Monumental GWK statue completed

Icon of Bali or Icon of Balinese openness?

 

The island of Bali itself is an iconic tourist destination, known the world over for its art, culture, and pleasant environment. Although the stepped-roof Meru shrines found in many of Bali’s temples, the mythical barong, Legong dancers, frangipani flowers, and such are often used to represent this popular tourist destination, there is no single image that stands out as a distinct icon of this enchanting island.

 

Rather, it is the sheer volume of living art and cultural practices, along with the general pleasantly relaxing atmosphere of Bali that have become etched in the minds of people all over the world, attracting millions to vacation here every year. Though Bali certainly became known for the truly astonishing artistic talents of its people, the island nonetheless remains best known for the general atmosphere that is nurtured by these art practices.

 

It is indeed the plurality that so flourishes in Bali which continues to delight visitors and locals alike. It is the fine balance between strictly held traditional customs and the allowing of new forms of its essence to be expressed and of entirely other ways of being to live side by side in harmony that has enabled this distinct culture to thrive despite massive social, economic, and other changes.

 

Desa Kala Patra is a Balinese saying that means something like ‘every village has its own customs’ and refers to this openness and allowing of a great variety of forms of expression. Although to many visitors Balinese culture appears to be highly distinct from other cultures, within this homogeneity there exist seemingly endless variations and derivations. Like the natural world itself, there is a general understanding that the source of creation is centered everywhere and therefore every place is a center in its own right.

 

In Indonesia, Bali often represents the plurality of the nation, living proof of the harmony enshrined in the nation's motto Bhinneka Tungal Ika (unity in diversity), both because of the distinct character of Balinese culture that thrives despite its minority status and because people from all over Indonesia live on the island of the gods with easy acceptance of one and other’s differences.

 

The Republic of Indonesia’s motto is most commonly represented by the mythical Garuda bird who clutches these words in its claws, bearing a shield upon which the five founding principles of the country known collectively as Pancasila are inscribed.

 

On August 8th, 2018, a massive monument located just 15 minutes from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International airport was finally completed after 28 years since its inception.  The Garuda Visnu Kencana monument depicting Lord Vishnu astride the great Garuda bird stands some 120 high (or 276 meters above sea level) making it the second largest statue in the world and the tallest copper and brass sheeting statue in the world. The Garuda bird is the mythical vehicle of Lord Visnu who serves as protector of the world ensuring that harmony is maintained.

 

 

Although conceived and planned in 1989-90, construction of the monument in fact began in 1997 after many years of challenges and faced many more to come. Balinese sculptor Nyoman Nuarta held strong to his vision and began constructing the 754 separate parts with the help of some 120 other artists in his studio in Bandung, West Java before having the parts slowly shipped to Bali where they were meticulously assembled over many years.

 

This truly and massively impressive artistic feat pays tribute to the incredible wealth of talent, inspiration, and perseverance of Balinese artists. The monument is the centerpiece of a sprawling cultural park designed to feature a range of arts and cultural performances, events, and other attractions. The GWK Cultural Park has already hosted many highly successful events and offers pleasant grounds and large seating capacities indoors and out.

 

Although the Garuda Vishnu Kencana monument itself has yet to be officially inaugurated, a Balinese ceremony was performed on August 8th, 2018 to mark the physical completion of the astounding undertaking of building this great monument with little technological assistance.

 

The impressive large-scale monument is intended by many to serve as Bali’s main icon and by extension an icon for Indonesia as it is by far the nation’s largest monument. There is the expectation that this monumental statue will serve as a point of reference or icon to attract many more visitors to Bali.

 

There is however some doubt as to whether this massive construction suitably represents the spirit of the island. For although the image of Garuda Visnu Kencana certainly holds great significance for the people of Bali, the very fact that it is so massively monumental and seeks to serve as a kind of central point of reference, runs contrary to the notion of Bali as a place where beauty, harmony, and oneness can be found everywhere and in a multitude of forms of expression.

 

There is little doubt that many tourists will visit the Garuda Vishnu Kencana monument and cultural park as it is remarkably well designed for this purpose and certainly offers a way to experience the awe-inspiring spirit of Bali in a convenient manner. 

 

However, rather than becoming an icon of Bali itself this impressive monument might more likely become iconic of Bali’s ability to allow space for myriad forms of expression – even those that seem out of line with the way of life of the people of this island.

 

The Garuda Visnu Kencana statue is certainly unique in its form, was a labor of love for the artist, and is a remarkably impressive accomplishment. The cultural park that surrounds it is indeed strikingly beautiful, and highly functional, and will no doubt delight both visitors and those who benefit from the activities held there.

 

However, rather than an icon of Bali itself, it more accurately stands as an icon of Bali’s willingness to cater to a global trend of providing convenience and simplified versions of locally distinct cultures. In this sense, the GWK statue is indeed an icon of Bali – or at least the aspect of Balinese culture that embraces all ways of being. 

 

Although the image of the giant statue certainly represents deeply significant and distinctly local philosophy and traditions, the form and function of the monument are in fact common to any number of places throughout the world today.  

 

Given that what makes Bali such a unique attraction in its own right is the fact that the people of this island continue to maintain a way of life that seamlessly includes artistic expression, agriculture, religious devotion, caring for the natural environment as a living whole, practicing loving kindness, genuine acceptance of different ways of being as valid expressions of the divine and acknowledgment that all localities serve as their own center, it seems unlikely that a single monument could stand as an icon for these and other aspects of what is known collectively as Bali.

Written by Gabrielle Thibaudeay, Published in September 2018 by Inernational Bali Post