The charms of art-deco architecture in Bandung

The charms of art-deco architecture in Bandung

By Mauro P. Rahardjo

BANDUNG (JP): In 1990 the Bandung Heritage Society sent
representatives to attend the First International Art Deco
Conference in Miami, U.S.A. This group of people, concerned with
the conservation of buildings in Bandung presented the potential
of art deco buildings in Bandung. There are over 500 old
buildings in Bandung that need attention and about half of them
(of which the majority have art deco characteristics) meet the
criteria for conservation. Bandung is thought to have the largest
number of Art Deco buildings of all Indonesian cities.

Art Deco started to gain public recognition in 1925, when the
Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels
Modernes was held in Paris, between April and October of that
year. The years following the 1925 Paris Exposition saw art deco
ideas and output borrowed, refined and adapted for numerous other
buildings. No preceding world fair was to have quite the same
impact and influence that that one did. In Holland, De Stijl was
the ruling architectural style. It was in line with the art deco
movement in its concern with exposing technological development
in designs. The influence did not stop in the Netherlands, as
Dutch architects brought art deco to its colony, the Netherlands
Indies.

After Bandung was given the Gemeente, or municipality, status
in 1906, the city was cultivated as a colonial city. In Bandung,
many art deco buildings were constructed between 1920 and 1940.
That is why the style was also called the inter-war style --
referring to the period between the two World Wars. Many of the
finest Colonial buildings in Bandung were built during this
period.

Many wealthy Dutch plantation managers chose to build their
vacation homes in Bandung and with their houses came the shops
and restaurants along Braga street (which was then known as
Bragadern). They also decided to have a recreation building for
an exclusive club, known as Concordia Societet, which later
became the Asia Africa Building (Gedung Merdeka). The lure of
Bandung had attracted many tourists and, in turns, hotel such as
the Savoy Homman, the Preanger, the Villa Isola, and the
Wilhelmina (now the Braga) were built.

What is art deco then? What are its characteristics?

The term art deco itself is difficult to define. Patricia
Bayer, in her book Art Deco Architecture (1992), explains that
"art deco" refers to a decorative style at once traditional and
innovative, which absorbed influences from a variety of sources
and movements and introduced a whole range of new or improved
materials into the vocabulary of architecture. Art deco
architecture was an architecture of ornament, geometry, energy,
retrospection, optimism, color, texture, light and at times even
symbolism.

The explanation above is not yet clear, and for laymen it is
still vague. What are art deco buildings like? How can we
identify an art deco building?

Ron Facius, a writer on art deco, admitted that art deco has
such a variety of expressions, from many sources and influences,
that it is difficult to say whether specific objects can be
categorized as art deco, since they may not appear to fit the
common perception of the style. However, Facius says there are at
least four kinds of art deco buildings that can be distinguished:
Ornamented or Floral Deco, Zigzag Deco, Greco Deco and Streamline
Deco.

Ornamented or Floral Deco employs surface decoration based on
organic forms which for centuries have been an essential element
of style. Zigzag Deco takes its name from the stepped lightning
flash that symbolizes the new and exciting potential of
electrical energy and power to turn night into day. Greco Deco
depicts the new spirit of independence and freedom which mani
fested itself in the Twentieth Century; paradoxically, in both
the machine and in the back-to-nature movement. Streamline Deco
combines influences of Bauhaus design principles and the
discovery of the effects of streamline shaping on speeding
objects, and produced a whole new concept of modern design which
reduced the decorative elements to a bare minimum, yet still
built upon the geometrically-based patterns of deco.

It is interesting to note that, in Bandung, there are far more
public than private buildings designed in the art deco style.
Among the four kinds of art deco mentioned above, Streamline Deco
is most significant. The use of art deco in building design in
Bandung started in 1915 (only about six years after its advent in
Europe) and these early examples can be found along Jl. Asia-
Afrika. These buildings bear icons which suggest speed and
mechanization, particularly the strongly-expressed horizontal
axis. However, the peak of the Art Deco style in buildings was
achieved when the Preanger (designed by Wolff Schoemaker) was
built in 1929.

The influence of International Style in the Netherlands early
this century was strong. It was particularly true in terms of
functionalism. Architects, such as A.F. Albers, who designed the
Savoy Homann hotel in 1939 brought together the spirit of
functionalism and art deco. The hotel, located on Jl. Asia-
Afrika, expresses plasticity, simplicity and strong horizontal
stream lining. According to Dibyo Hartono, a member of the
Bandung Heritage Society, this building is full of ornaments.
However the painting of the building has obscured many of the
intended ornaments. The entrance shows splendid decorative
elements and the interior has even more decorative elements with
reliefs and floor motifs.

The art deco buildings along Braga street are mostly shops and
restaurants, hidden behind billboards, and it is not easy to
recognize them. However, if one takes a careful, closer look, the
decorations along the building facades are really gorgeous. Ateng
Wahyudi, a former mayor of Bandung, once proposed that the art
deco buildings be revealed for the enjoyment of pedestrians.
Surprisingly, the shops' owners agreed with the idea but,
unfortunately, nothing ever came of it. If such a plan is
implemented at some stage, it will enliven what are currently
quiet trading conditions.

Characteristics

Along Jl. Asia-Afrika and Jalan Jendral Sudirman, many
buildings have dominant stream line characteristics. Among them
are the Badan Koordinasi Pelaksana Daerah Inpres, The Lido Shop
building on the corner of Jl. Asia Afrika and Jl. Tamblong, the
Maskapai Asuransi Independence building, the P.T. Suryana Megah
Lestari building. Of course, the street's greatest art deco
monuments are the Gedung Asia-Afrika, also known as Gedung
Merdeka, the Savoy Homman hotel and the Preanger hotel.

Some new buildings have also been built in the art deco style.
Sadly, some historical buildings, such as the Singer building,
have been demolished.

The charm of art deco in Bandung is still strong, but the
number of its art deco buildings is diminishing for two reasons:
demolition and the reconstruction of the buildings' facades. With
more and more art deco buildings disappearing, it is time for the
local administration to take an action.

One way to do it would be to engage in revitalization and or,
alternatively, revivalism. The term "to revitalize" can be
defined as "giving new strength or power to"; this would entail
revealing now-hidden art deco elements on the facades of old
buildings.

The other possibility is revivalism. "Revivalism" refers to
rebirth or renewal. This could be achieved when designing new
buildings (particularly those located in areas where Art Deco
predominates) by using art deco style in the facades. Only then
will the charm of art deco in Bandung come to life again.

Dr. Mauro P. Rahardjo, an architect and now director of
Research Institute at Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung.