Friday, February 3, 2012

'Gedung 28' with 50 kindergarteners

the front tips of boats.. what are those called?
Gedung 28 is a small museum here in the south of Jakarta, one that I have been meaning to visit because it is not very well-known but gets rave reviews.  When I saw the opportunity to sign up and go see it with 50 kindergarteners.. well, I couldn't resist.  At least the trip was short enough that we didn't have to do that "take your group to the potty" thing.  We were color-coded and I was the grown-up for the red team--and we were by far the silliest team EVER! 
Other red team members were: Jaffa, Malvy, Paul, and Jean Baptiste.
We were very silly.  We decided to make faces like the masks.  Then Jaffa sat like the statues. 
There were so many things to see.. loads of carved statues and boats and spears, necklaces made of teeth, and costumes woven from grass for traditional ceremonies and dances.  There were fabulous baskets (and you know how I feel about baskets).  When you go, be sure to hire a guide to take you through unless you read bahasa indonesia very well because there are no labels in English.  Next time I go, I will do that so that I can see some of it too.  This time, I was trying to keep the red team members from getting lost and/or knocking things over because they were fooling around too much (JAFFA.  PAUL.  That is my grown-up voice.)  What I did learn is that if you run down the ramp in the middle of the museum with your friends, and you do it while yelling, it is very very loud.  (them, not me)
 
rowing a boat statue and rainmakers(?)


I really like him, especially his hair.  He was hanging by his head with a fishing line, so his hair was bobbing and bouncing.  I want one.

I'll let you know the next time I go, and we can share a guide.
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1 comment:

  1. zksFebruary 3, 2012 at 5:45 PM

    I really continue to be struck by the many aesthetic echos between Papuan art and that of many african sculptural traditions. Extensive use of negative space, verticality, and even close similarities in ethnic patterns and color combinations. It makes one wonder how much is authentically papuan and how much if any has a relatively modern (20th century) advent, and thus possibly is derivative of African art traditions and styles. Probably not, but it is still striking.

    The prow of a ship or boat is the forward most part above the water line, the decorative ornamentation that is sometimes found on a prow is called the figurehead. Thank you wikipedia... ;-)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figurehead_(object)

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