Hamburg museum exhibition: Bali, the island of dreams

The long term exhibition "Bali, the island of dreams" has been opened at the Museum of Ethnology Hamburg (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Hamburg), Germany.

The island of Bali is small, but undoubtedly one of the most peculiar islands of the Indonesian archipelago. The numerous deities and demons of the Hindu spiritual world left considerable marks on the island. Balinese art, theatre, literature and architecture attest to this in multiple ways. Many of the traditional ceremonies have been seamlessly integrated into modern life and still shape the everyday life of many Balinese people.

This complex world of Balinese beliefs is well represented by a very complex and intricate room built according to the construction specifications of a Balinese homestead. A circuit of five stations allows visitors to become acquainted with the art of sacrificial offering on the island of Bali; you are invited to explore the significance of sacrifices in the varied Balinese ritual life, which is characterized by diverse festivities.

The highlight of the exhibition is the princely house – a royal building from the 19th century. With the assistance of a Balinese master builder, the opulently carved original architectural segments from the museum archives were combined and missing elements were added. Thus, the exhibition presents a complete work of art whose construction had only been feasible by the application of preserved traditional skills –a bridging of past and present.