Made Wijaya, a stranger in paradise<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali<\/p>\n
Entering Villa Bebek, home and office of Made Wijaya, is like
\nvisiting a Balinese family compound, with a separate and richly
\nornamented pavilion, surrounded by beautiful gardens.<\/p>\n
Born Michael White, Made Wijaya is one of the world's most
\ncelebrated tropical garden designers with about 600 gardens to
\nhis credit in locations as far away as Morocco, Hawaii, the
\ncontinental United States, Spain, India, Malaysia and Singapore,
\nWijaya is a modest person.<\/p>\n
\"I am just a writer, an artist who happens to do architectural
\nwork, interior design and tropical garden designs,\" Wijaya said.<\/p>\n
Inside the house are Wijaya and dozens of young and talented
\nartists, architects and landscape designers. All work for PT
\nWijaya, an architecture, landscape, interior design and pool
\nconsultant company. Some of them work for Wijaya Words, a
\npublishing company that produces Poleng magazine and various
\nother publications.<\/p>\n
Those who have seen and have read his work know that Wijaya is
\na multi-talented artist.<\/p>\n
His comprehensive and meticulous knowledge of Balinese
\nculture, architecture and tropical landscape design is documented
\nin a number of books that include: Stranger in Paradise,
\npreviously published as a column in the Bali Post Sunday edition
\nfrom l979-l980, and now appears in Hello Bali and his own Poleng
\nmagazine; Balinese Architecture: Towards an Encyclopedia (Wijaya
\nWords, l982); Tropical Garden Design (Wijaya Words and
\nArchipelago Press, l999); At Home in Bali (Abbeville Press); and
\nthe most recent one, Architecture of Bali (Archipelago Press and
\nWijaya Words, 2002).<\/p>\n
A day before the launch of Architecture of Bali on Nov. 23 in
\nNeka Museum, Ubud, he shared his ideas with the Post at his
\nbeautiful Villa Bebek in Sanur.<\/p>\n
\"It has been a painstaking work of around 30 years of studying
\nand documenting rich Balinese architectural masterpieces,\" he
\nsaid enthusiastically.<\/p>\n
As Wijaya wrote, \"Classic Balinese architecture is one of the
\nworld's great art forms, surviving within a culture keen on
\nadopting the latest trends from overseas.\"<\/p>\n
He commented, \"This book is not about history; it is about
\nbuilt form, an architectural style the great ethnographer Miguel
\nCovarrubias called 'a masterpiece of simplicity, ingenuity and
\ngood taste'.\"<\/p>\n
\"Since Covarrubias's famous book, The Island of Bali (l937),
\nthis is the most comprehensive documentation and literature on
\nBalinese architecture,\" he further claimed.<\/p>\n
What's more important for him is that the book launch is very
\ntimely given the wide exposure of Bali as \"a cheap, bargain,
\nexotic holiday paradise for Westerners\", and as the Oct. 12
\nbombing tragedy in Kuta may have a negative impact on the island
\nand its people.<\/p>\n
\"The book is a sort of a telling reminder to the people of
\nwhat Bali really is,\" he stressed. For him, the word Bali is
\nsynonymous with beauty -- of culture, of spirit and of form.<\/p>\n
\"I feel really disgusted when reading numerous tourist
\nbrochures promoting Bali as a surfer's paradise, as a great place
\nto live like a king at bargain prices. What terrible ads!\" he
\nsaid angrily. He said it is a form of exploitation of Bali by
\npeople who do not understand anything about Bali, its complex
\nculture and the spiritual people living on the island.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of foreigners whom he calls \"Super Bule (slang
\nfor \"white foreigner\")\" -- arrogant expatriates living on the
\nisland to seek their fortunes while being indifferent to the
\nlocal culture, religion and traditions. \"They are only
\ncarpetbaggers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I am a Bule Aga (a foreigner who deeply loves and respects
\nBali),\" he adds, similar in his approach to his adopted culture
\nlike a handful of foreign artists such as Walter Spies, Rudolf
\nBonnet and other respected scholars.<\/p>\n
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Wijaya was still a 20-year-
