There has been a sort of agreement--at least since the 19th Century--that architecture deals with space. Space is the subject of our discussion herewith.
When, say, Le Corbusier used the term "l'espace," he actually implied a spatial conception, or perception, that differs from what would be termed by, say, Mies van der Rohe as "raum."
True, we tend to apply and translate the terms "l'espace" and "raum" as if they shared the same perception or conception. In Indonesia, we always translate "space," "l'espace" and "raum" as "ruang."
However, via Foucault, we know that knowledge is not one. The idea, conception or perception of space is not one either. "Raum" and "space/l'espace" denote rather different ideas, perceptions or conceptions.
What we are lacking of in Indonesia is an understanding of our own idea(s), conception(s) or perception(s) of "ruang." At architecture schools throughout the archipelago we always teach space (should I type "space"?) in Western term(s).
This discussion is not intended to discredit the West, or to discard anything Western. The discussion is intended to find, discover, or perhaps define the spatial conception of "ruang," as well as other spatial conceptions as found or discovered in Nusantara. For instance, what would be the spatial conception of the Javanese or Batak? Or, what would be the spatial conceptions or perceptions of "ruang," perhaps before and after the Poedjangga Baroe era (yes, it is still a far-fetched probability. But who knows?)?
Please share your thoughts. Thank you (moderator, Mohammad Nanda Widyarta)
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Is it possible to draw a hard line between western and eastern in how they comprehend space? If it is possible then in which level the differences emerge? Plato's concept of Chora or Heidegger's four-folds concept of raum maybe differ in anthroplogical and cultural sense but I guess depict a spatial operation that might work everywhere. I am wondering whether how we understand space is similar to how myth are understood by people of many ethnic and culture (referring to Joseph campbell' heroes of thousand faces'). (apologize for creating more complexity :P)
1.
In my own reading on Tschumi's "Architecture and Disjunction", among other things, he actually tries to (un) or (re)-define the traditional (western) notion of space by suggesting the importance of 'event'. The thesis, in my opinion, tries to say that space is dependent on event or vice versa. It tries to open broader (if not universal) opening to interpretation of 'space'.
2.
Approaching the hypothesis brought up by M.N. Widyarta, the etymology of "pasar" is probably the most immediate approach to the topic. Thanks to the contemporary differentiated uses of the words "pasar", "bazaar", "market", and "marketplace". In modern (Western?) architecture, a market is mostly associated with a facility, a building of particular uses and properties or particular place dedicated as an exchange facility. Thus we often use "marketplace"
instead of simply "market". According to this view, market is a place, a space with properties, a locus. In contrary, in Nusantara "pasar" is not market in former sense. Pasar (transliterated into English as "bazaar") addressed more as a temporal activity. The
stressing is not that pasar is "taking place" but rather "taking time". Therefore, we have "Pasar
Minggu", "Pasar Senen", and so on. Pasar, according to Prof. J. Widodo (he probably cited previous studies), was also originated from "pekan" or "week", 7 days. So we have "Pekan Raya" or "Pekan Baru" as well as "Pasar Raya" and "Pasar Baru". And it was popularly used in Sumatra/ Malay-speaking areas. So pasar indicates a weekly temporal trading and buying activity. Before the Dutch institutionalized pasar as an urban building infrastructure, was never a building. It was a shed at
best, and never permanently developed in 'western' (modern?) notion of market. (cung)
how do we know that such notion (pasar) is never developed in western? (where is actually the edge between west and east?) how we can be sure that deep in the middle of Europe there is no such similar notion (pasar) has been developed?
Pasar dlm bahasa Jawa, tidak identik betul dengan pekan dalam bahasa Indonesia/Melayu, meskipun pasar dalam kromo-inggil Jawa adalah: peken. Di Jawa ada istilah: sepasar, artinya 5 hari, yakni: paing, pon, wage, kliwon, legi (disebut pasaran). Pada masa dulu, pasar dibuka sesuai pasarannya, ada pasar paing, pasar pon, pasar wage, pasar kliwon dan pasar legi.
