Introduction to Balinese Architecture by Julian Davis Davison
For the Balinese, everything has its correct place in the world, with the gods on high, malevolent spirits in the lower regions and mankind sandwiched between the two.
Introduction to Balinese Architecture is intended to provide the visitor to Bali with a step-by-step guide to the complexities of Balinese domestic and religious architecture.
Over 180 photographs and watercolor illustrations complement a concise, informative text and help to elucidate the meaning of many of the places that visitors will see during their stay on the island.
The Balinese do not live in houses in the conventional sense of the word. Instead, they divide their daily activities between a number of different pavilions which are situated within a family compound that is secluded from the outside world by a high wall.
Although these living arrangements may seem at first to be a fairly haphazard affair, they are actually grounded in a complex metaphysical system which provides a cosmological framework for maintaining harmonious relations between man and the rest of the universe.
Family shrines in the compound are dedicated to the ancestral spirits, to the holy mountains (Mount Batur and Mount Agung), to the interpreter of the gods, etc. In the compound of noblemen, the shrines are as elaborate as village temples; in poor families, they are just small bamboo god-houses on top of split bamboo.
Each Balinese temple of the tens of thousands scattered throughout the island is like a model of the universe in miniature, reflecting Balinese assumptions about the nature of the universe and man’s place in relation to the gods, the ancestors, and the rest of the world.
Rank and social status, the needs of the village and the extended family, and the tropical climate also play a part in determining the unique architecture of the island.
The author, Julian Davis grew up in Singapore and Malaysia, but was educated in England where he earned a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. His early years instilled in him a fascination for the history and cultures of Southeast Asia. He has traveled extensively and studied architectural styles throughout the region for a number of years.
Luca Invernizzi Tettoni is a world-renowned photographer and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 20 years, specializing in photographing the cultures and landscapes of the region. He has collaborated on several books on Bali, including: Bali: Morning of the World, Balinese Gardens, and another fine book on contemporary Balinese architecture, Bali Modern.
Introduction to Balinese Architecture, text by Julian Davison, illustrations by Bruce Granquist, Mubinas Hanafi and Nengah Enu, photographs by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni, published by Periplus Editions 2003, Asian Architecture series, ISBN 0-7946-0071-9.
Available for Rp165,000 at Periplus Bookshops in the Bali Galleria and in the Matahari in Kuta, Warung Made in Seminyak, Ngurah Rai Airport (both the international and domestic terminals), Keris Gallery in Nusa Dua and in Gramedia Bookstores.
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