Jakarta, IO – Looking back to our previous discussion concerning the major role of the internet and social media, a source of vast information nowadays, this phenomenon will exert an effect on the existential issue of contemporary mosque architecture.
Development of a postmodernism paradigm, manifesting as recent cultural phenomena such as hyperreality, posttruth, and simulacrum, are inevitable when society – especially Indonesian citizens – are likely to depend on the internet and social media, in accessing necessary information. Considering the algorithmic system embedded in most social media, the exposure of information that can be accessed to people will be determined by the system, which will in turn form a hegemonic mode in that realm. The relationship among power, knowledge, and politics will apply to this issue. Giving as much information as possible through social media will potentially create a major collective understanding about the data itself, regardless of its truthfulness. This is what can be explained in the existence of Architect Ridwan Kamil’s architectural mosque works which are, like it or not, will intertwined with issues of power and knowledge.
Ridwan Kamil may indeed be the most famous contemporary mosque architect in Indonesia at the moment, with a diverse portfolio of work everywhere. In exposing his mosque design, Ridwan Kamil has at least three official Instagram accounts related to himself as an architect. First of course is his official personal account @ridwankamil, with a fantastic number of 21.3 million followers, then @ urbane.indonesia, his official architectural consultancy account, with 56.9 thousand followers, and @ mosquebyurbane, the account belonging to PT. Indonesia, which specializes in presenting mosques designed by the firm, has an insignificant number of followers, with only 1,825 accounts. From this official channel alone, it can be seen how powerful Ridwan Kamil’s potential is in shaping public opinion, in the context of architectural mosque design.
Architect Ridwan Kamil clearly read as an architect who has a postmodern view in design. As a postmodern architect, the concept that accompanies his work is a certain statement expressed through design from the results of his intuitive thinking about design problems related to the project, including the existential problems of how architectural work should affect society in a positive manner. In the realm of contemporary mosque architecture, mosque design is a manifestation of the architect’s subjective understanding and interpretation of Islamic teachings and Islamic meaning. From the works published in these accounts, there is a tendency for him to interpret Islam as a great teaching, with Allah being the Greatest Being and humans as His creatures, being very insignificant before Him. Allah is the only one worthy of worship, and Islam as a religion spreading Allah’s words is important to be perceived as His greatness. Apart from that, Ridwan Kamil also believes that in the history of world civilization, Islam and the Muslims are very rich in inheriting beautiful and majestic works of art, especially those related to geometric shapes, mathematical patterns and complex works of art.
At least these two views on Islam underlie the design expression of his mosques, which intentionally or unintentionally are connected to regions of Islamic civilization outside East Asia and Southeast Asia, according to the aforementioned opinion of Al Faruqi. This tendency can be seen from the timeline of his work in designing mosques, at least for the last 15 years when he was still actively a principal architect at PT Urbane Indonesia, then becoming Mayor of Bandung, and finally Governor of West Java, with a term ending in 2023.
From the three historical phases of his professionalism, there is a clear trajectory, from being a well-known architectural figure in Indonesia, then becoming a city-class elected official, then becoming a provincial-class elected official, and becoming a national figure who is quite influential in the Indonesian popular world. While he was still active as an architect who had his own episteme, it could be said that the design language he used in his mosques was still very diverse. However, as the public became more familiar with him as a government official, regional leader or as a public figure, there was a change in the design language used by Ridwan Kamil in the design of his mosques.
Looking at one of the posts about the mosque design he created on his personal Instagram after no longer serving as Governor, there is a quite interesting caption that emphasizes the phenomenon of the relationship between power, political power and knowledge. In an Instagram postdated November 6, 2023, Ridwan Kamil wrote his opinion in the caption, that apart from having to be trustworthy in building and reforming systems or policies, a leader must also display work as a marker of progress in the era he leads. Next, by referring to President Soekarno along with his “Architectural Politics” which built narratives about nationalistic development and national character through the form of architectural works, he explained a little about the milestones in the development of Indonesian architectural works in the early 1960s. Concluding his opinion, Ridwan Kamil declared that it is best for leaders to have physical traces through their works that will stand tall, even if they are no longer present. The caption above accompanies a video about the construction process and use of the Al Jabbar Grand Mosque in Bandung as a proud mosque for the people of West Java, one of the mosques designed directly by Ridwan Kamil.
However, the narrative via Instagram posts about leaders having to leave a legacy certainly does not stand alone. Of the thousands of Instagram posts on his account, he has posted quite a few of his mosque works throughout Indonesia, either ones already built and in use, or just inaugurated, or even new in a design concept, as in the last post on December 17, 2023 entitled Mandalika Grand Mosque in Lombok. Ridwan Kamil clearly believes that leaving a worthwhile legacy to the public is part of the good efforts of how he wants to be remembered by the next generation, after he is gone.
