18 December 2005

Indonesia circa 1930s Part II

I managed to find two more photos taken by my grandfather.


Exact location unknown.


A dwelling? Whatever it is, this building has character.

4 comments:

steve said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos from your grandfather and sharing his story with us! It makes me feel nostalgic yet I've nevr even been there (and then).

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

I didn't know until recently, Steve. My father was a strong silent type and he didn't say much about my grandfather.

He lived through interesting times.

Mike Norton said...

I love snapshots like these. In a very real way they're pricless artifacts. Times and places otherwise lost.

The ridge that's the backdrop of the first photo gives me some hope that it'll click in the mind of a reader or you during some trip. I would be very interested in seeing what a shot of the same perpective would look like now.

The second photo reminds me that while I've seen this style of architecture before, I've only ever seen it from the outside. I've often wondered how well the interior space matches the curve, flow and rising arches of the exterior. Such a tall flagpole on the grounds has me thinking it's not a private home, but rather some other type of building. The way it projects in the background (a lower, white-roofed building off to the right) has me wondering if it might even be a school... though I have to wonder why there's no flag on the pole.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

MJN, a good seventy years have passed. Given the rapid urbanisation, rampant logging and population explosion in Indonesia, I wonder. There are more people in Indonesia than there are in the United States. 280 million people.

Like yourself, I would be interested in seeing a photo of the landscape and the building today.

May I know where you have seen this style of architecture? It is new to me. I also wonder as to its utility, its interior...

Your point about it being a school has merit as my grandfather was a teacher in Indonesia before the Dutch colonial authorities ordered him out.

The rage in this region these days is the so-called Balinese style, while pretty, which may bear little resemble to the real thing.