Representation of Multicultural Identity Through Old Houses and Displays: Case Study of Lasem, Indonesia

Authors

  • Virliany Rizqia Putri Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies, Kanazawa University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/j.vad.2023.15.2.4

Keywords:

contemporary use of heritage, cultural representation, display, Lasem, multiculturalism

Abstract

Lasem, located in Central Java, Indonesia, is an area where diverse cultural and religious groups, such as Javanese, Chinese, and Muslim communities coexist. In recent years, old houses that are considered heritage in Lasem have been revitalized and opened as commercial spaces such as guest houses, restaurants, and/or museums, displaying their collections to the public. This paper discusses cultural representation through the display of heritage buildings or artifacts. Employing qualitative methods with purposive sampling, three specific old houses located in Lasem were chosen as case studies: Rumah Oei, Rumah Merah, and Nyah Lasem. Similarities can be drawn between the three houses, in that they displayed old and new objects, combined to construct and represent the values, ideas, and meanings that are wanted to be exhibited by the exhibitors. Further research is needed to analyze the actual selections and curatorial system for the displays in each house.

References

Hall, S., The Multicultural Question [2000], Selected Writings on Race and Difference, Gilroy, P. & Gilmore, R.W., eds., Duke University Press, pp. 409?434, 2021.

Ferndez, F.O., Cuban Counterpoint, Tobacco and Sugar, Duke University Press, 1995.

Leavens, I.B., Transculturation: A Pedagogical Approach to Asian Art, Education about Asia, 09(1 (Spring 2004)), pp. 47?54, 2004.

Pratiwo, Traditional Chinese Architecture and Urban Development, Penerbit Ombak, 2010. (Text in Indonesian).

Nurhajarini, D.R., Purwaningsih, E., Fibiona, I., & Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya Yogyakarta (Indonesia), Cross-Era Acculturation in Lasem: Historical and Cultural Perspectives (From the Age of Commerce to the Present), Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya (BPNB) Yogyakarta, 2015. (Text in Indonesian).

Riyanto, S., Mochtar, A.S., Priswanto H., Alifah, & Taniardi, P., N., Lasem within the Historical Spectrum of Nusantara: An Archaeological Study, Balai Arkeologi Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, 2020. (Text in Indonesian).

Hall, S., Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices, Sage, 1997.

Vargas?Cetina, G., Representation, Politics of, The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, pp. 1?11, 2017.

Baxandall, M., Exhibiting Intention: Some Preconditions of the Visual Display of Culturally Purposeful Objects, Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, Karp, I. & Lavine, S.D., eds., Smithsonian Institution, pp. 33?41, 1991.

Lidchi, H., The Poetics and the Politics of Exhibiting Other Cultures, Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, Hall, S., eds., Sage, pp. 151?222, 1997.

Macdonald, S., The Politics of Display: Museums, Science, Culture, Routledge, 1998.

Prianti, D.D. & Suyadnya, I.W., Decolonising Museum Practice in a Postcolonial Nation: Museum?s Visual Order as the Work of Representation in Constructing Colonial Memory, Open Cultural Studies, 6(1), pp. 228?242, Sep. 2022.

Pinna, G., Introduction to Historic House Museums, Museum International, 53(2), pp. 4?9, Feb. 2001.

Young, L., Is there a Museum in the House? Historic Houses as a Species of Museum, Museum Management and Curatorship, 22(1), pp. 59?77, Apr. 2007.

Dicks, B., Culture on Display, Open University Press, 2003.

Smith, L., Uses of Heritage, Routledge, 2006.

Kwanda, T., Adaptive Reuse and Interventions of Chinese Architectural Heritage in the City of Lasem, Indonesia, International Journal of Environmental Science & Sustainable Development, 5(1), pp. 68-79, Jul. 2020.

Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, B., Objects of Ethnography, Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, Karp, I. & Lavine, S.D., eds., Smithsonian Institution, pp. 386?443, 1991.

Downloads

Published

2024-01-06

How to Cite

Putri, V. R. (2024). Representation of Multicultural Identity Through Old Houses and Displays: Case Study of Lasem, Indonesia. Journal of Visual Art and Design, 15(2), 140-152. https://doi.org/10.5614/j.vad.2023.15.2.4