Bamboo Homes on Flores
Southeast Asia was again on the agenda in 2003. My path takes me through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand before crossing back into Indonesia from Malaysia. Whenever possible, snapshots are taken of the various bamboo panels to reinforce my belief that the intricate designs are primarily in Flores. After arrival in the port town of Ende, on the south coast of Flores, villagers direct me to the outskirts of town where several families make bamboo panels. Although different regions of the island have their own specialty, it appears that designs are only limited by the artist’s imagination. Figures such as diamonds, steps, and squares are common, but stars, human figures, and even words are possible. Some homeowners have added color, but fortunately, this is not too common. Better is the seldom seen practice of applying a preservative such as clear polyurethane. The next five days are spent traveling across the island, taking pictures and a few simple videos of panel making and bamboo homes. Unfortunately, some of the intricate designs are photographed from the bus window while traveling between the larger villages, so the pictures are not as sharp as desired. Several representative samples are displayed below.
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