to wander...

Funny how things just sometimes relate to each other. I remember a quote by Steve Jobs saying ' you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.'

Anyways this perticular dot connection is not as big as life changing decisions and stuff but just few days ago my tutor suggested all of us to wonder around and be inspired. Someday the things you see will be useful and we'll be able to connect the dots looking backwards. 

"Wander off. Growth often happens when you where you least expect it. It may happen gazing in E7 or witing in B6. Explore everyting, prejudge nothing. Turn left every three minuets. follow someone. Tke any bus and stay on it. Travel Broadens the mind." - welcome to art and design a series of postcards by Nigel Bents 2008

Saturday.  19 Nov 2011. 

To walk, an act of traveling  by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once. 

Nabila and I took the train to Holborn and walk from there to east london, whitechapel station precisely. Walking a opportunity to do in a city like London. To walk gives the opportunity to see things you don't see when you travel by a vehicle. The slow pace gives you the chance feel and capture. By walking you can feel the change of atmosphere between two places. Smell different odors. Feel your surroundings; The people, architecture, texture, colour and landscape. The journey was exciting, my camera make me feel like a tourist again. Never seen this side of London. I never feel like I own the city. I don't think I can call my self a Londoner because I don't really know her. Things appear and disappear most of the time and everyday you will discover new things in the city. I love London.

Have always love reflections

A self portrait

Texture has always catch my interest

London street lamps

No War

Justice court

Nabila

New street lamps

I don't know what building is this but IT'S SOOO COOL

I don't usually prefer symmetrical photographs but I really like this one because the perspective draws into St. Paul

Underground :D

postmodernism architecture?

This particular sign reminds me a lot of Paris

 The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England. It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. It was beautiful. I don't think my photographs do any justice to the building. It was beautiful I cannot stress enough. Its beautiful. Huge pipes are like arranged tentacles embracing its lover. The small spiral staircase looks like a drill knife attached to its machine. The yellow sun reflected on the smooth surface emphasize its beauty.

 I fell in Love.

The Gherkin

Blue repetition

narcissistic moments with Anish Kapoor

Gherkin view from White Chapel

Photographed and Processed by Hana Tindjau

Have a good day everybody!

Apocalypse

John Martin was a controversial but key figure in 19^th Century art. He is visionary, eccentric, populist and epic. Like what shown in the size of his canvases, this wildly dramatic artist with his vision of heaven and hell was larger than life.

This exhibition presents a spectacular vision of his, capturing the full drama of his imagination. Much of Martin’s work is ghastly, but the exhibition is still packed with highlights, the ridiculously melodramatic Belshazzar’s Feast; the terrifying power of The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum; the mezzotint prints for Milton’s Paradise Lost; the devastatingly brilliant final triptych. His works gives a huge impact like a tsunami that’s going to hit one but my gosh the exhibition was repetitive. Rooms after room are filled with never ending succession of cliffs, forests, mountains, ancient cities, mythological figures, waterfalls and lighting.

There is something about his style I cannot really understand. His painting style is realistic but the subjects are over the top and the over contrast color he use gives a very dreamy effect whilst still holding on its dramatic and scoundrel atmosphere. The artist uses bold primary colors to emphasize the atmosphere but also the subject of his work.

I adore his paintings. The artist himself was a phenomenon in his own right as he had no formal training. Yet he is one of the greatest artists in the 19^th century.  Darkness dawns. Global meltdown. Rocks burst like boiling hot lava. Nobody did the apocalypse as well or as frequently as John Martin.

If you are in London see this exhibtion before it ends at Tate Britain.

Have a great weekend 

xoxo

China

China - Mei Xien and Gui Lin

24 Sept-4 Oct 2011

Im born and raised in Indonesia but my parents are chinese. Apparently my great grandfather sail to Indonesia for better fortune. A year before my grandfather died he come 'home' and visit his homeland rebuild our ancestors cemetery. Only until this year we can travel as a big family to visit our relatives in China. Its a little village called Mei Xien. It was a great trip and fascinating to see where I originally come from. I still cannot imagine the life my great grandfather had and how brave he was to travel to Indonesia without having any idea of the place for better fortune. (Click here for more info)

Relatives that still lives in the old original house. 

