The Aesthetics of Pendopo of the Sumenep Palace in Response to Today’s Pressure of Globalization

Abstract

Sumenep Palace is one of the artifacts of the cultural heritage buildings found on the eastern part of Madura Island. It was founded by the 31st King Sumenep, Panembahan Somala, one of the ulemas in 1762 with the help of an architect of Chinese descent, Lauw Pia Ngo. The Sumenep Palace was established during the occupation of the Dutch government in Indonesia (VOC). Therefore, its design has a blend of cultural values from Hinduism Java, Islam, China, and the Netherlands. The characteristics of these cultural values can be clearly seen in the expression of art, design, and architecture of the Pavilion building. The pavilion as part of the entire building in the palace complex functioned as a meeting area by the members of the palace. Some of the activities that took place in the Pavilion included traditional, religious, governmental, and family activities. The aesthetic aspects of the architecture and design have complex values, because the process of its realization involves many aspects, including economic, social, cultural, technological, ergonomic, anthropological, psychological factors; adaptation processes; and design sustainability to the environment. The Sumenep palace pavilion has potential to be further explored from various aspects of the design. Through this paper, the authors describe the results of the study on Sumenep Palace Pavilion as a means of revitalizing Madurese art and culture through its aesthetic elements.