From the many posts about his mosque designs, if the contents of each were to be analyzed, it is possible to codify the architectural design elements with reference to the architectural language and design vocabulary that communicates the splendor, beauty and greatness of Islamic civilization, especially that which derives from the Middle Eastern or Arabic tradition. From here, it is felt that Ridwan Kamil is trying to solidify his position in his legacy as a national leader who built large mosques, or in short as an architect of Indonesian mosques in contemporary times. A title that around decades ago was bestowed upon his own teacher – Architect Achmad Noe’man, as the father of modern Indonesian mosque architecture. From here it is clear that the relationship between power, political power and control of knowledge exists in the narratives of contemporary mosque architectural design in Indonesia.
Chronologically, there has been a shift in the design language and vocabulary of mosque design, from creativity based on mass studies and spatial experience which deeply explores the latest architectural theories, then changing to a design language and design vocabulary that is more popular and depicts the historical forms of world Islamic civilization. Looking back at several posts from his personal Instagram, regarding the mosque designs he worked on, the architectural design language originating from Middle Eastern culture is very easy to read. Architectural design vocabulary such as spherical domes, minarets, or historical elements of Islamic civilization, such as calligraphy, muqarnas, and arabesque art are re-emerging with various forms of aesthetic techniques, both deformation and stylization, to further emphasize the design as a work of contemporary architecture.
Referring to Foucault’s view that knowledge requires power to solidify it, so that with power the knowledge released to the public can also be shaped, the question is what knowledge does Ridwan Kamil want to convey, regarding the architecture of his mosque? What motivation is contained in the shift in design language from exploratory theoretical design to popular and historical design? Is there a decline in intellectual creativity in the architectural design methodology used? Furthermore, is Ridwan Kamil shaping the public opinion about the ideal and populist architectural design of mosques through his works?
With 21 million Instagram followers, the potential power that Ridwan Kamil has in shaping public opinion about what ideal and good mosque architecture like is very clear. With his charisma as a public figure, one well-respected by the Millennial generation, there is the potential for forming a unified opinion with his followers regarding his subjective understanding and interpretation of the ideal mosque design. Moreover, with 21 million followers, the potential for this uniform wisdom to become popular knowledge is certainly very great. It is common knowledge that something that is popular will certainly have an on-surface character and will never delve into the depth of the meaning and substance of the phenomenon that is emerging. Regardless of the pros and cons of the comments in each post, presenting good design presentation as the posts material will certainly seize followers’ attention. Thanks to the algorithmic mechanism, it will slowly but massively form knowledge that is directional and definitive on a particular cultural characteristic.
As a lecturer in the architecture department at the Bandung Institute of Technology, one of the best architecture schools in Indonesia, Ridwan Kamil certainly understands the theory of mosque architectural design. He certainly understands that Islamic teachings do not specifically teach how mosques should appear, and the world’s understanding of Islamic architecture is that architecture originates from Middle Eastern or Arabian regional culture, which is not entirely correct. He is also quite aware that in the expression of the design and existence of mosques today, there are two different views of thinking in mosque architecture. The first is those who view the mosque as a representation of the greatness and majesty of Islam and must appear as a symbol of beauty and a preference for Allah who loves beauty, as he tends to be on such a path. Next is a more subtle path, based on the fact that God and humans are basically very close, and intimacy in important prayer facilities is displayed as a manifestation of Sufism in Islam. Likewise, the view that Allah does not like luxury and prefers something simple is also expressed in the design of mosques that are not too big, have minimal ornamentation, and have a more intimate space. Javanese traditional mosques and other vernacular mosques with local character tend to act this way.
Indeed, nothing is more correct than the two, just as there is nothing wrong between the two views. Each architect can embrace both. In the view of postmodern architecture, designing a mosque based on one of these epistemologies, complemented by a narrative expressed through the design, is certainly theoretically justified. However, on several occasions, in educating the public about what mosque architecture is, architectural academics tend to emphasize that the expression of mosque architectural design or more broadly Islamic architecture cannot only be represented by one architectural design expression in language that originates from a particular national culture. In the context of strengthening Indonesian architecture, several parties have emphasized the importance of producing mosque designs that are more contextual to the culture and location in Nusantara by exploring architectural design language based on Indonesian culture.
Read: Mosque Architecture Of Ridwan Kamil: A Narrative Of Power And Knowledge Relations (Part 1)
Architecture itself is essentially a study that has a dualism in terms of value. Technically, architectural works contain value-free principles of logic and mathematics. However, when we talk about it as an aesthetic work and cultural work, or furthermore as a philosophical manifestation of the architect, architecture will actually be related to social and cultural construction, so that it will be very value-based. In the view of postmodern architecture, contemporary mosque architectural works will be greatly influenced by the artistic and subjective values of the various stakeholders.
It is just that, when trying to educate mosque architecture in the postmodern era as knowledge tied to certain values, it would be best to discuss the various values, culture and social contexts behind mosque architecture. With such great power or influence over the formation of knowledge about mosque architecture possessed by Architect Ridwan Kamil, or with an academic architectural background, the campaign for mosque design work on social media will have two-sided impacts, whether the educational process is beneficial or detrimental. A debate that could be interesting to discuss in the realm of architectural education at another time.