Symbolic Representation of the Universe in Bali

Indo Nordic Author's Collective, 2022

The concept of the Three mandalas of Bali which is peculiar to the Balinese Hinduism and animism mix

Futures explored the attention economy and saw a model created to explore human change through meditation for the purpose of cultivating social purpose. The first part of studio explored a critical review of Bali's Paradise Paradigm. This essay explores how we can gain insight into our understanding of Other in the past, present and of the Us is the future in context of travel and tourism. In an increased globalized and homogenized Bali, we need to look at Bali within its context related to culture and socio-economic reality and raise the question whether modern imperialism has ever truly ended? Ezio Manzini discusses the negative consequence of globalization and how some countries use this to interpret the small and local as a type of xenophobia. He also discusses that the small and local needs to be open and connected and that it’s the small daily life stories that are coherent with deep trends in sustainability (1). The key is the open and connected. It is these small daily life stories that form the basis of this research. As Edward Said discusses in the preface of a 2003 edition of Orientalism, there is a difference of other peoples and other times that is a result of understanding, compassion, careful study and analysis for their own sake. There is a profound difference between the will to understand for purpose of co-existence and humanistic enlargement of horizons, and the will to dominate for the purpose of control (2) . It is important not to forget history when understanding the context of current tourism debates in Bali, Indonesia. Part two of studio explores the design outputs from this research how to engage a community through probes (insight cards), the futures model and workshops. The workshop design is a way to explore value change as a way to address the problems that the community in Bali face due to the Paradise Paradigm. It is a method to understand responsibility towards each other and build on the idea of interconnection and community and look at ways to develop an authentic community and culture. As discussed in the Paradise Paradigm, it is important to understand from non-western centric viewpoint if it is to be truly equal and the whole community is to be empowered. The intention cards in the workshop are 'deliberate" action words from the economics of happiness for participants to engage with the probes and contemplate their own position and rediscover the original meaning of the language of economics in relation to their happiness and wellbeing. It will continue to expand on a body of work from Local Futures, a pioneer of the new economy movement, dedicated to the renewal of community, ecological health and local economies worldwide (3). It is my aim to utilise their guidelines for economics of happiness workshop and develop it specifically aimed at design for social purpose in context of tourism and travel education. This work suggests that a radically different paradigm is needed to shift mindset to focus on real human and ecological needs through an awakening of our spiritual ties to community and nature. 1. MANZINI 2015 2. SAID 2003 3. LOCAL FUTURES

Jurnal Kajian Bali, 2017

The idea of Balinese culture as a unique, largely timeless, harmonious synthesis of religion, custom and art is remarkably resistant to historical and contemporary evidence to the contrary. Such a hegemonic vision, however imaginary, conveniently underwrites both local politics and tourism, and so national and global capitalism. Against this ideal of Bali-as-Paradise, a critical analysis suggests a quite di erent metaphor—Bali-as-a-ba le eld—in many instances to be more appropriate and accurate. To understand why the Arcadian myth has proven so a ractive to both Balinese and foreigners, we need to examine the work done by social imaginaries. Hypostatizing, essentializing, then mythologizing, a largely imaginary monolithic ‘Balinese culture’ delivers a docile population which not only accepts, but enthusiastically embraces, their increasing alienation and their subjection to the political and economic forces of capitalism.

