Religious culture is an ancient practice that has been present since the first moments of human society. Ancient religious arrangements often relied on sunlight or the light of constellations to create architectural axes for the entire building. Strongly impressed with the structure of Bali's Trowulan Complex, Tung “Monkey” recreated a PORTAL that connects people with their beliefs in the form of a “sky gate” towards endless space.
PORTAL is a collection of vertical towers. The two central towers form a "heavenly gate" shape facing the East (the direction of sun downs). The smaller pillars on both sides form a "wall" beside the main gate. Inside the towers are moving RGB LED lights that interact with the music. Surrounding the towers are chrome-painted mirror-like materials. In the daylight, PORTAL will become "transparent" as it blends into the surrounding environment through light reflection.
This installation questions the symbolism of ancient religious architecture and its connection to the surrounding natural environment. The presence of these ancient structures in natural space always brings a sense of harmony, reminiscent of the abstraction of the divine and the values of human beliefs.
Credits
Artwork curated by Isha Hening, for Indonesia Bertutur Festival ( Kiranamaya area )
Audio - Dustin Ngo
Lighting tech - Tran An, Leo Nguyen ( ZEGAL Vietnam)
Producer - Cherry Khanh
Assistant - Ngoc Bao