Gravestones as Mirror: A Visual Discourse on Batu Aceh

Abstract

This practice-led research project was conducted to recognise the artistic and cultural significance of the Batu Aceh from several perspectives and interpretations through the use of drawing and printmedia. Batu Aceh gravestones were created between the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries by Muslim communities in Southeast Asia. Batu Aceh have special characteristics which lie in their form and socio-cultural context. In my studio research I explore the various forms of Batu Aceh, and their ornamentation, via multiple series of drawings employing a range of experimental processes, materials and techniques. My engagement with the Batu Aceh is personal and subjective and my reflections and speculations on them have evolved over my period of study. Drawing was chosen as the medium for perceptual disclosure and artistic interpretation due to its own visual characteristics, such as directness, spontaneity and modesty of means. Through drawing, the Batu Aceh subject is perceived and interpreted using three approaches, which are representational-realistic, subjective-intuitive and contextual-schematic. As a result, the drawings have highlighted my personal experiences pertaining to the quality and formation features of Batu Aceh as well as spatial, temporal and socio-cultural contexts that relate to their existence. The idea underlying this project is significant and relevant as it suggests that artistic interpretation could broaden the appreciation, experience and perception towards historical objects like Batu Aceh.