Made Djirna

Numpang Lewat: Berkelanjutan/Transient-Continous: Buana Alit
2025
Variable dimension

Site specific mixed media ephermal installation

A Site-Specific Meditation on Time, Legacy, and Interconnection
Ubud Art Ground 2025 presents  a site-specific installation by Bali’s esteemed contemporary artist, Made Djirna. Titled Transient-Continuous, this special commission work forms the heart of the exhibition Parallels: Legacies in Flux, inviting viewers into a contemplative dialogue on the fluidity of time, the enduring nature of cultural and personal legacy, and the profound interconnectedness that underpins existence. Rooted in Djirna’s deep-seated connection to his birthplace of Kedewatan, Ubud, the installation exemplifies his ongoing exploration of how tradition and innovation, memory and change, material and spirit converge within the physical and metaphysical landscape of Bali.

Djirna’s artistic process is characterized by a contemplative engagement with natural materials—wood, stone, clay, and rock—sourced directly from the local environment or repurposed from existing structures. His sculptural and installation works serve as a reflective dialogue with these elements, revealing their inherent qualities while imbuing them with spiritual and cultural symbolism rooted in Balinese philosophies. His approach balances reverence for tradition with a spirit of innovation, fostering works that embody harmony—between cultural heritage and contemporary thought, space and time, the material and the immaterial.

Transient-Continuous unfolds within the storied space of Gudang Kayu—an open timber warehouse adjacent to Ubud Art Ground—utilizing timber logs from Batukurung Estate, transported from Kalimantan. These logs, longstanding silent witnesses to the landscape and history, are transformed through Djirna’s hands into carriers of layered meaning. Their integration signifies a dialogue between the past and present, between the natural world and human intervention, echoing themes of continuity and flux.   Composed predominantly from organic and natural materials—bamboo, wood, natural debris, limestone, palm fiber, alongside construction remnants—the installation emphasizes the intrinsic qualities of these elements, allowing their natural textures and histories to resonate within the space.

Transient-Continuous comprises two interconnected realms: Buana Agung (Macrocosmos) and Buana Alit (Microcosmos), representing the vast and the intimate, the collective and the individual. This bifurcation underscores the cyclical nature of existence, where macrocosmic forces mirror microcosmic realities, each informing and transforming the other.
 
Buana Agung: The Realm of the Vast and the Collective
The macrocosmic sphere is a symbolic meditation on collective memory, time’s passage, and the legacies we inherit and forge. The process of making this installation and how the materials are used are aligned with the symbolism of the work itself: transported from another place to a new place; from upstream to downstream, then back to "upstream"; torn, peeled, stranded, buried, uncovered, searched for, found again, and reused. It unfolds in three interconnected fragments: The Past, The Present and The Future.

The Past is symbolized with a shipwreck grounded on a limestone shore symbolizes journeys undertaken and histories traversed. The ship is formed to appear as carrying the logs, embodying  the enormous baggage of the past, containing interests, agenda, egos, and traumas within. Poleng cloth and white fabric further evoke spiritual purity, protection, and the unbroken wisdom handed down across generations. On the edge of the ship’s deck is the (+) or Tapak Dara, a Balinese sacred symbol of harmony and balance.

The Present is depicted through terraced scaffolding intertwined with branches, tree parts, and natural debris, this segment embodies ongoing change and adaptation. It visualizes a landscape in flux—a reflection of societal shifts, evolving identities, and the continuous process of building and rebuilding community and self amid transformation. The natural materials, intertwined with human intervention, evoke the dynamic tension between tradition and change—highlighting the resilience and fluidity of cultural identity.

The Future is visualized through the mythic form of a dragon, this segment draws on Balinese cosmology’s rich symbolism. The dragon synthesizes the three divine dragons—Naga Taksaka, Naga Basuki, and Naga Antaboga—each representing elemental forces: air, water, and earth. These primordial deities embody the energies and paradoxes of the unseen future—creation and destruction, protection and challenge. The earth dragon, Antaboga, signifies fertility, spiritual grounding, and divine protection, anchoring the uncertain future within a realm of potential and unseen power. The mythic dragon’s multiple facets evoke the fiery spirit of renewal, resilience, and the perpetual cycle of transformation that characterizes Balinese cosmology and contemporary life alike.
 
Buana Alit: The Realm of the Individual and the Micro-World
The microcosmic sphere embodies the essence of balance, harmony, and individual existence. It manifests as an assemblage of natural debris—twigs, broken branches, and found materials collected over time from the banks of Kedewatan’s Ayung River and the shores of Kedungu Beach and Klecung Bebali Beach in Tabanan.  Djirna’s practice of collecting and reusing wood debris and stones—his “repository”—recalls his artistic philosophy that materials carry histories and spiritual significance.
This assemblage is arranged into a (+) form reminiscent of a Tapak Dara, the symbol that corresponds with the one in the Buana Agung. The Tapak Dara in this microcosmos signifies where harmony in individuals and society requires a sense of mutual attachment among each other and also with the environment.  The tree form signifies renewal—debris reborn into new existence, echoing themes of decay and regeneration inherent in natural cycles. The placement of the piece before a vivid red and white background enhances its symbolic resonance: the colors evoke both alertness and celebration, while the form suggests a microcosm of the macrocosm—a small universe embodying the larger cycles of life, or in a more microscopic view – one’s soul as an individual within the grand scheme of things.

Physically and spatially, Transient-Continuous serves as an interactive piece that can function in multiple ways, as an art work, a stage, a gathering space that the public can climb on the deck and unwind. But beyond that,  it serves as a meditative act, inviting viewers into a space of reflection on the interwoven cycles of life, decay, and renewal. Djirna’s work underscores that existence is not linear but cyclical—each moment connected to the next through shared histories, cultural beliefs, and natural processes. As natural materials gradually interact with their environment, the installation embodies the transient yet interconnected nature of existence, illustrating how individual lives, environmental forces, and spiritual continuity form an ongoing, dynamic cycle.

To create this installation Djirna was supported by a team of craftsmen from Bunutan, Kedewatan, a process that emphasizes togetherness and the Balinese collective spirit of ‘Ngayah’ (working together). In this way, Djirna also dedicates this work as a tribute to Kedewatan and its local people and histories - the area where he was born, raised and is still living in until present, which is where Ubud Art Ground now takes place.

Made Djirna’s Transient-Continuous embodies a profound meditation on interconnectedness—a visual and spiritual dialogue that reminds us of the perpetual flux shaping our collective and individual existence. This work encourages viewers to contemplate their own place within these grand cycles—recognizing that the legacies we inherit and the futures we envision are shaped through an ongoing dialogue between tradition and change, material and spirit, the seen (sekala) and the unseen (niskala).  It invites us to recognize the transient nature of life, the enduring power of cultural legacy, and our shared responsibility to honor and renew these traditions within the ever-changing flow of time.