The workshop programme of the Learning from Mangunwijaya project kicked off with a grand welcome reception on 21 July 2024. Over 50 students from seven universities in five countries took part in the programme hosted by Universitas Islam Indonesia.
Participants included architecture students from Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia, School of Architecture, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnankoil, India, Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and University of Singapore.
Beforehand, the students were introduced to the life and work of Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya in five online lectures. The on-site work began with a visit to a total of six of Mangunwijaya’s buildings in Yogyakarta that illustrate his architectural legacy: the Church of St. Albertus Agung Jetis Church in Yogyakarta, the Library of Gadjah Mada University L7 in Sleman, Mangunan Primary School in Kalasan, Sleman, the Sendangsono Pilgrimage Site in Kulonprogo, the Kali Code Settlement on the riverbank in Yogyakarta and his former residence, Wisma Kuwera, also in Yogyakarta.
On site, the students familiarised themselves intensively with the history, the local conditions and the specific details of the buildings. Together with the Unit Masters, who were made up of lecturers from Universitas Islam Indonesia and the other participating universities, the students worked in groups to analyse one building at a time and identify context-specific architectural solutions that are still relevant to current social and ecological issues.
After ten busy days of discussion, analysis, design, construction and, last but not least, intensive building in the UII workshop, the students presented their models at the end of the workshop on 31 July, which embodied their interpretation of aspects of Mangunwijaya’s buildings that are still relevant today.
A jury consisting of Sally Below (Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism, Germany), Moritz Henning (Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism, Germany), Johannes Widodo (National University of Singapore), and Wiryono Raharjo (Universitas Islam Indonesia) commented on the work results. All jury members were impressed by the depth with which the students delved into Mangunwijaya’s work, precisely crystallised specific themes and translated these into a model. Community-building aspects and the materiality of the built environment were identified as recurring themes that were realised in the models. The exhibition was subsequently opened at the Langgeng Art Foundation in Yogyakarta.
Images: Universitas Islam Indonesia, Sally Below, Moritz Henning
