Review 22-3-2013 September
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V OL UME
2 2
NO.3
S E P T E MB E R
2 0 1 3
THE JOURNAL OF
THE ASIAN ARTS SOCIETYOF AUSTRALIA
TAASA Review
BUILDING BIG IN ASIA
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3 EDITORIAL: BUILDING BIG IN ASIA
Josefa Green, Editor
4 BUILDING TALL IN SHANGHAI
Anne Warr
7 RELIGION AND CULTURAL NATIONALISM: THE AKSHARDHAM COMPLEX IN DELHI
Christiane Brosius
10 MUSEUMS IN THE GULF STATES – EXTERNAL IMAGE OR INTERNAL IDENTITY?
Leone Lorrimer
14 URBAN LANDSCAPE AND CONTEMPORARY VISIONS OF NATURE:
GARDENS BY THE BAY IN SINGAPOREGeoffrey Douglas
17 HYBRID MOSQUES: MIXING ISLAM AND ‘CHINESENESS’ IN MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA
Hew Wai-Weng
20 VIETNAM’S BAI DINH BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Ann Proctor
22 ‘TROPHY BUILDINGS’ IN BEIJING’S CHANGING URBAN LANDSCAPE
John Courtney with Tina Burge
24 THREE INDIAN FILMS AT THE 2013 SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
Jim Masselos
25 TRAVELLER’S CHOICE: RECOLLECTING PAGAN
Minnie Kent Biggs
26 BOOK REVIEW: BIOGRAPHY OF RAFFLES
Philip Courtenay
27 HELEANOR FELTHAM (1942 – 2013)
Christina Sumner
28 RECENT TAASA ACTIVITIES
29 TAASA MEMBERS’ DIARY: SEPTEMBER 2013 - DECEMBER 2013
31 WHAT’S ON IN AUSTRALIA: SEPTEMBER 2013 - DECEMBER 2013
Compiled by Tina Burge
C O N T E N T S
Volume 22 No. 3 September 2013
2
A FU LL IN DE X OF AR TI CL ES PU BL IS HE D IN TAASA REVIEW SINCE ITS BEGINNINGS
IN 1991 IS AVAILABLE ON THE TAASA WEB SITE, WWW.TAASA.ORG.AU
INTERIOR OF NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS, BEIJING.
PHOTO: JOHN COURTNEY. SEE PP22-3.
TAASA REVIEW
THE ASIAN ARTS SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC.Abn 64093697537 • Vol. 22 No. 3, September 2013
ISSN 1037.6674Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. NBQ 4134
editoriAL • email: [email protected]
General editor, Josefa Green
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Josefa Gree (coveor) • Tia burge
Melaie Eastur • Sadra Fores • Charlotte Galloway
William Gourlay • Mariae Hulsosch Jim Masselos • A Proctor • Saria Sow
Christina Sumner
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Ingo Voss, VossDesign
PRINTING
John Fisher Printing
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E D I T O R I A L : B U I L D I N G B I G I N A S I A
Josefa Green, Editor
3
T A A S A C O M M I T T E E
This issue explores a phenomenon evidentacross Asia: the construction in recent decadesof massive building projects, often designed by international ‘superstar’ architects,which are so evidently impacting on its builtenvironments.
There is the seemingly unstoppable contest to build ‘the highest’ – a record currently held by the Burj Khalifa in the UAE. The top 10tallest buildings in the world have mostly been built in the last decade – and all but oneis to be found in Asia.
However, ‘building big’ is not just
about height. We are also witnessing theconstruction of enormous, truly ambitiouscomplexes across much of Asia. What is themotivation behind such constructions? Thisissue cannot hope to cover the ground ortease out all the factors involved, howeverour contributors explore these questions inwidely different, sometimes quirky, contexts.
It seems appropriate to start with an articleon tall buildings in Shanghai – a city whichcurrently features 2 of the top 10 highest buildings in the world. Anne Warr discussesthe technical challenges which had to be facedin ‘building tall’ in Shanghai, given the city’s
locatio o the mud deposits of the ood plaiof the Yagtze delta. Reectig Shaghai’sgrowing economic strength, the Park Hotel, built in 1934, also epitomised the new worldof modernism in its Art Deco architecturaldesign by Laszlo Hudec. It remained thetallest building in Asia until the 1980s.
The intersection of commerce with religion isone aspect explored by Professor ChristianeBrosius in explaining the constructionof the massive Akshardham Complex inDelhi. Completed in 2005 and claimed to be the largest Hindu temple structure in theworld, this 100 acre Complex was build by
a Gujarat based Hindu sect, supported byinternational Gujarati business interests. Shesees this Complex as a ‘hyperbuilding’, a siteof conspicuous consumption for a growingwealthy elite. Offering a potent blend ofreligious tradition and mythology with stateof the art technology, the Complex can be seenas a new expression of Hindu based nationalcodece, teamig political ad ecoomicgrowth with religious zeal.
The largest complex of Buddhist temples inVietnam, the Bai Dinh temple complex southof Hanoi, is also a privately funded project, thistime by a wealthy Vietnamese entrepreneur.
Ann Proctor discusses how this new, grandscale complex has been superimposedon what was once the area of the westerngateway of the former Royal Citadel of HoaLu. But while the former temples on this
site settled gently within the landscape, thisnew complex, covering some 700 hectares,dominates: its oversize structures and largerthan life monuments honour one of Vietnam’snew rich industrialist patrons.
Supported by enormous wealth, culturalaspirations are driving the current ambitiousprogram of museum building in the GulfStates of UAE and Qatar. Leone Lorrimerworked for 7 years in this region, in part asdesign manager for the three museums inthe UAE discussed in her article, planned forcompletion in 2017. As with the Museum ofIslamic Art in Doha designed by I.M. Pei, these
museums draw on the power of ‘brand’ byengaging ‘starchitects’, and by partnering withworld famous museums. She explores the wayin which these projects aim to establish nationalidentity through culture and education.
Geoffrey Douglas’ provocative articledemonstrates how the natural environmentcan also be appropriated to promote nationalaspirations. Aiming to establish the Singapore‘brand’ as a pre-eminent, environmentallysensitive garden city, the recently completedGardens by the Bay urban landscape complexextends over 100 hectares, combiningspectacular gardens and glass conservatories
to create a ‘better than nature’ experience.
In an entirely different context, culturaland political agendas have, in the last fewdecades, iueced the uildig of a seriesof mosques – currently numbering 10 acrossIndonesia and Malaysia – which incorporatethe architecture of old Chinese mosques. Inhis article, Hew Wai-Weng contends thatin Indonesia, these Chinese style mosquesare symbolic markers for the acceptance ofChinese culture and the inclusiveness ofIndonesian Islam while in Malaysia, theyoffer a clear statement that Islam is not areligion for ethnic Malay Muslims alone.
The al exploratio of our theme takes usto Beijing, from where urban planner JohnCourtney regularly reports on its changing built environment. Here, we draw on hisreports to cover two spectacular recentprojects which exemplify the current spate ofmajor iconic building projects by internationalsuperstar architects.
As always, this issue offers a range of shorteritems of interest: Jim Masselos’ entertainingreview of Idia lms i the last Sydey FilmFestival, Philip Courtenay’s review of a new iography of Rafes ad a charmig persoal
recollection of Pagan by Minnie Kent Biggs.
We sadly acknowledge the passing ofHeleanor Feltham, whose enormous legacy ishonoured by Christina Sumner in this issue.
GiLL Green • PRESIDENT
Art historian specialising in Cambodian culture
An n Pr oC to r • VI CE PR ES ID EN TArt historian with a particular interest in Vietnam
todd SundermAn • TREASURER
Former Asian antique dealer, with a particular interest
in Tibetan furniture
dy AndreASen • SECRETARY
Has a special interest in Japanese haiku and tanka poetry
HWEI-FE’N CHEAH
Visiting Fellow, School of Cultural Inquiry, Australian
National University.
MATT COX
Assistant Curator, Asian Art, Art Gallery of NSW
CHARLOTTE GALLOWAYLecturer Asian Art History and Curatorial Studies,
Australian National University, with a special interest
in the Buddhist Art of Myanmar
JO SE FA GR EE N
General editor of TAASA Review. Collector of Chinese
ceramics, with long-standing interest in East Asian
art as student and traveller
AN N GU IL D
Former Director of the Embroiders Guild (UK)
MIN-JUNG KIM
Curator of Asian Arts & Design at the Powerhouse Museum
YU KI E SATO
Former Vice President of the Oriental Ceramic Society of
the Philippines with wide-ranging interest in Asian art
and culture
SUSAN SCOLLAY
Is an art historian and curator specialising in the arts of
Islam and in historic textiles. She is Fellow of the Royal
Asiatic Society of the UK.
CHRISTINA SUMNER
Principal Curator, Design and Society,
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
MARGARET WHITE
Former President and Advisor of the Friends of Museums,
Singapore, with special interest in Southeast Asian art,
ceramics and textiles
S T A T E R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
MELANIE EASTBURN
Curator of Asian Art, National Gallery of Australia
QUEENSLAND
RUSSELL STORER
Curatorial Maager, Asia ad Pacic Art,
Queensland Art Gallery
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
JA ME S BE NN ET T
Curator of Asian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia
VICTORIA
CAROL CAINS
Curator Asian Art, National Gallery of Victoria International
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hanghai lies beside the Huangpu River,
a tributary of the Yangtze River near its
exit into the East China Sea. The Yangtze delta
is a wide alluvial ood plai, ad the city
of Shaghai is uilt o the mud of the ood
plai. The rst foreig uildigs uilt alog
the British Bund (the Hindi word ‘Bund’
meaning ‘embankment’) in the 19th century
were of load bearing construction and kept to
a low height to prevent too much subsidence.
By 1900, the rule of thumb was that buildings
could’t e more tha ve stories to survive
upright on the muddy riverbank. Banksemployed engineers to stack the gold and
silver in the vaults, to ensure the fragile
stability of the buildings was not endangered.
When the young architect, George Leopold
“Tug” Wilson (1880 – 1967), arrived in
Shaghai i 1912 to udertake the rst
commission for the Hong Kong architectural
rm of Palmer ad Turer, he decided to use
his newly acquired skills and experience with
the engineers Trollop and Colls, to build the
rst semi-high rise i the city. Together, Wilso
and the engineers devised a system of deeply
driven timber piles topped with a concrete raftfor the foundations. The concrete raft spread
the weight evenly over the site, while friction
between the piles and the mud decreased
subsidence. A steel-framed, stone-clad,
construction system above ground helped
reduce the overall weight. On completion in
1916, the Union Insurance Company Building
at number Three, The Bund, was the tallest
in Shanghai. The success of this building led
to Palmer and Turner securing a further nine
commissions for buildings along the Bund,
more than any other single architectural
company. These included the HSBC building,completed in 1923 and the Cathay (now The
Peace) Hotel, completed in 1929.
Even the Bank of China, completed in
1939 to a commission by the Guomingtang
Government, was
desiged i the ofces of
Palmer and Turner, albeit
by a Chinese architect,
Lu Qianshou, specially
requested by the Chinese
clients. The story goes that
the Guomingtang insisted
that the Bank of China be
the tallest on the Bund,
while Sir Victor Sassoon,
owner of the next-door
Cathay Hotel, insistedthat his hotel should
remain the tallest. Today,
it is very hard to tell, even
on close inspection, which
building is taller. When
the Peninisula Hotel was
being proposed in 2004,
as the rst ew uildig
on the Bund since 1946,
the local government’s
measurement for height
control was that it not
be taller than the Bank
of China. Palmer andTurner’s and Trollop and
Colls’ foundation system,
however, did not prevent
some subsidence, and buildings along the
Bund were routinely built one foot higher than
their aticipated al level. The city cotiued
to sink and by the 1960s Shanghai was sinking
at a rate that, if not controlled, would have left
the city below sea level by 1999.
The Government responded by setting up a
monitoring system of 12 supervision stations
and 379 observation wells which, through acomplicated groundwater pumping system,
reduced the annual subsidence dramatically,
although the Bund has reportedly sunk 400mm
since the 1960s. As Shanghai lies within an area
of cyclone activity and is now only 4 metres
above sea level, there is concern about the
combined physical weight of skyscrapers in
the city coupled with the risk of major oodig
and the effect of global warming.
One of the miracles of present day Shanghai
is that all of the pre-1949 buildings along the
Bund have survived – something unlikely to
have occurred in a capitalist driven economy.
The Shanghai government values the historictreasures along the Bund, giving them all
Municipal protection status and ensuring
that near-by high rise and unsympathetic
additions do not spoil the heritage values of
the area. In 2004, American Architect Michael
4
S
B U I L D I N G T A L L I N S H A N G H A I
Anne Warr
T A A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 2 N O . 3
UNION INSURANCE COMPANY BUILDING, NUMBER THREE THE BUND, SHANGHAI
1916, PALMER & TURNER ARCHITECTS, WATERMARK PRESS 2007
PANORAMA, THE BUND, SHANGHAI 1930S, PROPAGANDA POSTER MUSEUM SHANGHAI
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Graves was engaged by client Handel Lee
to upgrade the 1916 insurance building and
add a roof top restaurant. The Municipal
government required that the addition at
Three, The Bund not be visible from the street
– and indeed, it is not.
