Past exhibitions -- 1999

Gamelan Digul

1 September - 11 September 1999

The gamelan Digul and the prison camp musician who made it: an Australian link with the Indonesian revolution. An exhibition of the newly restored 1927 iron Indonesian gamelan Digul and a contemporary bronze gamelan with historical documentary photographs. The gamelan Digul is a Javanese gamelan orchestra, comprising 19 instruments, made by Surakata born musician and political activist Bapak Pontjopangrawit (1893- c. 1965) during his time in the Tanah Merah prison camp in Upper Digul. Although made from the rudimentary materials available in the prison camp, including milk tins, sardine cans and animal skins, the gamelan Digul is a finely crafted musical instrument. It is the only one of its kind. It was brought to Australia between 1943-45, during which time it was played by ex-Digulists in a Melbourne hotel. The ex-Digulists worked together with the Australian Waterside Workers and others for Indonesian Independence and returned to Indonesia soon after Independence was declared. The gamelan Digul was donated to the Museum of Victoria in 1946 and came to Monash University in 1976. This exhibition is co-presented by the Monash University Museum of Art, Monash University Department of Music and the Monash Asia Institute.