ignore the genius loci which is essential for our feeling of being at home.

Because, "other voices" have indeed been considered to express the spirit of the times (zeitgeist) which places great emphasis on the diversity of creative subjectivities. However, now we need to ask whether genius loci in various recent forms is not boring because it has become an irrational orthodoxy and causes poverty in response to the challenges of the times?

Reading the layers of identity character that are present must be read as diversity in order to enrich culture, unique architectural groups in Indonesia.

Nowadays, many ”architectural works” become historical achievements because they are only able to answer the problems of time as form challenges, while the ”place” problems are programmatic challenges. Such architecture creates, not follows place.

Architecture that is proven by history to be good and belongs to a particular place must have been "contemporary" architecture when it was created. Some architectural works even feel more "current" after more than half a century of existence when they were created to look futuristic(Borobudur temple, Prambanan).

Indeed, the present has the power to accommodate a longer future. Meanwhile, subjects, with varying levels of ability, can view certain conditions of the present as an inevitable part of the future.

Such controversy is needed as a recipe for "blind" developers who support rulers who only reap personal benefits with their group. In addition, it is necessary to respond to issues of socio-economic inequality and environmental crisis threats in order to generate civilizational creativity of justice, equality, global competitiveness for the prosperity of Indonesia.

Noval Hanan Irianto, Architect and Writer