Although the British Bund was synonymous
with the power of the British empire, pre-
1949, a rival city centre had been developing
since the 1920s – located around the Shanghai
race course at the junction of Nanjing and
Tibet Roads. This was the social heart of
Shanghai where businesses closed down for
a week during the racing season and hotels
and clubs jostled for prominence on the roads
encircling the racecourse.
In 1934, Shanghai’s tallest building to datewas completed on Nanjing Road overlooking
the racecourse. Designed by architect, Laszlo
Hudec for the Joint Saving Society, at 22
stories (83.8 metres) the Park Hotel remained
the tallest building, not only in Shanghai, but
in the whole of Asia until the 1980s. Chinese
American architect, IM Pei, claims it was
the Park Hotel that inspired his passion for
architecture. In 1934, the 16 year-old Pei had
been taken by his uncle to see a movie at
the Grand Theatre. On emerging from the
show, Pei noticed the newly completed hotel
next door and was so captivated that he
immediately took out a pencil to sketch it.
Architect Laszlo Hudec arrived in Shanghai
in 1918 at the age of 25, having escaped from
a Russian gulag at the end of the First World
War, precariously making his way south to
the safe haven of Shanghai. A graduate of the
prestigious Royal Joseph Technical University
in Budapest, he easily procured a job in post-
war boomtown Shanghai with the leading
America rm of R. A. Curry, efore settig
up his own practice in 1925. He designed a
number of memorable buildings in the Beaux-
arts style before moving whole-heartedly
into the new world of modernism in the
1930s. As a stateless refugee of the former
Austro-Hungarian Empire, he straddled theworlds of the British, French and American
establishments, as well as the increasingly
iuetial world of the wealthy Chiese
entrepreneurs.
Hudec’s client for the Park Hotel was the Joint
Saving Society, JSS, an amalgamation of four
Chinese banks that by 1930 had become one
of the 10 largest banks in China. Believing that
China’s participation in global markets would
be good for business, the overseas-educated
Chinese owners introduced not only western
style banking methods to their clients, but the eets of overseas travel y istallig travel
agencies in their banks. When it opened, the
Park Hotel included a JSS bank on the lower
two oors as well as a hospitality school, ad
boasted all the latest technical innovations
such as the fastest lifts and most advanced
dish washing machines in Shanghai.
The exterior of the rst three oors are clad
in polished black granite from Shandong
Provice, while the upper oors are ished
with dark brown brick and ceramic face
tiles laid at 45 degrees to make a diamond
patter. The tapered seve-oor tower at thetop of the building housed apartments for
the Bank’s directors, while the space behind
the tower accommodated a ballroom which
originally had a retractable roof for dancing
under the stars. The overall form of the
skyscraper alluded to that giant of the New
York skyline – the Gothic Art Deco American
Radiator Building (1924, Raymond Hood
architect) – which Hudec had visited and
sketched on a trip to America in 1928.
Hudec’s biggest challenge in the design of
the hotel was how to construct a 22-storey
building that would not sink into Shanghai’s
muddy sub-soil, a problem he investigated
with the help of engineers at TungChi-
Universitat (now Tongji University). On the
building’s opening, Siemens advertised that
the skyscraper consisted of their materials
‘from head to foot’ including the “Larssen”
steel sheet piling system chosen by Hudec to
THE PARK HOTEL SHANGHAI, 1934, LASZLO HUDEC ARCHITECT
WATERMARK PRESS 2007
ADVERTISING HANDBOOK FOR OPENING OF PARK HOTEL, 1934, LUCA PONCELLINI COLLECTION
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prevent subsidence. Steel sheet piles had been
developed in 1902 by Mr Trggve Larssen, State
Chief engineer at the city of Bremen, Germany,
and consisted of a U section with riveted
interlocks, later evolving into corrugated
proles. The idea of iterlockig sheet pilescame about in 1914 and is still used all over the
world as one of the most popular steel sheet
piling systems. Hudec’s research into the best
technology for a piling system paid off, as the
Park Hotel, unlike the buildings along the
Bund that used timber piles, did not sink.
The title to tallest building in Shanghai was
claimed by the Jin Mao Tower when it was
completed on the Pudong side of the Huangpu
River in 2000. It was the tallest building in
Chia ad the fth tallest i the world reachig
a height of 420.6 metres. Designed by thedoyens of tall buildings, Skidmore, Owings
ad Merrill (SOM), it cosists of ofce space
o the lower 50 oors ad a 555-room hotel o
the top oors with a hotel atrium startig at
the 53rd oor ad extedig 152 metres to the
87th oor. Advaced structural egieerig
protects the building from typhoons and
earthquakes while steel piles prevent it from
sinking. The foundations include over 1,000
steel piles bored over 80 metres into the
subsoil – the longest steel piles used in a land
based buildings to that date - beneath a four-
metre-thick concrete base. Impact-absorbing
mechanisms include steel shafts that haveshear joints to cushion lateral forces imposed
by winds and quakes and the weight of the
water i the swimmig pool o the 57th oor.
While sipping cocktails at Cloud Nine on the
87th oor, it may e possile to feel the earth
move – up to 75cm.
Descried as the world’s est skyscraper
since the Chrysler Building, the Jin Mao
incorporates both a pagoda and an Art Deco
tradition with complex elegance. The Tower
has 13 arig setacks ad four recedig
oes ad is crowed with a starurst ial.The spidery framework of aluminium alloy
pipes that cover the glass facade reect the
constantly changing skies. Like a mirrored
chadelier, the alumiium framework reects
the sunlight, making the building shimmer,
even on a dull day. At night the illuminated
crow ca e see oatig over Pudog’s
surreal landscape.
The Jin Mao did not retain its highest building
status for long. Since its completion in 2000,
it has been out grown by the 492 metre high
World Financial Centre, completed in 2008 to a
design by Kohn Pedersen Fox, and the soon to becompleted Shanghai Tower, designed by Gensler
Architects, which will stand at 632 metres and
121 stories high when it opens in 2014.
Anne Warr is an architect currently undertaking a
PhD at UNSW on Women and the Modern City:
Shanghai 1930s. Anne earned a Master of Arts in
Heritage Conservation from the University of York, UK
and worked for many years in Sydney in the field of
heritage conservation. From 2003-2010, Anne Lived
in Shanghai, where her book, Shanghai Architecture
was published in 2007.
Much of the information for this article was
obtained by the author when working with the
Hungarian consulate in Shanghai during the ‘Year
of Hudec in Shanghai’ project in 2008. The author
gratefully acknowledges the assistance of theresearch of architect Luca Poncellini whose thesis
on Hudec was published as a book in 2010, co-
authored with Julia Csejdy, as part of the Holnap
series on ‘Masters of Architecture’. Material has
also been drawn from the Laszlo Hudec archival
collection at University of Victoria, Canada.
REFERENCESDenison, E & Guang, YR 2006, Building Shanghai, Wiley-Academy,
Chichester, West Sussex, England.
Denison, E & Guang, YR 2008, Modernism in China, Wiley-
Academy, Chichester, West Sussex, England.
Hibbard, P 2007, The Bund Shanghai, China Faces West, Odyssey,
Hong Kong.
Pan, L 2008, Shanghai Style. Art and Design Between the Wars,
Joint Publishing Co. Hong Kong.
Warr, A. 2007. Shanghai Architecture, Watermark Press, Sydney.
JIN MAO BUILDING, SHANGHAI, TOWERING OVER THE HUANGPU RIVER AND THE FORMER BRITISH BUND, 2000,
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL ARCHITECTS, EXTERIOR FROM CLOUD NINE BAR, 87TH FLOOR, WATERMARK PRESS 2007
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“Akshardham has happened at the dawn
of 21st century with the commitment and
dedication of one million volunteers. What
has happened today at Akshardham inspires
me and gives me the condence that we can
do it! The realization of developed India
is certainly possible before 2020 with the
millions of ignited minds like you.”
his statement by the then President of
India, Abdul Kalam, made at the opening
speech of the Akshardham Complex in 2005is emblematic for a new urban landscape,
emerging in the context of economic
liberalisation in India. This architectural site
is y o meas the rst ad oly spectacular
one on the subcontinent; there is a ‘wave’ of
initiatives to construct mega-buildings and
sites for residential, commercial, leisure and
religious purposes.
With fewer than 10 million people in 1991, the
urban agglomeration of the Delhi National
Capital Region (NCR) counts more than 21
million people today and is growing at an
increasing pace, creating enormous tensionsin relation to construction activities, and
access to and battles around physical space.
Akshardham Complex epitomises this in a
decade in which India has risen from ‘Third’
to approaching ‘First World’ country status, as
the largest democratic nation with a substantial
aspiratioal ad afuet middle class of more
than 200 million people. Moreover, it is a
fascinating example of a cultural nationalism
in which religion features centrally, entangled
with a capitalist consumer culture.
In November, 2005, the Akshardham (lit.Heavenly Abode of the Supreme) Complex
opened its gates to the public on the
embankment of the sacred river Yamuna
that ows through Delhi. built i oly ve
years, the 100 acre-Complex is the work of
ten thousand volunteers, sadhus and laymen
of the Bochasanwasi Sri Akshar Purushottam
Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), and of
artisans from western India.
Since the opening it is said to have attracted
over 25 million visitors from all over the
world, evoked attention by international
media and researchers and is now an essentialpart of ofcial tour guides’ repertoire. The
Guinness Book of World Records declared
the Complex as the largest Hindu temple
structure in the world in 2007, followed by
Reader’s Digest magazine calling it one of the
‘Seven Wonders of the 21st Century’ in 2011
(www.akshardham.com/news/2011). This
has added to the branding of the Gujarat-originated sect as the fastest-growing Hindu
sect in the world, with an active and growing
transnational network, particularly in
countries with Gujarati economic activities,
such as the USA, Canada, the UK and East
Africa. It has also contributed to the ‘branding’
of Delhi as a ‘global city’. This challenges us
to rethink the construction of spectacular, big
architectural projects and ‘hyperbuildings’ as
not merely the product of “corporate capital
in the colonization of urban markets” in new
economic hubs like the Emirates, Singapore,
China or India (Ong 2011: 205): we needalso to consider the role of religion in such
transnational urbanization processes.
To see this Complex as a ‘hyperbuilding’ in
the context of the vast emerging landscapes
of the Asian metropolis makes sense in three
ways. Firstly, there is the pressure for Indian
megacities to gain international and national
visibility and recognition as ‘world class’
(Brosius 2010). This is accompanied by the new
middle class’ search for sites of conspicuous
consumption and status declaration.
Secondly, the Akshardham Complex is partof a network of spiritual and leisure projects
that manifest themselves in large architectural
initiatives in India and internationally,
poitig to the gloal ow of acial ad
religious capital that underpins a search for
the marriage of ‘tradition’ with ‘globality’.
The Complex in Delhi is a sign of “capitalist
icoicity that iueces the quality ofexperience” (ibid: 208), both in Delhi and with
a whole network of new temple constructions.
Furthermore, the Complex must be
understood in the context of the particular
history of Delhi as former capital of both
Mughal and British colonial rule, moving to
a new expression of Hindu-based national
codece. As a ‘hyperuildig’, it speaks
to the itese growth of ura prolig
and real estate development in India since
the new millennium, and to the ‘tagging’ of
urban landscapes with physical landmarks ofsymbolic meaning that stage (Hindu) India’s
sovereign power and, particularly in this
case, ‘civilisational’ greatness or superiority.
Political rhetoric and economic growth are
thus teamed up with religious zeal.
The Akshardham Complex is interesting for
its combination of ancient religious traditions
and Hindu heritage with state of the art
technologies and leisure facilities. This way, it
speaks alike to devout pilgrims, foreign and
Indian tourists and families seeking a pleasant
outing away from the stressful city. It hosts a
Monument, also referred to as ‘temple’ (or
mandir in Hindi) at its centre, standing on 234
ornately carved pillars, rising 43 metres from a
platform and measuring more than 90 metres
T
R E L I G I O N A N D C U L T U R A L N A T I O N A L I S M : T H E A K S H A R D H A M C O M P L E X I N D E L H I
Christiane Brosius
AKSHARDAM COMPLEX, CENTRAL TEMPLE STRUCTURE
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diagonally. It further consists of 20,000 statues
of saints (sadhus), devotees, spiritual teachers
(acharyas) and deities (murtis), is coveredwith pink stone or marble friezes ( pith),
and assembling under its nine ‘cathedral-
like’ domes (mandapam) an ‘inner sanctum’
( garbhagrah , or womb) with statues of Lord
Swaminarayan and his successors, as well as
a collection of relics and illustrative paintings
from Swaminarayan’s life and teaching.
Twice a day, ‘ofcial’ worship takes place
in the inner sanctum, allowing visitors to
worship The Lord, teachers and deities from
the Hindu pantheon. Placed around the
Monument are step-wells and arcades, severalsites for ritual performance such as taking a
dip in the Sacred Water Lake, and at another
ritual site for paying reverence to the statue of
Lord Swaminarayan as young boy Neelkanth.