Bijdragen tot de taal-, land-en volkenkunde , 2007

Part of "Dark Shadows: Spectres of Primitive Accumulation" Introduction, Glossary + Acknowledgement included In Bali, the emergence of a new god called ‘the god of US dollar’ has arguably become a haunting figure that has overwhelmed the relationship of the people to the existing deities and the land. Yet academics, historians, and anthropologists continue to read Bali as ‘the island of the gods’, and do not seem to have acknowledged this transition specifically. Instead it seems to have been visualised and developed by native artists. Visual culture in this example becomes the critical discourse that summons the socio-cultural implications of worshipping this alternative deity into the general social consciousness. Appropriating Balinese painted characters and icons such as the one from the wayang (shadow puppets) stories, Balinese scenery paintings or installing a gigantic “Not For Sale” sign in the middle of the hectares of a rice field, represent a few of those critical discourses. Take for example the use of wayang, in the form of dolls and batik painting cloths as you can see in one of the projected images. The puppet in the middle represents the island of Bali which existed with the support of mother earth. The others strangling her are greedy individuals or corporations who seek to bundle up the island between them signifying raksasa-raksasa, meaning monsters, indicating the generator of ‘the god of US dollar’. In evoking these figurative forms there is an appropriation of the traditional wayang narration. Rather, than telling a usual religious Hindu moral story, here it narrates the on-going forms of primitive accumulation resulting from tourism investments that change, for instance, the functions of cultivated, inherited and sacred lands. The purpose of the artwork here is to create a cultural consciousness for these issues. Now, appropriated further as cut out masks, one of the mother earth and one of the monster, this visual narration asks: who would you cut out that represents yourself? But this is not about masking ourselves to be any of these mythical characters; this is about unmasking them. Money has become the almighty in Bali; ‘tourism, economy, and addiction’ have been identified as the three main elements of this specific socio-cultural phenomena. Here, the spectre of primitive accumulation is not a ghost, but believed to be a ‘god’.

Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde , 2004

Conceptions of geo-cosmological models of space existed in many cultures of Southeast Asia. They were considered to serve as templates for the layout of palaces and towns. But the question how such models were actually applied to the material world and how differences between the abstract model and its concrete implementation could be explained has rarely been raised. The author presents the case of a Balinese village where the model served as a political means to restructure not only the religious topography (the temple system) but also the social ordering of the village community.

1998

Bali is a society which has been well researched by Japanese anthropologists, and it has also been studied by Japanesc in other disciplines. However, for this review we have selected only academic papers or books in the area of cultural anthropology) mainly based upon fieldwork, and even here we have been unable to cover everything because ofspace and other limitations. Ybshida's review deals with studies ofBalinese ritual and cosmolog}c Nakamura cencentrates upon studies ofBalinese social organization, and Kagami deals with studies ofconremporary issues in recent Japanese anthropological work on Bali. I. Studies ofBalinese Religion Tleigo Ybshida E2ixly stadies ofBati This review must start with the report on the field research conducted by the Japanese Ethnological Association on Bali in 1960 (Miyamoto, ed. 1968). I will not discuss this joint projecr as a whole here because Nakamura reviews it in the next section. I only mention the religious or cosmological aspects of their studies. Ishikawa (1968) describes the way in which the Balinese built houses within the compound according to the kLv'a-kelodopposition, which is considered most important in Balinese thought. K2ija means "the direction ofthe mountain(s)" and kelodmeans "the direction ofthe sea." The mountains are regarded as a symbol oflife for they believe that the mountains produce water and bring about fertility Kaja is considered to be a positive direction, and is associated with "good luck," the sky; C`high," sacredness, and the gods. In contrast, kelod is regarded as a negative direction, and is associated with

Bijdragen tot de taal-, land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 2002

Would the Real Undagi Please Stand up? On the Social Location of Balinese Architectural Knowledge The 'beautiful structures of wood and stone' (Lansing 1983:51) which constitute the traditional architecture of Bali are one of the more visible signs of the tenacity of tradition on the island, and a consistent source of pride to locals, delight to visitors and profit to tourism operators. While there is a substantial body of literature on the other arts in Bali, that on architecture is surprisingly sparse. Such literature as there is-English and Indonesian, popular and scholarly-tends to recycle, sometimes less than critically, a few themes that have been fairly well-worn for over sixty years. These are: a system of orientarion to cosmic axes, a threefold hierarchical division of space, a corresponding layout of buildings within courtyards, and a system of measurements based upon the human body (

2002

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