The tomb my Grandfather build for his great grandfather. 

The family Group photo :D

There was 22 of us so you can Imagine how chaotic the trip can be but I truly  enjoy our moment together as chances like this may not come again.

Gui Lin

It was one of the greatest trip I've been to, not just the exiting places we went but the companion I had. I feel grateful to be born in a family with strong chinese values. Im proud to say that I'm both Indonesian and Chinese. 

Photographs by myself. 

Yogyakarta

I mention about my summer vacation on the previous post (click here). Second stop - Yogyakarta. Its a shame to be an Indonesian and never visit Yogyakarta; It's one of the most cultural city in Indonesia. So me and my sister decided to be a local tourist for five wonderful days.

There are so many things to say about this rich city. The pictures I post is a very brief summary and I don't think they do any justice to be a representative of Javanese Culture.

Well first of all Yogyakarta (Jogja) is rule by a kingdom called 'Kraton'. Its beautiful because here in Kraton Jogja, it still maintains values of glorious Javanese culture from ancient times. I believe that traditions and culture have to be preserve because this makes a place distinctive. 

Kraton symbol carved into stone

Kala; character in the javanese culture. This figure are almost in all door entrance to prevent evil spirit entering the place. 

Kraton guards

Batik is a traditional textile made by wax resist dying technique. No one knows where the technique originally come from but Indonesia is the only country that use this technique until today. It has become one of our treasures as it was designated by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage and Humanity on October 2, 2009. The more complicated the pattern and the color is the more expensive the textile will be.  I am a big fan of batik my self and I'm very proud of it.  

The process of manual drawing of patter. Wax onto textile. 

This is the 'brush' the artisan use to apply wax onto textile. Called canting. 

Today we produce pattern stamp to make the process of batik easier. But the most precious are the hand drawn ones. 

Process of dying.

Drying on rack of bamboos

Silver making

Wayang means puppet. This is traditional Indonesian puppet made out of leather. Most of them are in characters of Indian influenced tales such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. These wayang are usually played behind a scene and we would watch their shadows.

Wayang Kulit means Leather puppets

This is another type of Wayang but its made out of wood. 

Indonesia is very rich in her natural resources. The volcanic ashes/ sand are the best recourses to build.

A man taking volcanic sands to build

Most of the temples in Central Java is made around 8th - 9th century.

Stone relieves around the temples

The Prambanan temple is build as the Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty's answer to the Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty's Borobudur temples. Its amazing really how both religion can live peacefully side by side. 

Prambanan Temple

Indonesian architecture is just unbelievable. These stone works are just stack up volcanic stones and yet they can be so beautiful and it survive through centuries. The stones are shaped so that they interlock with each other and amazingly not one stone is exactly the same with the other. Again these temples are surrounded by stone relives of hindu teachings. These temples are build with reasons. the beautiful lotus flower surrounding the temple symbolizes virility. Im amazed by the depth of symbolism and the thought that is put into this temple. Revering back to my staircase studies. I realize how tall the rises are on the stairs that link us into the temples. The difficulty of climbing the stairs symbolizes that its never easy to reach god. Simple and beautiful. 

Ramayana Performance. A beautiful outdoor theater with the Prambanan temple scene behind. 

The stage was on fire between act 1 and act 2

The Ramayana performance includes traditional javanese orchestra called the Gamelan.

I also went into traditional markets. Its exiting to see the local people and how they live everyday. 

Bird Market

Traditional Market in Jogja

Indonesian Spices 

Clay making

Mount Merapi

The distruction cause by the eruption of Mount Merapi on 2010

Love, harmony and serenity are among the values taught for people to live by. The Javanese word sumeleh refers to a pure and peaceful state of mind without greed or any need to be restless. Achieving this would be valued as a perfect life. Perhaps our inability to reach this is the cause of our troubled world.  

I want to live in Jogja. 

Photograph by Hana Fiona Tindjau