\nold architecture student when he traveled to Bali in l973. He has
\nmade Bali his home ever since.<\/p>\n
His Balinese name was given to him by the Brahman (Hindu High
\nPriest) Family of Ida Bagus Anom of Griya Kepaon, who welcomed
\nhim into their fold and guided his initiation into the Balinese
\nHindu religion and its complex culture.<\/p>\n
During his early years in Bali, he made a living coaching
\ntennis and as an English teacher at a local dance academy.<\/p>\n
His fascination with traditional Balinese architecture --
\nfueled further by his uncanny ability with the Balinese language
\n-- led him to study and practice first-hand with local artisans
\nand Balinese master builders, the priest-architects known as
\nundagi.<\/p>\n
His friendship with Balinese people of diverse backgrounds has
\nbeen very extensive. His closest friends include Balinese royal
\nfamilies, prominent artists, religious leaders and scholars, as
\nwell as ordinary people like Meme Disco, a satay vendor. His best
\nfriends include photographers Rio Helmi and Putu Suasta, just to
\nname a few.<\/p>\n
Wijaya has also worked closely with internationally acclaimed
\nfilmmakers like Sir David Attenborough and Sir Hardy Amis, and
\nhas collaborated with well-known architects such as Geoffrey
\nBawa, Peter Muller and Dale Keller, all of whom, he said, have a
\ndeep understanding about Bali. Among his clients is musician
\nDavid Bowie.<\/p>\n
Reading his diaries, compiled in Stranger in Paradise, is
\ninspirational as he touches upon varied subjects ranging from
\nBalinese grand royal wedding ceremonies, life-cycle rituals,
\nreligious events and funerals with an emotional intensity and a
\nclear devotion to the Balinese culture.<\/p>\n
\"I have always been very critical about things like the
\ndevelopment of the gigantic Garuda Wisnu Kencana (aimed at
\ncreating a Balinese version of the Statue of Liberty) in
\nJimbaran, or the Turtle Island development projects,\" he said.<\/p>\n
During the New Order era, he might have been called an anti-
\ndevelopment person. As an artist and environmentalist, however,
\nWijaya feels a responsibility in speaking the truth.<\/p>\n
\"Is Bali so poor that it should make architectural and
\ncultural 'gimmicks' to attract visitors?\"<\/p>\n
He blames the central government for letting Bali develop into
\nwhat it is now. \"The flood of investors and developers from
\nJakarta have more or less changed the face of Bali to its present
\ncondition,\" he said.<\/p>\n
It was the developers who \"forced\" local architects to build
\nbuildings \"according to their styles\", which Wijaya calls \"ugly,
\nsuperficial Balinese styles\".<\/p>\n
\"If you want to create something in a Balinese style, do it in
\nthe right way, and in consultation with the right persons,\" he
\nurged.<\/p>\n
Physically, he said, Bali may have changed a lot but the
\nculture, religion and tradition are still very much alive within
\nthe society.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that this book (Architecture of Bali) will help remind
\nsome, and inform many others of the wonder of traditional
\nBalinese architecture. It is arguably the most perfect
\narchitectural language, in terms of scale, beauty and
\nfunctionality that ever evolved in the tropical world.\"<\/p>\n
Does this mean he will stay in Bali for the rest of his life?<\/p>\n
\"After more than 25 years living here, my love affair with
\nBali has become very, very deep and intense,\" he said
\nthoughtfully.<\/p>\n
When the Oct. 12 bombings happened, Wijaya observed how the
\nBalinese people viewed the tragedy and faced the grievance with
\nhumility. \"I was very impressed with their patience in facing the
\nsadness,\" Wijaya said.<\/p>\n
He realized then his personal mission in the Balinese context,
\nas he saw himself as a patih (guardian) to the Barong (a sacred,
\nmythical lion-like creature), which represent the forces of good:<\/p>\n
\"I would like to be remembered as a guardian of Balinese
\nculture and architecture.\"<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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