Indonesia: Bali - Arts and Culture (ABR) Program Links - 1 2846
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Phone:
802.258.3212
Toll Free Within the US: 888.272.7881
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
Kipling Road, P.O. Box 676,
Brattleboro, Vermont USA 05302-0676
Indonesia: Balinese Arts and Social Change
Program Highlights
Bali is known by many names: Island of the Gods, Morning of the World, and irreverently as a surf-lover’s paradise or shopper’s dream. Students of the SIT Study Abroad Arts and Culture program will go beyond these holidaymaker’s visions of Bali and pose serious academic questions about such topics as art, cultural preservation, sustainable development, and cultural change. Students follow in the steps of many notable anthropologists and social scientists, many of whom have used Bali as a sort of microcosm to produce seminal works on trance, identity, theatre, and psychology.
Program Center
The program is located in a town near to both Ubud—considered the cultural capital of Bali—and Denpasar—the island’s center for business, academia, and government. Students will have easy access to local experts and visiting researchers.
Artistic Expression
The religious and spiritual rituals of Balinese Hinduism lend themselves easily to artistic representation. While sacred performance remains the primary motivation for Balinese artists, new styles develop from both within the community and from external sources.
Throughout the semester students will find generous opportunities to learn dance, gong playing, mask making, and other artistic pursuits alongside well-respected masters of their field. Some students choose to continue these lessons and pursue a more complex form for their Independent Study Projects. Other students have chosen to pursue creative Independent Study Projects, including works of fiction and photographic essays.
Religious Ceremonies
One of the highlights of the semester is attendance at religious ceremonies. While some students may have the opportunity to join their host family at a wedding, tooth filing, or other life-cycle ritual, all students will be able to see an odalan or anniversary ceremony of a local temple. These colorful rituals can be elaborate, and students will witness processions to the river, the tall and beautiful handmade rice ornaments, and special dance performances lasting well into the night. Students will also purchase pakaian adat, the beautiful Balinese clothing worn to religious ceremonies.
ISPs with Depth
Student ISPs on this program have been many and various over the years, including those based on arts practica and the social sciences. In social sciences, students have produced high quality works such as a detailed study of rural women’s reproductive health issues, a study of local responses to illegal use of land in an area of Bali and a detailed study of the social and ritual organization of "original Balinese" villages of the Balinese highland areas. In terms of practicum ISPs, students have worked with a wide variety of local experts in the fine arts, performing arts, textile arts and musical arts, in many cases establishing a lasting artistic and personal rapport that has led to the development of innovative artistic approaches. Many of these projects have been of benefit to both SIT students and their Balinese/Indonesian teachers and peers.