The Complex’ homepage and captions at the
site stress that every aspect is entrenched with
Hindu practice and thought, thus evoking
the notion of each visitor engaging in Hindu
worship. There is a large cinema hall showing
Neelkanth Darshan (worship of young Lord
Swaminarayan), a boat ride through ‘India’s
Glorious Heritage’ (Sanskruti Vihar; Culture-
City) and ‘The Hall of Values’, with largedioramas featuring audio-animatronics
depicting ‘Hindu life’ in the 18th century.
Moreover, a sculpture garden displaying
‘Great men and women of history’, a musical
fountain, a multi-cuisine food court and
a shopping mall allow for less religiousactivities at the site.
The Complex is thus a magicet story-
teller of a particular version of India’s past,
predominantly, as a Hindu past. Merging
religious, mythological and national narratives,
it aims at shaping a new form of national
citizenship in the visitor, a kind of cosmopolitan
traditionalism, that frames the temple as a
model of globalised cultural nationhood. This
repositioning is interesting since the religious
temple had ee replaced y Idia’s rst Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who had sought toproject the dams and factories of the young
nation-state of the 1950s as ‘new temples’ and
sites of national pride (Singh 2011).
At the Complex the recent fascination with
ancient tradition and religious practice is
paired with a remarkable attention to state-
of-the art technological progress, order and
hygiene. Visitors of Akshardham Complex
can witness all kinds of machines engaged
i efciecy: moeychagers, law mowers,
oor cleaers. Ad they are emedded i a
rhetoric of security and order: signboards
and guards ask visitors to remain silent inthe Monument and refrain from speaking in
‘rude language’, video-surveillance (CCTV)
allows observation of every movement at
the site, security guards ensure a smooth
uidirectioal ow of visitig crowds.
Already at the entrance, a substantial and
highly ritualised amount of space and time is
spent on ordering visitors according to gender,
checking their clothes, asking them to leave
everything but their purse behind, even their
mobile phones, and follow a dress code (no
knee- and shoulder-free dress, ‘no burkhas’).
The reasoning is that this makes for the most
attentive and safe visitor. In the age of digital
cameras, the Complex manages to control
even this, thus remarkably keeping control
over its own representation. During one of my
eldwork visits i 2011, two bAPS-ru photostudios were allowing visitors to have their
photographs taken – though only there.
This deserves mentioning because the
pedagogic management of visitors’ experiences
is a crucial element of this particular space.
Criticism is rarely raised, possibly also because
after several ‘terrorist attacks’ in the city, the
nation, and worldwide, people have generally
become disciplined to endure security checks,
at airports, in museums, shopping malls,
government buildings. Akshardham Complex
seems to aim at increasing its status as an
iconic site through such measurements. And itlooks like a fortress: watchtowers, a high wall
and a patrolling zone along it surround the
premises.
AKSHARDAM COMPLEX, LOTUS SHAPED SUNKEN GARDEN
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Having passed the security check, and
succumbed to the order of the Complex, one
can enjoy vast greenery, musical fountains,
reasonably priced, clean food, dioramas,
boat rides, education and entertainment,
contemplation and spectacle, an impressive
sight of trees ad owers framed y yovers,
the metro station, the Commonwealth Games
Village built in 2010. The Complex is like a
safe haven, set back from the noise and chaos
of Delhi’s streets, where green and wide
space, clean air and ‘silence’ often seem to
be a luxury good. Akshardham Complex isthus a precious space, to be protected, and
almost ritually marked through the fortress
aesthetics. But in this way, following urban
theorist Sharon Zukin (2005), an ‘aesthetic of
fear’ is created, polarizing a ‘morally clean’
community of ‘initiated’ insiders against an
uncontrolled crowd of outsiders.
“The Taj Mahal used to be the undisputed
champion of India architecture, but a new
contender has now stepped into the ring:
Akshardham Temple”, writes Reader’s Digest
(July 2011: 52), a quote strategically placed onthe website of the Complex.
The architectural concept underpinning the
Complex highlights a ‘new era’ of (Hindu)
heritage buildings as iconic ‘hyperbuildings’.
The Complex merges latest construction
techniques with millennium old traditions of
carving, quoting from ancient and medieval
Hindu temple architecture and assembling
canons from sites across India such as Ellora,
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Konarak.
(Singh 2011: 56). Sompura artisans and architects
from a famous craftsman caste in Gujarat were
commissioned; they have also designed thetemples in Houston and Chicago (ibid: 60). The
key concept, proposes Singh, is that all elements
are pre-Mughal and thus also pre-colonial.
Despite the reference to the Monument
as temple, Kavita Singh speaks of the
marginalisation of its “ritual value”, thus
being “less like a shrine and more attuned
to the logic of the archaeological park or
museum”, a “Hindu wonderland” (ibid: 76).
To be sure, temples have been connected to
secular entertainment and consumption for
hundreds of years, so the presence of a mall
or the foodcourt as such is not surprising.
But there is a sophisticated holistic planning
behind the Complex that has led many to
argue that it is more of a western ‘theme park’.
Although the planners of the Complex, mainly
sadhus, were indeed inspired by Disney Land
(USA), Holy Land (Orlando) or Chinese theme
parks, this spectacular themed environment
must also be seen as corresponding to, or even
in competition with, other spectacular religious
architectural sites on the subcontinent, such as
ISKCON’s Sri Radha Krishnachandra Temple
or the Vishalakshi Mandap at The Art of Living
Foundation’s International Centre, both in
Bengaluru (Bangalore) or the vast Chhattarpur
temple complex en route to a Delhi satellitecity Gurgaon. Moreover, monumental sites
and parks have also been built by secular
protagonists, further branding the NCR,
such as the controversial Ambedkar Park,
inaugurated in 2011 by Mayawati, then Chief
Minister of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, after
cutting down hundreds of trees.
To Akshardham Complex’s role as a means
of city branding, spiritual compensation for
an emerging consumer-society and a national
emblem must be added another important
facet: that of demonstrating a transnational
coectivity ad codece that asserts itself ilarge architectural complexes built by the BAPS
global network, be it in Atlanta, London or
Nairobi. Such large temple constructions come to
mark a new, globalised ‘Indianness’, underlining
the importance of urban centres, management of
crowds, and high-tech entertainment.
Indeed, temples have interestingly become part
of the creative management of global cities,
allowing Delhi in this case to depict the Yamuna
river precinct as a ‘Paris of the East’, with real
estate development following suit, resulting
i the risk of getricatio ad further lad
grabbing for urban planning (including the
eviction of dense squatters’ settlements along
the river) (Baviskar 2012). The phenomenon of big buildings and larger architectural sites in
India therefore requires a challenging analysis
of the role of religion, nation and culture in
rapidly developing urban environments in
India and the wider ‘Global South’.
Prof. Dr. Christiane Brosius is Cluster Professor of
Visual & Media Anthropology at the Karl Jaspers
Centre for Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg University,
Germany. Her most recent books, published by
Routledge in 2010 are on “India’s Middle Class” and
“Ritual Matters – Dynamic Dimensions in Practice”.
REFERENCESBaviskar, Amita. 2012. “Spectacular Events, City Spaces and
Citizenship” in Jonathan Shapiro Anjaria and Colin McFarlane
(eds.). Urban Navigations: Politics, Space and the City in South
Asia.: Routledge: 138-161, New Delhi.
Brosius, Christiane. 2010. India’s Middle Class. New Forms of
Urban Leisure, Consumption and Prosperity. Routledge, New Delhi.
Ong, Aihwa. 2011. “Hyperbuilding. Spectacle, Speculation, and
the Hyperspace of Sovereignty” in Ananya Roy and Aihwa Ong
(eds.). Worlding Cities. Asian Experiments and the Art of Being
Global. Blackwell:205-226, Malden/Oxford.
Singh, Kavita. 2011. “Temple of Eternal Return. The Swaminarayan
Akshardham Complex in Delhi” Artibus Asiae 70(1): 47-76
Zukin, Sharon. 1995. The Culture of Cities. Wiley, Sussex.
For the Reader’s Digest: see http://www.akshardham.com/news/2011/readersdigest/index.htm
SECURITY MEASUREMENTS SURROUNDING THE COMPLEX. PHOTO: C. BROSIUS 2009
GUIDELINES FOR VISITORS, SIGNBOARD AT THE
ENTRANCE OF THE COMPLEX. PHOTO: C. BROSIUS 2010
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aadiyat Islad i Au Dhai, low ad at,
edged by white sand, turquoise water
and dark green mangroves, may seem like an
unlikely setting for the ambitious designs and
curatorial programs of some of the greatest
architects and museum bodies in the world.
Having lived in Qatar and the UAE for 7 years,
what may seem like an audacious concept to
outsiders appears perfectly in keeping with
the vision and cultural aspirations of the Gulf
States. The central question is why? And what
do they hope to achieve? Why would the UAE
and Qatar, who only a few decades ago weresimple desert societies, embark on such an
ambitious program of museum building?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was formed
in 1971 under the leadership of Sheikh Zayed
bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Whilst the initial focus
for the newly established government was
on the health and education of its citizens,
growing wealth from oil exports, combined
with the increasing levels of education, led to
debate about identity: cultural, religious and
historic. Abu Dhabi draws its wealth primarily
from oil exports (replacing pearling), whilst
Duai draws its wealth from trade, aceand tourism. Abu Dhabi, the national capital,
has developed a 2030 pla that ideties
Saadiyat Islad as the locatio for a sigicat
new cultural district.
The Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim
in Bilbao have proven the power of a single
building to establish a brand identity for a
place. In Dubai, the image of the Burj Al Arab
7 star hotel has proven the principle closer
to home. On Saadiyat Island, the master
plan draws on the power of brand, with
the engagement of world famous museuminstitutions and ‘starchitects’ to design a
series of iconic buildings, currently planned
for completion by 2017: Frank Gehry and
Guggenheim Foundation for Guggenheim
Abu Dhabi; Jean Nouvel and Agences France
Museums for the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Sir
Norman Foster and the British Museum for
the Zayed National Museum.
The independent State of Qatar was also
established in 1971. With wealth from oil
and gas, high levels of education and health
are a clear national focus. Qatar has also
taken a leading role in foreign affairs, witha high prole role i the Uited natios, as
a regional facilitator and as the home of the
news broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Soon after Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
became Emir in 1995, a number of leading
international universities were invited to
establish campuses in Doha. His wife, Sheikha
Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned engaged
internationally famous architects, including
Arata Isozaki and Legoretta+Legoretta, to
desig a series of high-prole uildigs
for Education City, the Qatar Science and
Technology Park and the Qatar National
Convention Centre. The quality of the
architecture gives physical expression to
Qatar as a regional knowledge hub.
Complementing the major education
programs in health, science, journalism and
technology, Qatar Museums Authority, led
by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, the daughter of the Emir
of Qatar, and the prominent collector and
art patron Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed
Al Thani, plans an ambitious range of
museums and galleries. The Qatar National
Museum, designed by Jean Nouvel, is under
construction, scheduled to open at the end of
2014. Hovering above its prominent corniche
site and drawing its design inspiration from
the desert rose, the museum will strongly
utilise audio visual installations.
The Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.
Pei and completed in 2008, draws inspiration
S
MUSEUMS IN THE GU LF STATES – EXTERN AL IMAGE OR IN TERN AL IDEN T ITY?
Leone Lorrimer
FAÇADE OF MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART (TOP) AND GRAND STAIRCASE SEEN FROM MAIN ENTRANCE (BOTTOM).
COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART
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from early Islamic buildings to create a very
simple imposing white building. Its cubic
shapes, which descend from the dome inchanging geometric patterns, create an
interplay between the strong sun and deep
shadows. The museum is located on an
articial islad liked y causeway to the
corniche. Internally, the 65m high atrium is a
cathedral to art, and the galleries and cabinets
are as exquisite as the objects themselves.
The contrast between the simple external
expression and the richness of the interior
experience is extreme. What is its impact both
locally and globally?
Whilst an older generation of Qataris was
educated for extended periods in the USA or
UK, many young people in Qatar have grown
up with the distraction of material wealth and
internet access. As a result, this generation’s
personal inquisitiveness about culture
and identity was losing focus. Soon after
the Museum opened, school children and
university students were brought through the
museum in great numbers and asked to write
essays on their experience. After the visit to an
extraordinarily rich collection of Islamic art in
all its forms, from silver and precious stones,
to carpets and calligraphy, to jewellery and
body decoration, the essays communicated
how these young people were left awe-struckand proud of a heritage that they had not
previously appreciated or valued.
On the global scene, the Museum of Islamic
Art is a catalyst for global debate on the history
and craftsmanship of Islamic art. The biennial
Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic
Art, for example, rst held i 2004, rigs
together speakers from a range of disciplines
such as architects, artists and scientists, in
addition to art historians to explore a single
theme in Islamic art and culture. Its 5th
symposium will be held in Palermo, Sicily
from 9 – 11 November this year.
