CONCEPT DESCRIPTION

Ubud is the primary inland region for Bali travel.  It is also the artistic hub, filled with galleries, museums, artisans, restaurants, and tourist activity providers. (See map below.) In Ubud we shall take over the land lease of a resort classic operating for three decades and project its next decades by integrating within it signature Harmony Project features: Art In Life, Living Museum, Resource for Life and wellbeing.

Leveraging the Ubud location as the artistic hub of Bali, Art In Life shall commission contemporary Balinese performing and visual art — re-energizing the community’s involvement establishing our Living Museum and anchoring the Gyan Vihara Culinary Institute and its gastronomic art.

It shall become a destination drawing on contemporary performing, visual art, & gastronomic holistic lifestyle achieving healthfulness and happiness harmonizing the individual’s inner quest for optimal levels of health, wellness, and spiritual growth with an appreciation for and interaction with indigenous communities and environments. In turn, the guest, now a “sojourner”, becomes an active, contributing participant.

Active, contributing participant — In life we are energized by art in multiple ways — visual (fine art, and architectural), performing (musically, theatricality, dance), and gastronomic. Where do typical culinary senses (tactile, taste, odiferous, visual, textural, temperature) end and experience begin?  In the Modernist context there is no demarcation between these senses — when successful they are an amalgamation, and thus evoke the additional sense of “experience” when successfully executed. Particular to the Harmony Project, this amalgamation is now heighten by the juxtaposition of complementary art forms. Resident artisans shall include culinary artists in association with the Culinary Institute for the mentioned three principle reasons. However in establishing active, contributing participation we shall add two more: 1) to embrace (provoke) dialogue among the clients and between the citizenry (chef, artist, musicians, actors, healers) and the clients, and 2) to deliver wellbeing — food as medicine. We shall integrate Modernist culinary art with healing (calling it too an art form) to yield a powerful combination.

ASSUME PROPERTY LEASE

We shall assume the 30-key property lease of an 8 acer award winning resort located along the Ayung River valley. We shall operate the property and implement signature features of the Harmony Project model. As the discussion with the property owner consortia is on-going and confidential, the name of the resort property is not shared in this page.

Designed by Australian architect Peter Muller, the resort was the second to open for the brand. Since it opened in 1989, the resort’s understated elegance and authentic Balinese decors have inspired countless imitators, but the resort’s timeless design still delivers. The property design is base on the concept of a traditional self-contained resort but loosely modeled after an Indonesian village. Like the neighboring homes of the citizenry of Ubud, the pavilions and accommodations are made of local teak and mahogany, topped by vaulted thatched roofs, and supported by bamboo poles.

QUICK START FOR THE HARMONY PROJECT BALI

By assuming the land lease we anticipate a unique opportunity to quickly establish the Harmony Project in Bali. The first of three phases, this property operation will resume and be ramped-up once the Covid Economy shifts to a more usual condition.

The second phase is Pinge Farm Village to the north, the third-phase is the Gili Beach Island off Lombok.

The modest capital investment shall address ramp-up operating cashflow, commissioning and installing the contemporary art collection, and adjusting of the public spaces for commissioned performing art venues (see below).

The next 30 years of this Ubud property’s life shall be a Living Museum, not a static showcase of traditional Bali. By commissioning a range of contemporary Balinese visual and performing art we shall feature Bali today and tomorrow, set within historical and cultural context — a condition that better represents the Balinese people.

THE NEXT 30 YEARS FOR A CLASSIC

30 years ago architect Muller based his resort design on the traditional Balinese dwelling and family compound format within a self-contained walled-in property. Although a trend-setter for its first three decades, the Ubud market has responded exponentially with numerous luxury brands. Many interpretive liberties were taken with Muller’s design allowing the Harmony Project Bali’s second-phase to become the next incarnation traveler experience utilizing Balinese indigenous design. Instead of modeling a walled-in resort compound inspired by a traditional village, the second-phase setting shall be located within an actual Balinese farm village (Pinge), dispersing sojourner accommodations amongst existing family compounds — effectively turning the resort paradigm inside out.

VISUAL & PERFORMING ART CENTER

Performing Art — Contemporary forms of sesolahan, traditional Balinese theatre and dramas, are to be commissioned in addition to contemporary musical performance involving Gamelan and Western collaborations.  Performances are intended NOT to be traditional, but new commissioned performances as part of the Living Museum project. Video composite below examples contemporary Balinese dance and musical performance.

Art Galleries & Museums in Ubud, Bali are listed on the map below, all located east of the Ayung River. Art in Life establishing visual and performing contemporary art within the hotel, prescribed healing accommodations, we can certainly establish a significant difference with either of these two options. 

While Ubud is the Bali-center of such world class venues, few are within the Lux Hotel zone along the Ayung River. Also note the Ubud land prospect is within the Lux Hotel zone.

Art In Life has been a feature of the Harmony Project. Foundational to the concept is invited creative artisans that reside on campus for three principle motives:

1. To produce commissioned works that provide an outlet for the tested artist to expand their comfort zone,

2. to tell a story and share art-invoked emotions for an assigned space, and;

3. to execute a body of work that is truly original (in the Modern Art movement’s definition — and to demonstrate the new price-point of their art).

Note the culinary schools noted in the map below. A popular pastime for tourists, the Harmony Project’s Gyan Vihara Culinary Institute located in Ubud and within the farms of Pinge operate as part of the Integrated Clinic & Institute to as a Resource For Life.

BALIAN USADA, TRADITIONAL HEALER OF THE INTEGRATED CLINIC & INSTITUTE

The Integrated Clinic & Institute includes Balian Usada, a literate healer who acquired their skills by formalized study of classical texts about healing (the “usadas”) and specializes in the use of the ancient palm leaf manuscripts (from the lontar tree) containing treatises expounding medical, ritual and magical knowledge to give advise and treatment after eliciting symptoms from the client.  The Balian Usada go through a process of apprenticeship to prepare for consecration (“Mawinten”) by the community and the Hindu religion.  The Balian Usada specialize in the use of loloh (phytomedicine). Balian Gusti Mangku Samantra is profiled in the example video below..

The Integrated Wellbeing healing system comprises six interwoven realms. It embraces the concept of taking a journey into both the outer environment and into one’s inner environment at the same time, guided by highly-experienced teachers and healers.

The Hindu University Indonesia Denpasar’s Ayurvedic Health Study Program is just 45 minutes away, we shall be a collaborative resource.

DYNAMIC ART COLLECTION

Visual Art — Contemporary art is generated within on-premise studios, work is commissioned for the many public and guest room spaces, and for the multiple galleries.  Example gallery art talk in photo at left, below. Video of Balinese artist carver Made Ada below.

We shall set an entirely new direction for Ubud and Bali with our Art In Life program as part of the Living Museum. Pakudui carver artist profiled in example video at lower right.

A simple survey of existing art venue in Ubud is included at the map below, to include: Art Bali is an exposition example, unlike the static and vintage facilities of The Puri Lukisan Ratna Wartha Museum, < wiki link >, a government institution comprised of an extensive (static) collection, and workshops for tourists to learn various forms of indigenous Balinese visual art. Or the Don Antonio Blanco Museum pertaining to a single painter.