2022/23 Ali Meyer ART Gallery

Borobudur

Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2.672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa.

The temple was designed in Javanese Buddhist architecture, which blends the Indonesian indigenous cult of ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana.

restauration

The monument was (re)discovered by the British under Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles during the early 19th century in 1814, became intensively admired, studied then restored twice.

The restoration then was carried out between 1907 and 1911, using the principles of anastylosis and led by Theodor van Erp. During the two restorations of the monument, in the 1970s and in the early 20th century, numerous unexpected technical and architectural features were brought to the light.

photography & film

Kassian Céphas's photos from the 1890's provide the basis for the first publications. Ali Meyer´s digital photography from 2009/2010 provide the demand of this century. In two seasons 2009 and 2010 four-month-long photo campaigns had been conducted by Ali Meyer, during which each one of the 1460 figurative panels of the monument was photographed perfectly lit during night hours.

Large parts of the temple were also recorded in Quicktime Virtual Reality mode with some 120 shots for each 360º panorama, taken at different times of the year in order to ensure optimal lighting conditions.

The over 20.000 images collected will become part of a virtual navigation system giving instant 3D access to any point of the Borobudur.

teamplayer

Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage. Once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Islamic Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction, a real multicultural place.

The principal photography of Borobudur, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this unmatched performance of an another tremendous photographic masterpiece was carried out by
Ali Meyer.

The multimedia production of the ancient Buddhist stupa and temple complex Borobudur - a legend in stone - was directed by christen europeeans - and served by a wonderfull islamic crew.

We have been a good team.

ali meyer art gallery

Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or “way of life.” Buddhism philosophy is to lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and to develop wisdom and understanding.

Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.

People think that stone is dead, but if you look at it, it changes its expression every second with the light.

We are creating a new art cyklus of photo collages with alternative material in different sizes:

"Legend in stone"