Many other museums are planned, including
the Orientalist Museum, which will house
Qatar’s collection of Orientalist Art, one of
the best in the world. This museum is also
planned to be a major centre for education,
not just for Qataris but for students and
specialists from around the globe. The topic of
Orientalism has polarised debate in different
forums so it is highly commendable (and
certainly not surprising with Qatar’s history
in international affairs) that the Qataris are
taking the lead to investigate and celebrate
the different lenses through which the Orientis viewed.
In the UAE, the iconic designs of the museums
and the proposed performing arts centre on
Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi have already
achieved global recognition. The museums
are however part of a much deeper education
program that includes a substantial campus
of the New York University and a range of
other initiatives in archaeology, collecting oral
history and establishing collections.
In the years leading up to the opening of
the museums, sigicat art ad cultural
programs are being offered free to its citizens
and residents. These include the construction
of the temporary Manarat Al Saadiyat, where
substantial touring exhibitions from the
Louvre Museum, the British Museum and
Larry Gargosian’s private art collection have
been staged.
In 2011, the British Museum’s Splendours of
Mesopotamia Exhibition in Abu Dhabi located
the UAE within a region that was crucial to
LOUVRE, ABU DHABI (MODEL). PHOTO: COURTESY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT COMPANY
GUGGENHEIM, ABU DHABI, VIEW FROM SOUTH (MODEL). PHOTO: COURTESY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT COMPANY
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NORTH EAST ELEVATED VIEW OF ZAYED NATIONAL MUSEUM BY DAY (MODEL).
PHOTO: COURTESY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT COMPANY
the development of human civilisation. The
exhibition was part of a series of exhibitions
in advance of the opening of the Zayed
National Museum.
Each of the three museums has a uniquely
different charter. The Louvre will be a universal
museum, displaying art and artefacts from
ancient to modern times. Jean Nouvel’s
artistic conception is based on the idea of an
ancient archaeological site, semi-submerged
under the waters of the Gulf. A collection of
buildings is sheltered from the stark sun by
a oatig dome that heavily lters the light,
reminiscent of the traditional roofs of local
souks that were woven from palm fronds. The
education programs will offer students access
to objects they would normally be deniedwithout overseas travel. Ongoing thematic
exhibitions will be held in the Temporary
Exhibition Gallery. An auditorium provides
the stage for performances, presentations and
debates. The edges of the museum blur as
the architectural forms of the various starkly
white buildings engage with the water and
the waterfront park. A restaurant and cafe
provide respite.
The Guggenheim is designed as an iconic
modern art museum projecting out on a
promontory at the end of the waterfront
park. Frank Gehry’s architecture presents anassemblage of containers as galleries, with
enormous glass and timber cones covering
central spaces. The Guggenheim will engage
with both the public and with corporations. It is
designed to host major events and exhibitions
that may turn the building itself into a canvas.
If the Louvre is ancient and introverted, the
Guggenheim is a celebration of contemporarycreativity. Education programs will occur
in the formal auditorium and throughout
the building. Cafes, viewing terraces and a
restaurant are dispersed through the building.
The Zayed National Museum, designed by
Foster + Partners, will be buried under an
earth moud. Its galleries oat, suspeded
above the public areas illuminated by blades
of strong light admitted through the cracks in
the architecture above. It is a space designed
to feel at once underground and under water.
The themes in the galleries will align withaspects of the life of the extraordinary Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father
of the UAE, and aim to link today’s challenges
with his philosophical ideas. The displays will
be dynamic, even including a falconry gallery,
ad there is a sigicat temporary exhiitio
space. One gallery comprises a park that links
the Zayed National Musuem to the waterfront
park and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The role of a museum in the modern world
is not static and no government can afford
to keep large buildings frozen in time.
Museums today must be relevant andearn their keep. Permanent galleries are
supplemented by restaurants, cafes and stores
selling merchandise and income is further
supplemented by patronage, memberships,
corporate events and temporary exhibitions.
The museums of the UAE and Qatar are being
designed and built to provide a physical
forum for ongoing debate, education andglobal connection. They engage with the
communities in which they are located,
ivitig visits for evets, e or cafe
dining, entertainment, education programs,
workshops and conferences. They present
a powerful identity through hero shot
photography to advertise the power, wealth
and sophistication of the nations that build
them. They are a catalyst through which
these nations determine how they will talk
about their history, what artefacts and stories
to display or keep hidden, what emphasis to
place on different themes and opinions.
Museums connect with society at a deeply
personal level. The most moving experiences
in museums often come when stories are
revealed and society develops as a result
of recognising its past. One example, in the
Hiroshima museum, is the placement of
brutal personal stories on video of Hiroshima
survivors alongside stark admittance of
Japan’s responsibility for the events in
Nanjing. The Museum of Innocence, created
by Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul, reveals a story
of Istanbul told through personal objects
that are embedded within Pamuk’s novel ofthe same name. Such responses suggest that
small museums will continue to play a highly
sigicat role i society or perhaps we will
see smaller, more personal galleries within
larger museums.
Iconic, large scale museums such as those
currently planned or built in the UAE and Qatar,
however, provide an immediately recognisable
physical identity. What is more important is the
role that they play in establishing a national
identity: in recognising how history plays a
role in establishing culture and how educationenables societies to interpret the past to provide
a vision for the future.
Between 2005 and 2011 Leone Lorrimer lived and
worked in Qatar and the UAE; during the latter
period as the design manager for Saadiyat Island
and its three major planned museums. Prior to 2007,
Leone was the Director of a major international
architecture practice for 19 years, culminating with
the oversight of the construction of the iconic Qatar
Science and Technology Park. On her return to
Australia, she was appointed CEO of dwp|suters,
part of the international network of the Design
Worldwide Partnership.
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GLASS CONSERVATORIES WITHIN THE BAY SOUTH GARDENS. PHOTO: CRAIG SHEPPARD
uring the late 20th and early 21st
centuries many Southeast Asian cities
have developed large urban centres with
towering buildings, urban spaces, parks and
gardens. These impressive cities are often
comparable to, or exceed established western
cities in terms of size, scale and wow factor. A
bustling urban centre of glass and steel says
to the world “we’ve made it”, like nothing
else. National identity and pride is frequently
bound up in decisions to create a ‘world class
city’ - and any city wanting to claim its place
on the world stage today cannot do so withouthaving in its arsenal some visionary public
spaces including public parks and gardens.
Singapore’s ‘Gardens by the Bay’ is a large
contemporary urban landscape project fringing
three sides of Marina Reservoir, a water body
adjacent to downtown Singapore. The project
was built over four years and at a cost of over
one billion Singapore dollars. It extends over
100 hectares and comprises three separate
sites, namely Bay East, Bay Central and Bay
South. The largest ad most sigicat of these
is the 54 hectare Bay South gardens, opened
with royal fanfare by the Duke and Duchess ofCambridge in September 2012.
There is no question that the overall impact
of the Gardens by the Bay is spectacular. The
lead design consultant for the Bay South
landscape was well-regarded UK landscape
architect Grant Associates. They have received
international plaudits including awards for
sustainability and master-planning for this
work. As an aside it is interesting that in
June 2013 they were appointed to prepare
a new master plan for the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Sydney, along with Cox RichardsonArchitects, Godden Mackay Logan heritage
consultants and others.
The two glass conservatories within the
Bay South gardens were designed by
Wilkinson Eyre Architects, also from the UK.
Sigicatly, these were awarded the Royal
British Institute of Architects International
Prize for 2013 - a coveted award.
The design for Bay South has it roots in the 19th
century public park tradition, employing a
design language of glass conservatories, exotic
gardens, paths and lakes. However Singapore’sew garde has a sigicat twist through the
inclusion of so called ‘Super Trees’. Eighteen
tree-like structures are located in the centre of
the gardens, varying in height from 25 to 50
metres. These are a sculptural interpretation
of real trees, while actually functioning as
uniquely designed vertical gardens.
In a nod to sustainability the Super Trees
have tree-like functions such as collectingad lterig raiwater, exchagig heat
with the atmosphere (from conservatory air
conditioning) and capturing the sun’s energy
for use on site. At night, lighting throughout
the tree structure turns the gardens into an
almost Disneyland fantasy and the effect is
somewhat like stepping into Pandora, the
eautiful ctioal world created for James
Camero’s popular lm ‘Avatar’.
It has to be said that their design has one
eye on the tourist market and serves the
promotional concept of a clean / green‘brand Singapore’. Observers may question
the real contribution such structures make to
the cause of bio-diversity and sustainability,
which they purport to represent. Nonetheless
Singapore’s National Parks Board argues that
they contribute by way of ‘Edutainment’,
thus communicating and passing on ideas of
‘sustainability’ and ‘bio-diversity’ to visitors.
Bay South’s layout includes a series of
horticultural gardens, namely the Heritage
Gardens and the World of Plants amongst
wandering pathways, lakes and artworks.
The Heritage Gardens include Malay, Indian,
Chinese and Colonial gardens, which present
a historical and horticultural perspective, but
perhaps more importantly, allude to or even
contribute to Singapore’s national identity.
The garden presents the idea of a hybrid pan-
Asian community springing from harmonious
ethnic diversity. In this regard it should be
oted that the atioal ower o which the
plan of the entire Bay South gardens is based
is also a hybrid found only in Singapore – the
Vada ‘Miss Joaquim’ orchid: “…the rst
registered plant hybrid from Singapore….”
(Wright). Here the ower also seems to e a
metaphor for Singapore’s national identity - a
hybrid of cultures, uniquely home grown.
The World of Plants is a collection of gardens
structured around themes including tropical
palms, forest understorey zones and fruit
ad owers. These showcase the relatioship
between plants and people, with a particular
emphasis on bio-diversity.
The centrepiece of Bay South gardens is the two
extraordinary glass conservatories or ‘biomes’.
Located adjacent to the Super Tree grove and
beside Marina Reservoir, these are architectural
icons in their own right and properly take
their place in the broad sweep of glasshouse
history: cold frames, orangeries, greenhouses
and conservatories. Architecturally, they
appear as two giant bug eyes, especially seen
from above. Claimed to be the world’s largest
column-less greenhouses, they respectively
replicate the cool-dry Mediterranean climate
and the cool-moist Tropical Montane climate
zones of high altitude equatorial regions, the
latter considered an endangered ecological
community.
D
U R B A N L A N D S C A P E A N D C O N T E M P O R A R Y V I S I O N S O F N A T U R E :
G A R D E N S B Y T H E B A Y I N S I N G A P O R E
Geoffrey Douglas
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The ‘biomes’ work on many levels – as
conservation environments for threatened
species and ecological communities, places of
wonder and pleasure for visitors, and to provide
‘Edutainment’. Reaching a height of 34 and 54
metres respectively they create an inspiring
effect with gracious sweeping lines. They areworthy winners of the Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) International Award - 2013.
It is hard to avoid interpreting the Gardens as
performig a delierate ad sigicat role
in promoting Singapore as clean, green and
environmentally sensitive. This is an image
it wants to send to the world (its customers),
and to its citizens. In this context, it is
interesting to note one government minister’s
view that Gardens by the Bay: “…will boost
the international standing of Singapore as a
premier garden city. It will set us apart andkeep us ahead of emerging garden cities”
(Tan, M. 2006). The people of this city state
have only to look across Marina Bay to know
that Singapore cares about the environment.
The spledid edice of the Gardes y the
Bay becomes part of the national mythology
of who they think they are.
In a recent interview with the New York Times,
Sigapore’s rst Prime Miister Lee Kua
Yew said he set out to make Sigapore “a rst-
world oasis in a third-world region.” (Reed
2012). The Ministry of National Development
summarised his 1960s vision: “ [he was] thedriving force behind Singapore’s development
as a Garden City… which allowed Singapore
to distinguish itself from its neighbours… a
necessary transformation to attract investors…
Today the sight of tree lined highways,
manicured lawns and smartly pruned hedges
convey to visitors and potential investors, the
message that Singapore is a place where things
are doe efcietly, where attetio is focused
on the details, and where investments would be well taken care of.” (MND 2009). The article
observed: “One of Singapore’s most revered
brand assets is cleanliness, there is no litter. The
other is atural plats, owers, grass ad trees
perfectly manicured like you would never see
in another country, all year round.”
The concept behind Gardens by the Bay raises a
wider question about humanity’s relationship
with the natural world in which we live and
on which we depend. In his dissertation on
botanic gardens, Cohen asks: “If we could
invent a means to be independent of nature,
if we could really master it to the point of
creating another nature more convenient and
more pliable, what will happen to what is
called biodiversity, the richness of the plantkingdom and the stability of the biosphere”.
Is our conception of gardens now drifting
toward an idea of an alternative or
‘replacement’ nature that we can go to visit on
a Sunday afternoon? A visual ‘sound bite’ in a
world of 24-hour TV and mobile phone ‘apps’
for the time-poor? Does this vision of nature
as a theme park or as ‘green entertainment’
provide us with a supercial love for ature
VIEW OF GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE. PHOTO: DARREN CHIN
INTERIOR OF GLASS CONSERVATORY IN BAY SOUTH GARDENS. PHOTO: CRAIG SHEPPARD
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while our very lives of high consumption
and expanding urbanisation (over 50% of the
world now live in cities) replace and destroyreal natural bio-diversity that is now gone in
many areas? Will botanical and ‘edutainment’
gardens be the ‘go to’ natural experience
of the future, in the way that zoos are now
often repositories for remaining fragments
of the animal kingdom? Is it appropriate
for governments to promote their green
credentials as an aspect of national commerce
and marketability? Are we as global citizens
creating a type of ‘nature-speak’ that appears
to promote a saitised ad highly articial
‘natural’ environment while simultaneously
our actions allow its destruction?
