THE PAST IN THE PRESENT
ARCHITECTURE IN INDONESIA
Indonesian architecture is hard to define. Architecture in Indonesia is extremely multifaceted and includes influences from many cultures, ranging from India, China and the Middle East to the countries of the West. The search for the creation of an 'authentic' Indonesian' architecture has long been a topic of discussion among architects in Indonesia.
In The Past in the Present, Architecture in Indonesia renowned authors sketch a picture of the diversity in Indonesian architecture, found in both contemporary and historic buildings in the Archipelago. The main architectural traditions in Indonesia are defined in this book as modern, 'traditional' or vernacular, Islamic, Chinese, Hindu, and colonial or Indische architecture.
The Past in the Present offers a general introduction to Indonesian architecture and an intelligible description of the architectural context of Indische architecture. In order to serve this double purpose the book consists of two parts. Part one, 'Variety in Indonesian Architecture', contains a series of essays on different Indonesian architectural traditions and part tow, 'Modernity in the Tropics', presents pictures and drawings on colonial architecture from the collection of the Netherlands Architecture Institute.