Ini juga ada kaitannya dengan arah atau keblat. Pasaran paing berkedudukan di selatan. Pasaran pon berkedudukan di barat. Pasaran wage berkedudukan di utara. Pasaran legi berkedudukan di Timur. Pasaran kliwon berkedudukan di tengah/pancer.
Pasar tersebut biasanya juga dibagi sesuai kebutuhan, misalnya pasar paing untuk pasar kebutuhan sehari-hari, pasar kliwon untuk pasar hewan, pasar wage untuk pasar kebutuhan temporal seperti pakaian, perhiasan dan lain-lain.
Pasaran biasanya dipasangkan dengan hari, sehingga ada: senin paing, rabu legi, jumat wage dan sebagainya, yang biasanya berulang setelah selapan (misal: dari senin paing ke senin paing lagi) sekitar 35 hari.
Pedagang juga punya hari-hari naas di mana dia tidak mau berdagang, misalnya hari kematian bapaknya (geblage bapake) adalah: rabu kliwon, maka dia tidak akan berdagang pada hari rabu kliwon itu. Atau kematian kakeknya (geblage mbahe) adalah kamis paing, dia tidak mau berdagang atau bertransaksi pada hari kamis paing itu.
Masih dalam kaitan dengan arah/keblat, ini bisa dihubungkan dengan konsep: ”keblat papat, limo pancer” (empat arah mata angin, yang kelima adalah pancer/pusat tempat berdiri). Pasar dibuat agar bisa bergerak/melayang, berubah waktu, berubah pula tempatnya. Ketika pasaran pon, ada di pasar pon, ketika pasaran legi, ada di pasar legi. Sehingga pasar tidak pernah tetap tempat dan waktunya. Pasar Jawa adalah pasar yang melayang. Seperti burung yang hinggap dari dahan ke dahan. Maka ketika hari-hari geblag (jatuh ke belakang), ada pedagang yang tak mau berdagang, karena takut geblag (jatuh, mati), tidak bisa melayang lagi.
Pasar tidak menempati/menduduki ruang dan waktu secara tetap. Tetapi meminjam dan dikembalikan lagi, meminjam dan dikembaikan lagi, begitu seterusnya sesuai pasaran-nya. Bisa dikatakan: menduduki empat arah mata angin dan pusat secara bergiliran setiap 5 hari sekali. Mungkin karena waktu itu penduduk masih jarang, sehingga perlu decentering keramaian juga, lalu disiasati dengan pasar dan pasaran.
I agree to Anas description that the concept of pasar might had practical reason (which I think most likely is the initial idea) to distribute goods equally in different and vast areas.
Therefore it is natural that there is always an evolution of meaning of among Javanese responsing to their everyday necessity through times and events.
At present the term `Javanese` is also already an over-simplification and an over-generalization term. since Javanese who lives in the urban environment and Javanese who live in the rural environment must have a different comprehension of concept of space. (coastal and inland?).
So who knows, nowadays, there is no distinction anymore on the concept of space for some Javanese with another people in another places of this world.
I think, “Javanese” is not over-simplification. In Nusantara, “Javanese” is a specific entity, to distinguish with Balinese, Sundanese, etc. And when we use term “Javanese”, automatically refers to: Javanese in Mataraman (vorstenlanden, Jogjakarta and Surakarta kingdom area) and around, not Arek-Javanese in “tapal kuda” far-east Java, not Tengger-Javanese in Bromo Mountain, not Samin-Javanese in border of Blora-Bojonegoro, not Pesisir-Javanese in northern coastal between Gresik and Cirebon. That’s in “place” context.
I also talk about general “Javanese” in social context. Clifford Geertz distinguished Javanese in three parts: “santri”, “priyayi” and “abangan”. The concept of paing-pon-wage-kliwon-legi was popular around priyayi and abangan people, santri-Javanese may be not familiar (or not believe) with its concept. But, I prefer term “Javanese” than priyayi/abangan-Javanese. More effective.