It would be unfair to single out the Gardens
by the Bay or Singapore in this regard. The
majority of Singapore’s natural environment
was razed in colonial times for cash crops,
especially rubber trees. A second wave in the
form of national Housing Development Board
(HDb) ats occurred whe the city state uder
Lee Kuan Yew was established in the 1960s.
Most coutries have experieced sigicat
alteration to their natural environments as
human settlements have expanded wherever
they are. This is a problem faced by all of us.
Sir Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) was the
founder of the English garden city movement,
which iueced early 20th cetury ura
planning throughout the world. In his book
The Garden City of Tomorrow , published at
the turn of the 20th century, he imagineda harmonious relationship between the
natural and built environment. In a recent
paper on modern garden cities, Johnson sees
global cities as being in a competition to ‘out
green’ each other and hijacking Howard’s
ideas of a balance between built and natural
environments. Johnson observes: “The intent
of these landscapes is not to make the urban
environment more habitable, but [to create]
landscapes of marketing and branding”.
(2008)
The environmental debate has moved on sinceHoward. Now we have a greater focus on
seeking a sustainable balance between us and
the world around us. This drama continues
to play out in the rapidly urbanising cities of
Southeast Asia and elsewhere. The Gardens
by the Bay, Singapore is a beautiful place and
worthy of comparison with some of history’s
great gardens. Singaporeans should feel
justialy proud of this ew developmet.
However the international visitor and
Singapore citizens alike should be aware of the
promotional ‘green wash’ and nation building
spin that come with projects like this. For a
real appreciation of our interdependence withthe natural environment in which we live, we
must think and act independently – and that
isn’t just a walk in the park.
Geoffrey Douglas works as a project manager in
Sydney and has an interest in Asian art and culture.
He holds an honours degree in Architecture. Geoffreylived in Indonesia and Malaysia for a number of
years, working on construction projects including the
KLCC Main Park – a 50 ha public garden at the foot
of Kuala Lumpur’s famous Twin Towers.
Authority for reproduction of all photographs received
from Grant Associates architects with thanks.
REFERENCESCohen, M., (undated), BGCI - Botanical Gardens Conservation
International, Botanic Gardens: A Tribute to the Role of Beauty
in Conservation of our Plant Heritage, http://www.bgci.org/
education/1677/ (accessed: 17 June 2012)
Johnson, C., (2008), Proceedings of the ISOCARP Congress 2008,“Green Modernism: The Irony of Modern Cities in South East Asia”,
http://www.isocarp.net/data/case_studies/1364.pdf (accessed 19
June 2013)
MND (2009): [Ministry of National Development], “Singapore: City
in a Garden – Celebrating a century of botanical success”, http//
www.mndlink.sg/2009/2009_May/NParks_article.html (accessed:
4 June 2013)
Reed, C., (2012),“Lee Kuan Yew, the world’s first country marketing
director, built the Singapore country brand”, Singapore Business
Times (6 August 2012) quoting an undated report in The New York
Times. (accessed online: 3 July 2013)
Tan, M.. (2006), Minister of National Development
Speech at launch of the Gardens by the Bay design competition -
20 January 2006, (accessed online: 20 June 2013)
Wright, N., “The Origins of Vanda Miss Joaquim, http://www.
amassia.com.au/debate1.htm#The Origins of Vanda Miss
Joaquim. (accessed: 3 July 2013)
‘SUPER TREES’ LOCATED IN THE CENTRE OF THE GARDENS. PHOTO: CRAIG SHEPPARD
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n the last few decades, rising modernist
and puritan Islam, as well as the funding
from the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia,
has led to the ourish of ‘pa-Islamic model’
mosques in both Malaysia and Indonesia.
Instead of traditional ‘Nusantara-type’ with
tiered roofs, many of the recent mosques are
inspired by the architectural design of Middle
Eastern mosques, always equipped with
domes and minarets (Dijk 2009). However,
while Middle-Eastern mosque architecture is
prevalent, other competing mosque designs
are not absent. One of the contrasting formsis Chinese-style mosques. Since 2000, at least
ten Chinese-style mosques have been built in
both Malaysia and Indonesia.
Most of these newly-completed mosques have
adopted the architecture of old mosques in
mailad Chia, yet they are recogured
within local contexts. By discussing the Surabaya
Cheng Hoo Mosque in Indonesia, as well as the
Kelantan Beijing Mosque and the Seremban
Al-Saadah Mosque Complex in Malaysia,
this article examines how and under what
conditions, such mosques play a crucial role in
manifesting Chinese Muslim cultural identity,upholding the universality of Islamic principles,
as well as promoting religious tourism. The
architectural designs of these mosques are
forms of intentional hybridity (Werbner 1997),
where elements of Islam and ‘Chineseness’ are
strategically combined to declare that ‘there can
be a Chinese way of being Muslim’, as well as to
uphold inclusive Islam.
The Suraaya Cheg Hoo Mosque is the rst
Chinese-style mosque built in post-Suharto
Indonesia. Completed in 2002, this mosque
was established by East Java’s IndonesianChinese Muslim Association (Persatuan
Islam Tionghoa Indonesia, PITI). The mosque
architecture was inspired by the Niu Jie (Ox
Street) Mosque in Beijing, which has more
than a thousand years of history. It is named
after the famous Chinese admiral during the
Ming Dynasty, Zheng He (best known as
Cheng Hoo in Indonesia), who many Chinese
Muslims believe played an important role in
spreading Islam in Indonesia.
Different from Chinese temples, the roof of
this pagoda-like mosque is carved with the
word ‘Allah’. Decorations, such as animal-likeornaments, were omitted because they might
be seen as ‘un-Islamic’ by many Muslims. The
main hall of the mosque is 11x9 metres and
has an eight-sided roof ( pat-kwa). The length
of 11 metres symbolises the measurement of
kabah (cubicle shrine within the Al-HaramMosque Complex in Mecca), demonstrating
the commitment to Islamic faith. The width
of 9 metres represents the number of wali
songo (the nine Muslim saints that, according
to local belief, Islamised Java), showing an
appreciation of local Javanese traditions.
Meanwhile, the design of eight-sided roof
( pat-kwa) characterises the philosophy of luck
and prosperity shared by the ethnic Chinese.
By installing a bedug (a drum for summoning
to prayer) and a minbar (a pulpit used by an
imam or preacher to deliver a sermon) in the
mosque, Chinese Muslim leaders appropriate both the elements of Nahdlatul Ulama and
Muhammadiyah (the two largest Muslim
organisations in Indonesia) to show that
the mosque is a prayer hall for all Muslims
regardless of their religious afliatios.
Indeed, the Cheng Hoo mosque, a mixing of
Chinese, Islamic and Javanese cultures, is a
clear statement showing that these identities
are compatible. Yet the strategic design of
this mosque does not represent an existing
ethno-religious reality, but rather seeks
to bring a new reality into being. Chinese
Muslim idetities i Idoesia are uid addifferent individuals have different attitudes
towards their religious practice and cultural
orientation (Hew 2011). Therefore, the
materiality and tangibility of the mosque is
important to make Chinese Muslim cultural
identity unequivocally ‘real’ and to act asunifying force for Chinese Muslims from
different backgrounds.
As a Chinese Muslim leader said: ‘The
population of Chinese Muslims is small,
diverse and scattered. As happened in the
past, our identity will easily disappear or be
assimilated into the Muslim majority. Thus,
we need a physical space – a mosque that
can manifest our identity. The structure of
mosque could stand for long time, and sustain
our uniqueness over a few generations.
Converting to Islam does not mean giving upour Chinese cultural identity. There can be a
Chinese way of being Muslim’. (Interview,
Bambang Sujanto, 27 November 2008)
The intentional mixing of religious
and cultural elements expressed by the
architectural desig, are also reected i the
activities of the mosque. The Cheng Hoo
mosque is an inclusive place where Chinese
and non-Chinese, Muslims and non-Muslims
get together; as well as, a space where religious
and social activities co-exist. For example,
during a Ramadan night in 2008, while
Muslims (both Chinese and non-Chinese)were performing their evening teraweh prayers
(non-obligatory evening prayers which take
place during the fasting month) inside the
I
HYBRID MOSQUES: MIXING ISLAM AND ‘CHINESENESS’ IN MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA
Hew Wai-Weng
CHINESE-STYLE ROOFS OF THE KELANTAN BEIJING MOSQUE. PHOTO: HEW WAI-WENG
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mosque, non-Muslims (mostly Chinese)
were practising qigong (Chinese breathing
exercise) at the corridor of PITI’s ofce i
the mosque compound. Various activities
such as performances of traditional Chinese
music, conversion ceremonies, wedding
functions and charity events have also been
held in the mosque. Also parts of the mosquecompound are a few multipurpose rooms, a
kindergarten, a canteen, an acupuncture clinic
and badminton courts.
This mosque would not be a success without
support from both Indonesian Muslims and
non-Muslim Chinese Indonesians. Many
Indonesian Muslim leaders lend their support
towards the Cheng Hoo mosque and see it as a
form ofdakwah (Islamic preaching). Meanwhile,
most of its donors are non-Muslim Chinese
businessmen, as they think the mosque could
help to improve the relationship betweenethnic Chinese and Muslims in Surabaya. Since
its establishment, this mosque is welcomed by
many Indonesians as a symbolic marker of
the acceptance of Chinese culture, as well as a
clear statement of the inclusivity of Indonesian
Islam. Along with recently built pan-Islamic-
design Al-Akbar Great Mosque and historical
Nusantara-style Sunan Ampel Mosque, the
Cheng Hoo Mosque has been promoted as
one of the religious tourist destinations (wisata
religi) by the Surabaya Tourism Board (2010).
Following the success of the Surabaya
Cheng Hoo Mosque, Chinese Muslims have built similar mosques in other Indonesian
cities, such as Palembang (South Sumatra),
Purbalingga (Central Java) and Makassar
(South Sulawesi). Remarkably, not only
Chinese Muslims, but also non-Chinese
Muslims have contributed to the building
of Chinese mosques. In Pandaan, the local
government has built a Chinese-style mosque
to promote social harmony and religious
tourism. In Malang, the latest mosque inside
the campus of the Muhammadiyah University,a university run by a Muslim organization,
also adopted Chinese architectural design, in
order to build a better business relationship
with mainland China.
In Malaysia, the combination of a state controlled
Islamic bureaucracy and an ethnicised Islam
that equates being Malay with being Muslim
has discouraged the establishment of Chinese
style mosques, and even rejected it in some
cases. However, recently, there are positive
developments, witnessed by the establishment
of the Beijing Mosque in Kelantan and the Al-Saadah Complex in Seremban. Interestingly,
these two recently-built mosques were not
initiated by Chinese Muslims, but proposed and
sponsored by the PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic
Party)-led Kelantan State Government and
the state-controlled Islamic Council of Negeri
Sembilan (Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan,
MAINS) respectively. Meanwhile, two other
Chinese-style mosques are under construction
with the support of the Malaysian Chinese
Muslim Association (MACMA), respectively in
Malacca and Ipoh. In addition, working together
with the Islamic Ofce of Federal Territories
(Jabatan Agama Wilayah Persekutuan, JAWI),MACMA is planning to build a grand mosque,
as part of the newly-developed Islamic business
district in Kuala Lumpur.
The Jubli Perak Sultan Ismail Petra Mosque,
or best known by the locals as the Beijing
Mosque, completed in 2009, is arguably
the rst Chiese-style mosque i post-
independent Malaysia. Like the Surabaya
Cheng Hoo Mosque, the architectural design
of this mosque is inspired by the Niu Jie (Ox
Street) Mosque in Beijing. Its prayer hallis decorated with Uzekista-iueced
Islamic geometries. The former Chief Minister
of Kelantan and the spiritual leader of PAS,
Tok Guru nik Adul Aziz is the key gure
behind the establishment of this Mosque. He
told me: ‘Conversion to Islam does not mean
we have to abandon our culture. The Chinese
Mosque shows that Islam is a religion for
all ethnic groups and is not believed by
the Malays only’. (Interview, Nik Aziz, 18
September 2011). This mosque is also a vivid
manifestation of the Islamist party to uphold
its cultural inclusivity, preach the universalityof Islam and promote religious tourism.
