INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE IN ASIA

-
The Asian Network for Industrial Heritage (ANIH) has gathered in Chiayi, Taiwan, 30 June-5 July 2019. The theme was the history of railways heritage. I presented a paper titled "RAILWAYS HERITAGE OF INDONESIA: Celebrating Mobility in the Archipelago" and my junior colleague from Sumatra Heritage Trust, Shindi Indira presented a paper about railways history in Sumatra. 

I tried to bring the ANIH 2020 to Indonesia and I tried to convince all other members of ANIH. Indonesia is relatively left behind in the field of industrial heritage compared to Europe or other Asian countries like Taiwan. It is very challenging to raise awareness about the importance of industrial heritage conservation in Indonesia, moreover about the proper practice of its conservation and adaptive reuse. That is why I was and am motivated to bring the Asian network in 2020 with the hope that it will wake up the Indonesian authorities about how industrial heritage assets might contribute to the country's development.

Sawahlunto could be an attractive venue for ANIH 2020. The local government has a financial commitment already as a host, the former coal mining site has just put in the World Heritage List of UNESCO and it is in Sumatra (I support decentralization for anywhere outside Java!). Sawahlunto can be connected to railways heritage (Mak Itam locomotive), water and heritage (Emma Haven, the local port in West Sumatra) and relation to the Indarung I, the cement factory from the Dutch Indies period. I really need to sit down to formulate the whole program and to mobilize resources before the end of 2019. 

Another result of the ANIH 2019, I brought Shindi Indira with me. A young colleague from Medan whom I knew for about 20 years. This was part of the regeneration that is always becoming my priority. Shindi became a keynote speaker in the Field School program in Chiayi mostly for students. It was an icebreaker for her and she has done it very well. I was and am so proud of her. I took her to the Ten Drums Cultural Park as well to see how the former sugar factory is transformed beautifully into a creative cultural hub to revitalize the traditional music instrument drum in Tainan, Taiwan. We have accompanied by Theresa Tseng, an economics professor who has a mission to bridge dream and reality, money and heritage, accountant and artists. Three of us have come to an idea to organize a field school for Indonesian students to come to the Ten Drums Cultural Park early 2020.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Corbusier's Ghetto (and how the Dutch deal with it)

-
Image
Last night I took a part in an online discussion for television and live stream programs with the representatives of the Municipality of Amsterdam and the Housing Corporation Rochdale about living in Amsterdam Southeast. It was organized by the New Metropolis Zuidoost, a branch of Pakhuis de Zwijger, a think tank for urban and sustainability issues.  I had to be bold in five minutes that I had during the broadcasting. So what I said is that Amsterdam Southeast was built based on the ideals of Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect, that everyone no matter from which background has the right to light, air, and space. He dreamed of urban development that separated work, living, recreation, and various modes of mobility. This ideal was applied in Amsterdam Zuidoost in the 1960s to be the largest experiment ever in the world in terms of scale and innovations. The experiment was lead by Cornelis van Eesteren, the pioneer of modern architecture in the Netherlands. The reality showed that some...
Read more

INFILL DEVELOPMENT

-
Image
Perpaduan antara bangunan lama dan baru selalu menarik perhatian saya karena saya percaya pelestarian pusaka (heritage conservation) haruslah aktual dan menjawab kebutuhan zaman. Jadi tidak semata-mata dan sama sekali bukan untuk nostalgia. Jika memang niat ada banyak cara untuk mempertahankan bangunan lama dan mengkombinasikannya dengan bangunan baru. Dengan cara ini pelestarian pusaka dan pembangunan baru secara simultan terakomodasi. Solusi seperti ini umumnya disebut Infill Development . Definisinya menurut BUILD, is the economic use of vacant land, or restoration or rehabilitation of existing structures or infrastructure, in already urbanized areas where water, sewer, and other public services are in place, that maintains the continuity of the original community fabric. Solusi Infill Development juga berdasar pada semakin meningkatnya kesadaran tentang pembangunan berkelanjutan dan pelestarian lingkungan hidup. Pendekatan Infill adalah tanggapan terhadap kebijakan pemerintahan ...
Read more

REFLECTION ON 2023

-
Image
Bandung, October 2023 The end of 2023 gets closer.  I am thankful for the health, safety, and opportunities that I have this year.  The year started with good walks to the countryside of Austria. I had to thank my Austrian friends who introduced me to the beauty of nature, the farming life, and also the rich culture of a big city like Vienna. I fell in love with the philosophy of the architect  Friedensreich Hundertwasser: inspired by and back to nature.  In the spring, I had to thank my senior, Donovan Rypkema,  who introduced me to his heritage networks and works around Washington DC. I learned a lot about revitalization of the historical districts of the city.   I continued my journey with the train adventures following the history of the Dutch along the Hudson River until the border of  Canada. The experience with WWOOF USA impressed me. I think I will do it again, in another country next year. Staying in new surroundings with new people deli...
Read more