Jay Subiyakto

Rail-thin and with his trademark mane of black hair, Jay Subiyakto is a young and funky-looking 47. An architect by training, he is a sought-after artistic director for music concerts and advertisements (he also is bringing his interior decorating know-how to a new fusion restaurant in a swank Jakarta mall).  Despite the thoroughly modern interests, Jay still pays homage to tradition. Born in Turkey, where his father was a naval attache, his home today is an antique-filled Javanese-style mansion his parents built  in 1983 in  Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. That accent on the old inevitably leads to the question: Where to put the TV? Answer is out of sight in an upstairs bedroom.    

Book 1
This is Java by Emilie van Kerckhoff (1912).  I only got this last week at a Sidharta auction. The auction was very tense, there was someone else after it, but eventually I got it. The estimated price was Rp 1.5 million, but it went up to Rp 3.9 when I won. It’s a rare book, telling of life in Javanese villages and the influence of religion. I really like the drawings which show traditional dances and architecture, because it was my field of study in university.  For me, it’s worth the price. 

Book 2
This book, Het Javaansche Toneel (1923, by J. Kats), was left to me by my parents when they died in 1999. They collected books and they taught me to love Indonesian culture, and this book is about shadow puppets. It is beautifully illustrated. For me, it teaches us how to live right in this world.  

Cassette
When I was 15 in 1975, Guruh Soekarnoputra released this album, Gipsy. It has Balinese gamelan, instrumentals and also vocals. He knew all about the music of Bali and its influences, but he combined it with foreign music. I admire Mas Guruh for the fact that he could make such an accomplished album at the age of 25. I lost my original cassette but Mas Guruh kindly gave me another.  

Skull
I got this in Tibet when I did my book about traditional architecture. Tibetans believe that even in death we must bring benefits to others. The dead body is cut up and left for the birds to eat; we return to nature. The only part that is preserved is the skull.  

Camera
My father wasn’t someone who easily gave out money to his children. We were given a monthly allowance. I had to save up to buy this camera when I was in college. My camera was my window to the outside world, I could travel and make my own money from it.  

Ring
My mother collected traditional textiles and Indonesian jewelry. For jewelry she only concentrated on items from the Majapahit era, because she liked gold but nothing too glossy. I also am a collector, and I am a  regular customer at an antique shop. When I turned 45 my wife bought me this.   

Miniature from Trowulan
I love architecture. Last year I went to Trowulan in Central Java and I saw that its buildings are very similar to those in Myanmar. They are made from brick, very different from the andesite of Borobudur. I admire the way the architects of the past worked; they were very professional in their tasks, they knew about urban planning and made models before they got started so everything was in harmony with cosmology to ensure peace and order.   

Hairpin
I got this in Bali, but it originates in Sumba and is made from turtleshell. It’s decorated with many images, from chickens to people, showing the symbols that are important in the people’s lives. To me it’s like a sculpture. At night, I shine a lamp on it to show it to full effect. I get a lot of inspiration from it.

Film
When I was in the first year of high school, there was an annual short film competition put on by the Jakarta Arts Institute. I took GI Joe and instead of having him fighting wars, I made him into a rocker, with his hair made from thread. It took so long to make from taking a shot of every still. I won the competition, but I had missed so much school that I did not graduate that year. My parents were very angry.

Sweet soy sauce
When I was growing up in Turkey, my father was very insistent that we remain Indonesian. My mother always had to wear traditional dress, and we ate Indonesian food. From that time, I have always had to have sweet soy sauce with my meals. I’m not really into chili sauce; it has to be soy sauce.

+ Bruce Emond

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