Designing for authenticity: the rise of ‘Bathic’ church architecture and its impact on Balinese identity and tourism

Abstract

Whereas the architecture of churches throughout most of Southeast Asia is typified by colonial or neocolonial typologies, the design of Catholic churches in Bali, especially since the 1970s, has been undergoing a profound localization. The brainchild of Indonesian architects, these churches combine the use of traditional and modern techniques with the labour of craftsmen who have for generations worked on the Hindu temples most tourists perceive as authentically Balinese. Using benchmarks of analysis which combine traditional Balinese belief systems with internationally-recognized measurements pertaining to architectural authenticity, this qualitative study explains the rise of ‘Bathic’ architecture as a new, authentically Balinese architectural language which even more than temple design, exists nowhere outside the shores of Bali. It shows how rarity, as a by-product of modernity, can sometimes render ‘authenticity’ on new creations to the same level as the old. It suggests a positive long-term impact for Bali's heritage tourism industry, given demographic changes and a long-term trend towards religious pluralism. It explains how, in the case of the island's ‘Bathic’ churches, outside influence has managed to create new, yet authentically Balinese buildings, which due to their touristic potential energy, are on the cusp of entering the tourist gaze.

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