“ARCHITECT BERLAGE AND THE DUTCH EAST INDIES”
Presenter:
Dr. Petra Timmer PhD
Fellow researcher at Utrecht University,
Dept. History and Art History
TiMe Amsterdam, museum and heritage consultants
Moderator:
Dr (cand.) Bimo Hernowo, ST. MEng. PGD
Dept. History and Art History, Architectural History, Utrecht University
Former EU Correspondent of Indonesia Architecture ( I-ARCH) Magazine
Saturday, 15 June 2024
16.00 WIB (Jakarta Time) | 11.00 am Amsterdam Time
This presentation is about the journey of Dutch architect H.P. Berlage (1856-1934) in the Dutch East Indies in 1923. After a short introduction on Berlage’s reputation as one of The Netherlands’ greatest architects and pioneer of modern architecture, the lecture will zoom in on the itinerary. What was Berlage’s motivation, what were his expectations, what places did he visit and which persons did he meet? He reported about this in a travelogue (five articles) in a Dutch newspaper, and made some 60 travel sketches. In 1931 he published Mijn Indische Reis (My Indies Journey). A complex and intriguing book about colonial and indigenous architecture, but also about culture and society, colonialism and independance. In my research I use four perspectives: Berlage the traveller, the architect, the thinker, the critic. In this presentation I will focus on the architectural perspective: Berlage’s observations and judgements. Was he influenced by what he encountered? Did he influence Dutch Indies architecture or even Indonesian architecture? And finally: what might be the relevance of Berlage’s ideas for architecture today?
Organized and supported by :
GUU Nederlands, Maastricht
Soeracarta Heritage Society, Surakarta
RoemahToea, Yogyakarta
Architecture Department, Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas, Medan
Architecture Department, Universitas Pancasila, Jakarta
Architecture Department, North Sumatra University, Medan
Groningen University, Groningen
PhD candidate in architectural history, Utrecht University, Utrecht