Certaily, the beijig Mosque is a sigicat
and clear statement showing that Islam is not
only the religion for Malay Muslims, thus it
helps to ‘deracialise’ Islam in the context of
Malaysia. It is worthwhile to note that many
Malay Muslims in Kelantan have contributed,
oth acially ad physically, to the
construction of this mosque. During my visit
in the mosque, a young male Malay Muslim
told me: ‘There is nothing wrong to build a
Chinese mosque. Instead, we should build
more similar mosques in Malaysia, to showthat Islam is a religion for all’. (Fieldnote, 17
September 2011). The recognition and support
towards Chinese-style mosques, to a certain
IDULFITRI PRAYER AT THE SURABAYA CHENG HOO MOSQUE. PHOTO: HEW WAI-WENG
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extent, shows that many Malay Muslims are
beginning to accept that being a Muslim is not
exclusive to being Malay in Malaysia.
Operated since 2011, the Seremban Al-
Saadah Complex is another newly-completed
Chinese-style mosque in Malaysia. This
mosque complex was initiated, funded andrun by the Islamic Council of Negeri Sembilan
(Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan,
MAINS), as a means to preach Islam to non-
Muslim Chinese and to show that Islam is a
universal religion. The architectural design
of this mosque was inspired by another
ancient mosque, the Great Mosque of Xi’an
in mainland China. Various Chinese features
dominate both the exterior and interior design
of the mosque complex, such as the Chinese-
designed entrance gate, the Chinese courtyard
and pavilion, the red pagoda-shaped minaret,
red lanterns and Chinese calligraphy. Themosque complex is divided into three areas
– public, semi-public and private. The public
spaces comprise courtyards and multipurpose
rooms, icludig ofces of negeri Semila’s
MACMA and Darul Saadah Association (a
convert organisation). The semi-public space
is a prayer hall which can accommodate 300
people, while the private spaces consist of
accommodation for Imams, staff, converts
and travellers.
This mosque complex has hosted various
activities, such as religious talks, Mandarin
classes, conversion ceremonies and ChineseNew Year dinners. Remarkably, during the
Idul Adha celebrations in 2011 and 2012,
Chinese Muslim religious teachers presented
their sermons in Mandarin (with translation in
Malay on LCD screen) inside the prayer hall.
The mosque committee has recently invited a
Hui Muslim from mainland China to act as an
Imam. It also proposes to hold regular Friday
sermons in Mandarin, beginning from the
mid of 2013. If this plan comes true, the Al-
Saadah Complex will e the rst mosque icontemporary Malaysia that conducts Friday
sermons in Mandarin.
As Moors (2012) suggested, in the analysis
of the tangible forms in which Islam appears
in public, we should take into account the
cultural politics of nation-states and Islamic
movements, as well as the growing force of
consumer capitalism. Indeed, the emerging
trend of building Chinese-style mosques is
an outcome of several interrelated processes,
such as China’s growing economic power; the
recognition of Chinese culture after the fall ofthe Indonesian New Order regime, the rise of
ura Muslim middle class, the diversicatio
of Muslim consumer markets - as well as the
quest of Muslim activists to preach Islam to
non-Muslim Chinese.
Various actors - state agencies and civil
society, religious and secular publics – have
engaged with the construction of Chinese-
style mosques in contemporary Malaysia and
Indonesia, for different reasons, be it religious,
political and/or economic. Indeed, Chinese-
style mosques are sites of interaction, where
traslocal ows ad local dyamics, as wellas Chinese ethnicity and Islamic religiosity,
are converged and negotiated. They are also
inclusive places where both Chinese and
non-Chinese, Muslims and non-Muslims
intermingle, where both religious and social
activities concur. Whilst it is important to note
that such cosmopolitan practices are not new,
and can be traced back to the interactions
between Islam, Chinese traditions and localcultures in Southeast Asia centuries ago, the
construction of these Chinese-style mosques
marks a new development in the articulation
of Chinese identity within transnational and
inter-ethnic Muslim communities.
Hew Wai-Weng is research fellow at the Zentrum
Moderner Orient, Berlin. He is currently working on
a research project, ‘Sites of Inclusion/Exclusion: New
Muslim Spaces in Malaysia and Indonesia’.
REFERENCESDijk, C. van. 2009. ‘National Pride and Foreign Influences:
The Shape of Mosques in Southeast Asia’, Off the Edge, August
2009: 24-27.
Hew, W. W. 2011. ‘Negotiating Ethnicity and Religiosity: Chinese
Muslim Identities in Post-New Order Indonesia’, PhD thesis, The
Australian National University, Canberra.
Surabaya Tourism Board. 2010. ‘Cheng Hoo Mosque: Islam,
Java and Chinese Architecture’, Surabaya Tourism Website, Online,
Available from www.eastjava.com/tourism/surabaya/chenghoo-
mosque.html (accessed August 2010).
Werbner, P. 1997. ‘Introduction: The Dialectics of Cultural
Hybridi ty’, in Werbner, P. and Madood, T. (eds) Debating Cultural
Hybridity: Multi-Cultural Identities and thePolitics of Anti-Racism,
Zed Books, London, pp. 1-28.
Moors, A. 2012. ‘Popularizing Islam: Muslims and Materiality -
Introduction’, Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and
Belief, 8(3): 272-279.
PO Box U237
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Thai customs remain more intact and sites of historicaland archaeological significance abound. Expatriate
museologist, author, Siem Reap resident and TAASAcontributor Darryl Collins and Gill Green, President
of TAASA, art historian and author specialising inCambodian culture have assembled and co-host
this new journey which includes spectacular Khmertemples such as Prasat Phimai, Phanom Rung
(reputed to be the blueprint for Angkor Wat) andPrasat Meung Tam. We cross the mighty Mekong intosouthern Laos to explore the UNESCO World Heritage
Listed Wat Phu Champasak before concluding inVientiane and the magical UNESCO World Heritage
Listed town of Luang Prabang.
Contact us now for your brochure.
THE SEREMBAN AL-SAADAH MOSQUE COMPLEX. PHOTO: HEW WAI-WENG
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three tiered roof is unusual, as most temples
only have two, however the decorative
elements such as the screen on the ridge line
ad the ials that termiate the sweepig
roofs resonate with earlier iconography.
The weight of the roofs and their decorative
elements produce a horizontal effect despite
the overall height of the building. As with
traditional architecture, the building is dividedinto an uneven number of bays, in this case
seven. However, the wide three part staircase
leadig up to the mai oor of the temple,
aked y siuous stoe drago alustrades,
is more characteristic of a Royal Palace than
a Buddhist temple. The regal connection is
emphasized by the sculpted stone ramp in the
middle, which in a Royal palace is the space
over which the Emperor would be carried.
Such features in this Buddhist building,
constructed in the environs of a former
Royal Citadel, by a modern business mogul
operating in a Communist state, carry variousmixed messages.
The main hall houses three gigantic gilded
bronze statues of the Buddha’s of the three
worlds (Tam The), from left to right, the
Buddhas of the past, present and future.
They are just over seven metres in height.
Thousands of niches line the walls of the
main temple, many of which contain donated
Buddha images, including one donated by
the Prime Minister. An unusual feature is
the inclusion of a large marble model of the
Bodhgaya Temple to the left of the main
hall entrance. In the syncretic form thatVietnamese Buddhism takes, most temples
contain a sanctuary to the mother goddesses.
At present there is none in the new complex,
however, there is such a shrine in the ancient
temple.
On a knoll to the right of the main hall is a giant
bronze statue of the Buddha of the future, as
the big bellied ‘Happy Buddha’, said to be
the largest in Southeast Asia. A tall, multi-
storied stupa was under construction in front
of this statue at the time of my visit. Formerly,
sculptures of ancestors or deities were keptinside, decorated with coloured glazes or
gilded and actively attended in worship. With
the exceptio of some guardia gures, they
were not larger than life size. In the case of the
majority Kinh people, such sculptures were
certainly not kept out in the open, although
some tribal minorities placed sculptures
outdoors around funeral areas. However,
in the modern era with the construction of
Christian shrines and churches under French
Colonial rule and then with the introduction
of a socialist realist monument style, there
was a change in placement, size and aesthetic.The new monuments are of much larger
tha life size gures, placed outdoors i
conspicuous public places and typically made
in unadorned bronze, stone or clay.
This project has ee of great eet to
artisanal villages of the region and the local
populace who cater to the thousands of
visitors with, amongst other things, delicious
local wild goat dishes. Ceramics, including
tiles and bricks as well as offertory vessels
were sourced from Bat Trang, wood and stone
have been locally sourced from Ninh Binh
province. The project employed carpentersfrom Phu Loc, and stone carvers from Ninh
Van, while lacquer products were sourced
from Cat Dang and embroideries from Van
Lam. Textiles, lacquer and ceramics are the
historic temple arts in Vietnam.
Since the introduction of a free market regime
i the 1980s, buddhism has ourished as part
of a return to traditional institutions, practices
and ceremonies, in stark contrast to the secular
nationalism of the early years of Communist
party rule. Since the late 1980s a large number of
Buddhist sites have been renovated or rebuilt inkeeping with their historical form. The Bai Dinh
temple, however is part of a paradigm shift in
the size of buildings in Vietnam as well as in the
role of the patron of such structures. Whereas
formerly at this site the ruler and aristocracy
were the patrons, the rich industrialist now
stands in their stead. While the 11th century
buildings used some rare and costly materials
they were at one with nature. The present patron
has dominated the landscape with his complex,
while at the same time creating a site not only
for his ow merit ut for the spiritual eet of
visiting pilgrims and the economic and religious eet of the local populace.
Ann Proctor is an art historian with a particular
interest in Vietnam.
REFERENCESHa Van Tan et al, 1993. Vietnam Buddhist Temples, Social Sciences
Publishing House, Hanoi.
Minh Chi et al, 1999. Buddhism in Vietnam, The Gioi,Vietnam.
Ngo Van Doanh, ‘India – Kinh Bac and Vietnamese Buddhism’,
Vietnamese Studies, no. 3, 2001 (141) The Gioi, Hanoi.
Nguyen Ba Dang et al, 2004.Traditional Vietnamese Architecture,
The Gioi,Vietnam.
Nguyen-Long, K. 2013. Arts of Vietnam 1009-1945, The Gioi
Publishers, Ha Noi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1i_%C4%90%C3%ADnh_Temple
http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/top-destinations/destination-in-
the-north/196-bai-dinh-the-biggest-pagoda-in-asean.html
ORIGINAL BAI DINH TEMPLE, C. 1136. PHOTO: ANN PROCTOR
BUDDHA’S OF THE THREE WORLDS IN THE TAM THE HALL,
EACH GILDED BRONZE, 7.2 M HIGH. PHOTO: ANN PROCTOR IRON WOOD RAFTERS UNDER ASSEMBLY. PHOTO: ANN PROCTOR
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The NCPA, referred to as ‘The Egg’ by
Beijingers, is an iconic building in much the
same way as the Sydney Opera House is
in Sydney. It was designed by the French
architect Paul Andreu who was previously
known for his design of Pudong International
Airport. Andreu was selected in an
international competition to create a grand
architectural statement for Beijing and theNGT has certainly brought a special quality
and identity to the city with its striking design.
The NGT is located immediately to the west
of The Great Hall of the People on Changan
Avenue, the symbolic east-west axis of the
new Beijing. The design comprises a grand
metallic ad glass sphere oatig aove
the water in a large pond. The sphere is 213
meters by 144 meters and 46 meters high (to
match the dimensions of the Great Hall).
Patrons enter the NGT by a tunnel underthe pod ad with light lterig through
a glass ceiling it creates a special ambient
experience. Within the sphere there are
three theatres for music, opera and drama
coected y a grad owig space, agai
with light lterig i through the great
glass windows. The experience within
is uplifting and the arrival through the
Changan entrance is superlative.
ohn Courtney is an Australian urban
planning adviser at the Peking University
Planning Institute, living in Beijing since 2005,
who is attempting to tell the ‘China story’
primarily through, in his words, “the camera
lens of an urban planner”. One aspect of the
story is the impact of major iconic building
projects by international ‘superstar’ architects
on the changing landscape of the city.
In his online report titled Urban Observations
from The Center of The Middle Kingdom , John
Courtney comments that to the foreigner,
heritage conservation is obvious. To the
Beijinger, modernisation and improved living
conditions takes priority, resulting in clearance
and denser development that offsets the costs
of large areas of low income housing on prime
land. While he believes that a better balance of
heritage and modernisation is emerging today,
he also notes that much of Beijing’s current
modernisation is of questionable value: “…
several of the modern architectural icons
by foreign architects highlight the confused
agenda and priorities in Beijing which
has produced a challenging and confused
built environment that requires rationalizing
ad structurig with sigicatly improved
urban amenity”.
Here is an edited version of John Courtney’s
reports on two recent and outstanding
architectural projects in Beijing, one civic
and one commercial: the National Centre
for Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Galaxy
SOHO complex in Chaoyangmen. Our thanks
to John for giving his permission to use his
reports, together with some of his spectacular
images of these developments.
‘ T R O P H Y B U I L D I N G S ’ I N B E I J I N G ’ S C H A N G I N G U R B A N L A N D S C A P E
John Courtney with Tina Burge
J
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS (NCPA), BEIJING
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SOHO Beijing, one of the leading innovative
real estate developers in China, has added
another major iconic architectural work to
its portfolio - Galaxy SOHO. Designed by
Zaha Hadid Architects for SOHO China Ltd,
the largest domestic prime ofce real estatedeveloper has continued its reputation for
building cutting edge modern architecture.