David, I "rather" disagree to your statement in last paragraph :-) In my opinion, Nusantara have distinctive concept of space with another places in the world. If we seek generalization, the western concept nowadays have become general. We never explore Nusantara concept of space with local strength, we always borrow “import hoe” to excavate our land. And “cilakak”, we guess the hoe is ours.
sorry for my bad English, mr. moderator and all…
I have never said that we need to refer to western concept. What I disagree is that the paradigm which try to see this discourse as west against east :)
It is an oversimplification if we want to look Javanese as a subject not as an ethnic. I believe that how we perceive and understand is a subjective operation even if there are some resemblance in some group of people who have similar context (place, historical background, cultural etc).
Yes, this discourse should not be about "us" against "them." But, it is rather intended to show that the paradigm is not one.
Without intending to break up the current discussion (which may be continued), should we also consider that one may not really be in a state of being, but rather in a state of becoming?
For instance, the notion of "Javanese" that has been brought up hereupon. The notion of "Javanese," even when it is restricted to vorstenlanden (around Yogya-Solo) region, may not be one; for it may shift over-time and perhaps over-space. So may the notion of "space" or "ruang" be.
allow me to launch another issue, an issue that MNWidyarta's blog is intended: space
In Indonesian language it is 'ruang', a term that both I and Gunawan Tjahjono a couple of years ago questioning:"what is the root of 'ruang'?" Also with Gunawan Tjahjono, I was questioned by him, is there a jawanese term for'space'? Having exhaustively search the dictionaries, I find that there is no exact term for 'space' in jawanese. There is 'rong', which is a hole where cricket and the like lives; the bigger one is called 'song', also for animal to live in.
two masters' thesis on Dewa Ruci which are trying to locate 'space' in jawanese also find that idea and concept of such a 'space' was not found.
How can we do about space in jawanese architecture? what architecture will say if such a space is not known in jawanese architecture, is it still architecture?
If there is a notion of "rong" and the notion of "song," is there really not a spatial notion where humans dwell in Javanese?
What would the Javanese say (i.e., what term would they use) when they want to express spatial entity where humans dwell?
If there is no such spatial notion, then yes, one may want to judge that Javanese architecture is not architecture. However, that would hold only when one stubbornly sticks to exclusively Western conception of architecture.
And yet, this discussion should try to stay away from such exclusivism.
Perhaps we should proceed by discussing on how Javanese (or Javanese architecture) perceives "space." Yet, when we say "space" hereby, it does not have to be in obedient manner toward any widely-read architecture text books. Again, should there be any rule in this discussion, that would be: knowledge is not one.
BTW, about the two master theses mentioned (about Dewa Ruci), how did they try to locate "space" in Javanese? Is it possible that when they say "space," they were being too obedient to the conception of space mentioned in widely-read textbooks, hence the failure to locate "space" in Javanese?
I am not trying to trash any widely-read textbooks. We may simply need to explore further, beyond the stated concept(s) of "space" mentioned in any widely-read textbooks.
rengkek-c17 said about space, ruang and rong. There is a significant correlation between ruang and rong. Several words in Indonesian language (that use vocal “ua”) are synonymous with words in Javanese language (that use vocal “o”). for examples: “puasa” and “poso” (fasting) , “muat” and “mot” (load). I guess, “rong” almost have same meaning with “ruang” (asymmetrical synonym?)
in about 1980’s, my family and neighbours (in kediri, east java) called the rooms (especially 3 main rooms in griya/dalem) in our homes with term: “sarong” (before familiar with term “kamar”).
“Sarong” mean = in one “rong” (like “saomah” = in one “omah”/home). Rong is not only hole where cricket etc. live, but also where Javanese people live (?)
If "rong" also denotes where people live, or dwell, then what defines a "rong"?
physical cavities?? :)
oops sorry. should use singular instead of plural. Cavity :)
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