Zaha Hadid is the winner of the prestigious
Pritzker Prize and is known for her grand
and expensive architectural statements,
including Galaxy SOHO.
Galaxy SOHO is purely commercial
with the asemet ad rst three levels
accommodating retail and entertainment
space ad ofce space occupyig the top
oors. The uildig icludes 333,000 square
meters of space and is 67 meters high.
Galaxy’s cost of construction was 40% higherthan comparable commercial structures and
it is a LEEDS certied uildig.
It is situated at a key location on the second
ring road inside the historic city at the
intersection of two important metro lines
(2&6). Recently opened, Line 6 is the fastest
in the Beijing system that connects east
and west across the inner city area. GalaxySOHO’s location is in a prime development
hub with important major government
complexes nearby (Ministry of Foreign
Affairs) ad SOHO Corporate Ofces.
As for integrating into the old hutong
neighbourhood located on the southern
side of the site, this seems unlikely and
the shadow of Galaxy will overwhelm
the neighbourhood and encourage
redevelopment with the community
relocated to remote areas of Beijing.
23T A A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 2 N O . 3
GALAXY SOHO, BEIJING
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he Sydney Film Festival gets larger every
year so it is impossible to see even most
of the lms. I did however make up a mii-
festival of my own of the Indian offerings.
The choice looked promisig: a lm versio
of Salman Rushdie’s magic realist novel,
Midnight’s Children; a competition entry
Monsoon Shootout from a producer of Gangs of
Wasseypur , last year’s full on crime epic, and a
third paradoxical lm - Ship of Theseus.
Midnight’s Children is an established classic.
It won the Booker Prize in 1981, and scoredagain both in 1993 and in 2008 with the ‘Best
of the Booker’ prizes. On paper it seemed
likely its complexity and brilliance would be
recreated o lm. Its Ido-Caadia director,
Deepa Mehta has a formidable reputation for
her trilogy, Earth , Fire , Water – serious lms
that explore lesbian attraction, communal
massacres and the subordination of Hindu
widows. Rushdie was responsible with
Mehta for turning the 446-page novel into
a lm script ad he provides the voice over
arratio. What is i the lm should e all
that Rushdie values in his novel.
The book is a political satire about India, an
allegory for the failure of vision, for dreams
ufullled ad their destructio y evil, the
world of politics. It spans modern India to the
late 1970s and climaxes with Mrs Gandhi’s
imposition of a dictatorial Emergency. The
narrative line hangs around children born
on 15 August 1947 around the midnight hour
when India assumed independence. These
children have the magic potency to realise
the expectations of the times. In the telling,
the children fall by the wayside, lose unity
and are mostly destroyed during Emergency.With them, and through the hero, Saleem, we
follow the choices between good and evil and
the consequences. Despite the overarching
story lie, either the ook or the lm are at
all full of gloom and doom and much is funny,
indeed even rumbustious.
Both open with Saleem’s grandfather, a
doctor in Kashmir, treating a Muslim girl.
He never sees her as a whole but diagnoses
her numerous ailments through a succession
of strategically placed holes in a sheet. Part-
by-part, bit-by-bit he falls in love with a
disaggregated woma. The lm proceedswith gusto, and gives us quirky surreal
images, the doctor riding a bicycle in front of
the Taj Mahal in Agra among them. The mood
changes later, with military dictatorships in
Pakistan, wars, and the intense moments of
slum demolition and enforced sterilisation.
The lm is true to the diversity of the ovel
ut does ot quite capture its overowig
racy inventiveness. It is more a truncatedguide rather than the unstoppable sweep of
epic events and the breathtaking cinema it
might have been.
In contrast Monsoon Shootout , a rst lm from
Amit Kumar , proved a tight exploration of
the underworld of Mumbai crime and of the
police who try to control it. Like Suketu Mehta
in Maximum City Kumar views deep-seated
criminality as characteristic of the city. The
lm works well as a actio story told through
the fortues of Adi, a raw youg police ofcer
cofroted o his rst assigmet with theproblems of enforcement and the deviousness
of corruption. There is insight here and the
lm is a worthy additio to Mumai lm noir.
Monsoon Shootout goes further in exploring
the nature of action and its consequences. The
critical moment is when in a standoff with
an escaping criminal Adi has to make a split
second decision as to whether to shoot or not.
The lm takes us through three possile stories
of what might have resulted from Adi’s choice.
There is a hint of Rashomon in the presentation
of multiple narratives - and a statement about
choice and the nature of inevitability.
Aother deut lm, Aad Gadhi’s Ship of
Theseus , also plays with fractured narratives
and multiple stories. The title comes from
Plutarch’s paradox about whether Theseus’s
ship when its planks were totally replaced
over time remained the same or became a new
ship. Three stories take up the point in a story
line somewhat reminiscent of Jesus of Montreal.The rst looks at a lid photographer who
gets new eyes, in the second a monk gets a new
liver and in the third a business man a kidney.
The three stories are treated extensively, shot
against different backgrounds and locales
according to the particular narrative. Some
images are haunting - the publicity still in the
festival program of a group of monks looking
at sunset from Bandra across to the Sealink
being one. This is powerful cinema and the
al widup with the trackig of illicit ody
part dealers ad a eeciary i Scadiavia
provides another narrative and a conclusionthat questions the morality of obtaining
transplants but accepts their need.
The last two lms are part of the growig
number coming from a new generation of
lmmakers i Idia. They have deep morality
and humanist concern but they also have a
love of cinema as a medium and play skilfully
with its possiilities. They are self codet i
their story telling and in the ideas they convey.
Hopefully we will see much more from them.
Jim Masselos is an Honorary Reader in History at the
University of Sydney.
T H R E E I N D I A N F I L M S A T T H E 2 0 1 3 S Y D N E Y F I L M F E S T I V A L
Jim Masselos
T
SHIP OF THESEUS, STILL FROM FILM. COURTESY: SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
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T R A V E L L E R ’ S C H O I C E : R E C O L L E C T I N G P A G A N
Minnie Kent Biggs
or all the reading, all the photographs, for
all the mental and spiritual preparation, I
was not ready for Pagan. The temples dot the
plai, stud the elds almost like a forest that
has been selectively cut. My head swivels.
There is no one single view.
Everywhere I looked there was another,
different arrangement of pagodas. A sea
of stones, dull brown brick mounds, rich
red brick structures with sandstone carved
facings, soaring whitewashed brick buildings,
some topped with golden domes: 4,000 builtover 200 years. Only 2,000 remain, many
crumbling, in various stages of collapse,
some completely rebuilt after the earthquake
of 1975. But none the less powerful for their
disrepair. I ran through all my superlatives
and there are no words left to describe the
power and the majesty, the peace and the
silence of this magic place.
In all the wonderment, there was an
unexpected surprise. I had read about the
architecture of the Ananda Temple and the
legend of its building. Eight Indian monks
visited King Kyanzittha and told him of theirimaginary cave temple in the Himalayas. They
were able to make the mythical landscape
appear to the king who, so inspired, decided
to build a replica of the snow covered cave
right there in central Burma.
Ananda is in the shape of a perfect Greek
cross. At the centre of the inner cube stand
four large Buddhas, each set back in a sort of
vestibule, facing the cardinal points. There are
two high vaulted corridors running parallel to
each other along the four sides of the temple.
Two tiers of small windows high along thethick walls provide dim illumination from
above.
All along the tall walls of the corridors are
innumerable honeycombed niches containing
Buddha images. One’s eye is drawn by the
light at the end of the corridors, led on and
around as in a perfectly symmetrical maze. It
is in this perfect symmetry that a deep sense
of satisfaction lies. Even as one’s eyes are
drawn up, or to the end of a corridor, one feels
perfectly serene and centred. Crowded with
Buddhas, there is a feeling of space, indeed
immense space.
Though a completely and profoundly
Buddhist temple, I felt myself in a Gothic
cathedral. The glory of Ananda, thoroughly
its own, is also that of Chartres. The golden
age of Pagan commenced in 1044 whenAnawrahta ascended the throne and started
a temple building binge that lasted 200 years,
until the threat of Kublai Khan caused its
al declie. What could the 11 kigs who
reigned in this period have known of Gothic
architecture? What sort of coincidence is it
that more than 600 major churches rose in
France in the same time frame, 1170-1270?
Of course, there is no connexion, no
coincidence, and yet there is every connexion
on the spiritual plane. One is always climbing
up to and looking up in Buddhist templesand pagodas, but Ananda, and several of the
other temples that were inspired by its design,
has a different, lofty, spacious air. Kings and
ordinary people (who can afford to) build
pagodas or repair them in order to gain merit
towards the next life. King Kyanzittha must
have attained instant Nirvana!
I use the words temple and pagoda
interchangeably, but in fact they are different.
A pagoda usually houses a relic of the Buddha
and has a solid centre. A temple is constructed
to house images of the Buddha and is more
a place for meditation. Pagodas often havetemples surrounding them, while many
temples, such as Ananda, are surrounded by
small stupas and pagodas.
Across the plain rumble the ox carts, hauling
water from the river as they have been doing
for thousands of years, the driver dozinglazily against the water tank, as I saw them
drawing the water early that morning. The
main means of transport around Pagan is the
horse and cart. Biblical images abound. The
tracks are deep dust. Exotic birds are at home
in the scrubby trees, pigs wander loose along
the main road.
Whe I rst visited Paga i 1988, there
were only a handful of visitors at any given
time, one of the pleasant results of Burma’s
self-imposed isolation. Returning in 2013,
there were more hotels, more cars and minivans, a few more paved roads, and many
more tourists. But the ox cart driver was still
drawing water. There will always be quiet
corners and more unexplored temples. The
tranquillity and reverence engendered by this
site will survive in the new Burma.
Minnie is a long time member of TAASA. She gardens
in Kurrajong and writes about Asia and Antarctica.
F
26 T A A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 2 N O . 3
THATBYINNYU TEMPLE, PAGAN. PHOTO: MINNIE KENT BIGGS
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Raffles and the Golden Opportunity
Victoria Glendinning
Profile Books, 2012
RRP AUS$45; hardcover, 349pp
In an early paragraph of the introduction
to her recent biography of Sir Stamford
Rafes (1781-1826), Rafes and the Golden
Opportunity , Victoria Glendinning states that
the book seeks to demythologise him without
diminishing him, adding that he was not a
genius but, like all ambitious visionaries, he
had a streak of geius. Rafes is the suject
of a substantial body of literature, whichcommenced with his own The History of Java in
two volumes published in London by Black,
Parbury & Allen and John Murray in 1817.
Glendinning’s contribution is the most recent
addition to this literature. These two titles are
separated by seven other noteworthy studies
published between 1897 and 1999 of which
C.E.Wurtzburg’s 1984 edition of Rafes of the
Eastern Isles is twice the length of Glendinning.
Glediig traces Rafes’s life from his irth
in 1781, aboard a West Indiaman, the Ann , off
Port Morant on the Jamaican coast, to his deathin London in 1826 at the age of 45. He was one
of a family of ve, havig four sisters, ad
attended the Mansion House Boarding School
in London where a number of famous men
were educated. He otaied his rst jo as a
`extra clerk’, a post created in the late 1700s to
help deal with an increased work-load at East
India House. Having studied hard in his spare
time, he was posted to Penang (then known as
Prince of Wales Island) in 1804 where he was
promoted to Assistant Secretary to the island’s
Presidency. His mastery over the Malay
language led to his appointment as translator
to the Government of India. He was appointed
Lieutenant Governor of Java in 1811 and, in
1817, was promoted to Governor of Bencoolen,a British possession in Sumatra based in the
area of what is now Bengkulu City.
Rafes’s cocer with the regioal domiatio
of the India-China trade by the Dutch led
to his belief that the most effective way to
challenge them was by the establishment of a
new British base in the region. He convinced
the then governor of the East India Company
of the necessity and reached an agreement
with the newly recognised Sultan of Johore to
establish a trading post on Singapore Island.
The agreemet was ratied with a treaty o
6 February 1819 that formalised the creationof Sigapore city. Rafes moved to Sigapore
in 1822 and left to return to England in 1823.
Glediig descries Rafes’s role as
Lieutenant Governor of Java, but also draws
attention to his non-political achievements.
These include his The History of Java and
his map of Singapore. In the opinion of The
Edinburgh Review of 1818 and 1819, in two
review articles of The History of Java, the
latter was `the best ever compiled’. These
achievements also included the compilation
of a collection of natural history specimens– plats, shells, shes, irds, small aimals –
ad life-like drawigs of fruits ad owers
by a Macau Chinese. Much of this collection
was lost i a re aoard the ship Fame during
its journey to England. However the animal
survivors of the ship-oard re provided
the initial denizens of the Zoological Society
of Lodo of which Rafes ecame the rst
chairman and president.
Rafes and the Golden Opportunity is
thoroughly referenced by a comprehensive 8
page bibliography, is supported by endnotes
to each of its 15 chapters and a meticulous
index and includes two sections of glossy
colour plates. However, despite its detailedreferencing, a basic geographical error occurs
on page 16 where Penang is described as
lying 250 miles southward of Malacca rather
than vice versa! This error probably accounts
for the statements that on page 45 ̀ on leaving
Penang, he and Olivia sailed up the coast to
Malacca’, ad o page 49 that Rafes `was
rushed back down the coast to Penang’.
To this reviewer a minor irritant is created by
what is undoubtedly a contemporary practice
in publishing layout where lines of print are
justied y the reakig ad hypheatio
of last words in a line rather than by a slightvariation of word spacing. Page 38 alone
has 9 examples of awkward end-of-line
hyphenations such as misrepresenta-tion,
tran-scribe, lan-guage and recom-mendation.
Glendinning’s particular contribution to the
sustatial literature o Rafes is i providig
a concise biography which recounts his career
chronologically. Each of the 15 chapters is
devoted to a short time period commencing
with Rafes’s irth i 1781 to his death from a
brain haemorrhage in 1826.
Philip Courtenay is a retired academic and occasional
freelance writer, with a special interest in Southeast
Asian ceramics.
BOOK REVIEW: A B IOGRAPHY OF RAFFLES
Philip Courtenay
A revived program of activity for TAASA in
Victoria was triggered by a successful event
at Mossgreen Gallery in South Yarra on
Tuesday evening, 18 June. About 30 members
and guests attended a private preview of the
extensive ceramics on offer at Mossgreen’s
Asian sale, conducted the following day.
TAASA member and ceramics collector, Dr John Yu, travelled from Sydney to introduce
the works on offer while TAASA’s President,
Gillian Green, and a number of Sydney as
well as Melbourne based members of the
TAASA Committee also attended. Asian
art expert Ray Tregaskis kindly remained
throughout the evening to offer interesting
insights into some of the more unusual
pieces on offer and to answer queries from
the group.
TAASA VICTORIA CERAMICS EVENT, 18 June 2013.
JOHN YU (L) AND RAY TREGASKIS WITH TAASA
MEMBERS AT MOSSGREEN GALLERY. PHOTO: GILL GREEN
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amily, friends and colleagues gathered in
Newtown, Sydney on 11 July to farewell
Dr Heleanor Feltham, who died peacefully in
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after combating
myeloma and then suffering complications
from a fall. Heleanor was a great friend and
an exceptional scholar who contributed
substantially to Sydney’s intellectual life, in
particular in the area of Asian arts.
As is well known to our long time members,
Heleanor was one of the four Powerhouse
Museum staff members who dreamed theoriginal dream of forming a society devoted
to deepening our understanding of and
promoting the arts of Asia. The Asian Arts
Society of Australia was thus born in 1992,
with Heleanor as the inaugural editor of our
journal TAASA Review and me as her assistant.
It is largely thanks to Heleanor’s initial vision
that the Review so happily marries scholarship
with readability and it has gone from strength
to stregth uder successive editors. A prole
of Heleanor, based on an in-depth interview
with her, was published in the TAASA Review
of December 1994 and she provided her own
recollections of TAASA’s history in the special“gold” 20th anniversary issue of December
2011. Her numerous writings for the Review
covered such diverse topics as Sasanian silks,
lion rugs and nomadic jewellery as well as
proles, editorials ad lm reviews.
Heleanor was born in Newcastle, where she
very early on developed a lasting love for cats
and chinoiserie. An unordinary childhood in
Papua New Guinea, where her companions
were more often traders, plantation owners
and anthropologists than children her own
age, helped establish Heleanor’s abidinginterest in the exotic and eccentric. More
interested in comparative mythology and
Shakespeare than regular childhood pursuits,
Heleanor was an unusual child who was
already writing poetry and was committed
to being a writer. Today many of Heleanor’s
friends treasure the poems she periodically
sent them.
Working in the University of New South
Wales library and studying part time,
Heleanor gained an honours degree in
English literature in the mid 1960s, by which
time she had married riey ad give irthto her daughter Madeleine. Moving on to an
MA in post war Australian poetry, Heleanor
however found herself going down an
increasingly narrow tunnel into specialisation.
This was anathema to her and, looking
around for broader options, Heleanor realised
that there was only one place in Sydney “and
possibly in the whole of Australia” where her
encyclopaedic knowledge would be put to
good use: the old Museum of Applied Arts
and Sciences with its extraordinarily diverse
collection of cultural icons.
Joining the staff of the Museum as Education
Ofcer, Heleaor was i her elemet: “I got to
do everything I loved doing... whatever we hadon display, I could produce a one to two hour
program on it. It was a wonderful, glorious
licence to research anything I chose.” Heleanor’s
passionate interest in all aspects of human
culture endured as a central force in her life and
was part of what made her such a remarkably
inventive and valuable museum worker as well
as an endlessly diverting companion.
With her prodigious memory and famously
insightful observations she was one of the
intellectual mainstays of the Museum and
its educational programs. Heleanor moved
with enviable ease between the Museum’svastly different but essentially interconnected
disciplines. She thought broadly and deeply
and understood the pivotal role of design and
the interrelationships between the arts and
sciences. She drew freely and effectively on
literary references for science projects, but also
encouraged curatorial staff to consider steam
engines as inspiration for the visual arts and
Wedgwood displays as relevant to science
students.
While equally at home in wildly diverse
disciplines, Heleanor had a particular passionfor textiles and for Asian art and cultures.
Sharing these with her brought us many
opportunities to work together, including three
exhibitions and their associated publications. A
more loyal, stimulating and stalwart colleague
one could not wish for; Heleanor gave
generously of her knowledge, challenged us all
constantly, and was utterly uncompromising
in her advocacy for the visitor. She devised an
astonishingly diverse and entertaining range
of programs, seminars and workshops for
the Museum. Too numerous to list, highlights
must include her own exhibition on trade In
the Eastern manner in 1980, the great Tibetanmadala that grew stoe y stoe o the oor
of the Turbine Hall and set an enduring record
for visitor numbers.
On retiring from the Museum in 2003,
Heleanor enrolled almost immediately in
the PhD program in International Studies at
the University of Technology in Ultimo. Not
surprisingly, given her enduring passion forcats and the Silk Roads, her topic focused on
transformation of meaning in the iconography
of the Asiatic lion. Freedom to exercise her
formidable intellect in charting the course of
these beautiful felines brought Heleanor one
of the happiest periods of her life.
Heleanor Feltham was without doubt one
of a kind, intellectually gifted but down to
earth, loving and loyal, her greatest joys were
always Madeleine and her grandson Patrick.
She was also an avid collector of the rare,
the quirky and the beautiful, especially the
eye-catching jewellery she wore with suchgreat air. Heleaor’s ucay aility to
d the lurkig gem i a pile of otherwise
unremarkable detritus was legendary.
Farewell dear Heleanor and thank you - we
will miss your wit and wisdom very much.
Christina Sumner OAM was formerly Principal
Curator Design & Society, Powerhouse Museum.
H E L E A N O R F E L T H A M ( 1 9 4 2 – 2 0 1 3 )
Christina Sumner
F
HELEANOR FELTHAM. PHOTO: MARINCO KOJDANOVSKI
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R E C E N T T A A S A A C T I V I T I E S
VISIT TO THE JOHN SPATCHURST
COLLECTION, 27 July 2013
TAASA is very grateful to members who
graciously allow us to view their collections
and enjoy the host’s recollections, expertise and
advice. This was clearly the case with a visit to
John Spatchurst’s collection. John, the TAASA
Review’s original designer, has an eclectic
collection of objects superbly integrated into
every corner of his living space. Pride of place,
perhaps, is afforded a large 17/18th century
cast brass mukhalinga used as a covering for
a stone lingam. But the collection ranges fromIndian miniature paintings, Burmese lacquer
boxes, village kitchen chapatti rollers and very
interesting examples of beautifully crafted
colonial furniture pieces. A second viewing is
planned for those on an extensive waiting list –
please see TAASA Members’ Diary.
Gill Green
TAASA CERAMICS STUDY GROUP
EVENTS
Josefa Green
KOREAN BUNCHEONG WARE &
THE WORK OF CONTEMPORARYKOREAN-AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC
ARTIST, WON-SEOK KIM
11 June 2013
Held at COFA in Paddington, this event
provided us with a deeper understanding
of Korean Buncheong ware from both an
historical and contemporary perspective.
Powerhouse Museum’s Min- Jung Kim’s
introductory talk focused on the relatively
short period of productio - i the rst half
of the Joseon dynasty - of this unpretentious
but distinctive ware, later so favoured by the
Japanese for use in tea ceremony.
This brief historical review in turn provided
an excellent introduction to the contemporary
work of our guest ceramic artist, Won-seok
Kim. Conducted in the form of an interview
with Min-Jung, Won-seok gave us a sincere
account of what inspires him and how he
goes about producing his spectacular pots. He
talked about producing work which draws on
strongly developed traditional technical skills,
but which is free to follow where the clay leads
him, inspired by Australian materials and
landscapes. The group was clearly entranced
by the ceramic objects, mainly plates and bowls, which Won-seok generously brought
for this event. Finally, we were able to handle
a number of pieces of Buncheong ware and
Japanese tea wares inspired by these Korean
prototypes.
ALL FIRED UP: Peter Rushforth, potter
18 July 2013
Members of the TAASA Ceramics Study Group
were privileged to be offered a private tour of
this stunning exhibition held at the National
Trust’s S.H. Ervi Gallery: the rst major
retrospective of Peter Rushforth’s work since
1985. We were welcomed by the Director of the
S.H. Ervin Gallery, Jane Watters and then taken
through the main aspects of Peter Rushforth’swork by ceramicist Ann-Marie Jackson. Her
talk aly summarised the mai iueces o
Rushforth’s work and how this developed over
time; it was particularly helpful in outlining
the different techniques and materials which
Rushforth used to achieve his remarkable pots.
Co-ordinated by the AGNSW’s Natalie Wilson,
this major exhibition of over 100 pieces was not
only a sheer pleasure to experience but offered
an overview of a lifetime of work by one of our
most famous ceramic artists.
TAASA TEXTILE STUDY GROUP EVENTS
Sarong Kebaya – Plain Women’s Work?
8 May 2013Marianne Hulsbosch took an enticing view
of the breathtaking patterns and designs,
delicate embroidery and tantalizing colour
of Indonesian sarongs. She explored how
Peranakan woman have used their sewing
needle as a device in search of social, cultural,
economic and political distinction. By
T A A S A M E M B E R S ’ D I A R Y
SEPTEMBER 2013 - DECEMBER 2013
Inner Asia symposium -
Saturday 7 September, 10am – 4.15pmPowerhouse Museum, Sydney in associationwith MAHRS.Please see full brochure with this issue.
A Sydney private collection viewing ofartefacts, furnishings and ritual objects, mainlyfrom India - Saturday 21 SeptemberDue to demand, John Spatchurst has kindlyagreed to reopen his house for TAASA members. Sessions available at 10.30 am or 1.30 pm.$20 includes refreshments. Numbers limited.
Ruth Hadlow: Unpacking my Library: TextileTales from West Timor Wednesday 9 October, 6-8 pmCollege of Fine Arts, Oxford Street, Sydney.
This event is in lieu of the usual October TextileStudy Group meeting. TAASA members only.$20 includes light refreshments.
TAASA end-of-year partyWednesday 4 December 6-8 pmKorean Cultural Centre, Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
For further details on all above events andto book, contact Ann Guild at [email protected] or 02 9460 4579.
TAASA IN VICTORIAPrivate Melbourne collection viewing witha particular focus on the Himalayas andMongolia - 3 October, 6–8pmRefreshments provided. $20.00 at the doorfor members, $25 for guests. Address provided
on RSVP.
From Beginner to Expert Symposium4 November, 9.30am – 12.30pmMossgreen Gallery, 926 High Street, ArmadaleFollowing its Sydney success, we will berunning a half day version of this symposiumat Mossgreen’s new premises. Speakersinclude Paul Sumner, Managing Director,Mossgreen Auctions on state of the market forAsian artworks and Sydney collector, ToddSunderman, on his journey from beginnercollector to expert dealer in antique west Tibetanfurniture. Further details TBA. ContactAnn Guild at [email protected] 02 9460 4579.
End of year celebration, TBA To be held at the new premises of the JoshuaMcLelland Print Room and RathdowneGalleries, 310 Rathdowne Street, North Carlton.For more information: [email protected].
TAASA TEXILE STUDY GROUPAll meetings held at the Curatorial Café,Powerhouse Museum, Sydney 6-8pm.
Wednesday 11September - Shared Passions:Textiles of Central Asia: Following theenthusiasm shown for Central Asian textiles atour July meeting, Margaret White will lead a“Show & Tell” evening. Members are invited to bring along their Central Asian textiles to shareor to d out more aout them with the group.
November: TBA – please check the TAASAwebsite early October.
Refreshments provided. $10 members; $15 nonmembers. Email enquiries to Helen Perry [email protected].
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PETER RUSHFORTH EXHIBITION. PHOTO. J.GREEN
ROSS LANGLANDS DISPLAYING A 20TH CENTURY
BATIK HIP WRAPPER. PHOTO: ROSALIE PAINO
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