Many of cultural heritages of the past are detting less known by the present generation. One of which is a pawukon figures and their aesthetic values. Pawukon is a Javanese prediction or calculation based on Hindu mythology regarding time and its association with the prediction of human life based on their wuku (time characteristics). There are 30 pawukon figures, from the Wuku Sinta figure to Wuku Watugunung figure accompanied by a picture of their respective deities. Pawukon figures can be found in primbon books or enlarged and displayed in the interiors of Javanese houses. Pawukon figures such as wayang purwa are equipped with figures of buildings or gedhong, figures of weapons, figures of various types of trees, birds and other figures which each have a certain purpose and meaning. The composition of the various elements makes the overall visuals very interesting to be explored regarding the concept of visual, visual aesthetics and meaning. The pawukon figures also needs to be studied aesthetically regarding to their placement in the Javanese home interior and how to develop them to be better known by the present generation. To explore the aesthetics and development of Pawukon figures, the concept of wangun (aesthetic) derived from the Javanese culture was used. The research findings were interesting because the pawukon figures have the wangun elements and wangun visual arrangenments, wangun placement, and the development of the pawukon figures which is related to the concept of wangun and ora wangun (not aesthetic) or aèng (strange). Pawukon figures were made to remind people to be cautious, and their applications and development into interior design were meant to present the atmosphere of Java.Banyak warisan budaya masa lalu yang kurang dikenal oleh generasi sekarang. Salah satunya adalah angka-angka pawukon dan nilai-nilai estetika mereka. Pawukon adalah prediksi atau perhitungan Jawa berdasarkan mitologi Hindu tentang waktu dan hubungannya dengan prediksi kehidupan manusia berdasarkan wuku mereka (karakteristik waktu). Ada 30 tokoh pawukon, mulai dari tokoh Wuku Sinta hingga tokoh Wuku Watugunung yang disertai gambar dewa masing-masing. Tokoh-tokoh Pawukon dapat ditemukan di buku-buku primbon atau diperbesar dan dipajang di interior rumah-rumah Jawa. Tokoh Pawukon seperti wayang purwa dilengkapi dengan tokoh-tokoh bangunan atau gedhong, tokoh-tokoh senjata, tokoh berbagai jenis pohon, burung dan tokoh-tokoh lain yang masing-masing memiliki tujuan dan makna tertentu. Komposisi dari berbagai elemen membuat keseluruhan visual sangat menarik untuk dieksplorasi mengenai konsep visual, estetika visual dan makna. Tokoh-tokoh pawukon juga perlu dipelajari secara estetis mengenai penempatannya di interior rumah Jawa dan bagaimana mengembangkannya agar lebih dikenal oleh generasi sekarang. Untuk mengeksplorasi estetika dan perkembangan tokoh Pawukon, konsep wangun (estetika) yang berasal dari budaya Jawa digunakan. Temuan penelitian ini menarik karena tokoh pawukon memiliki unsur-unsur wangun dan wangun pengaturan visual, penempatan wangun, dan pengembangan tokoh-tokoh pawukon yang terkait dengan konsep wangun dan ora wangun (bukan estetika) atau aèng (aneh). Sosok-sosok Pawukon dibuat untuk mengingatkan orang agar berhati-hati, dan aplikasi serta pengembangan mereka ke dalam desain interior dimaksudkan untuk menghadirkan suasana Jawa.

At present, Javanese culture is increasingly less powerful in facing the changing times, where art that was once familiar in people’s daily lives has slowly begun to disappear. But Surakarta was fortunate to have Tjitro Waloejo, a traditional painter who died in 1990. He perpetuated the event of collecting illicit wealth (pesugihan) in the form of paintings as a life lesson portraying how some Javanese gathered their wealth under an agreement with Satan. The problem is what the paintings of Tjitro Waloejo are like, and what they really mean. The approach in this study is the concept of wangun (beautiful) which the writers explore from Javanese culture to study the art objects (barang kagunan). Wangun or beauty of the Javanese becomes (1) the form of wangun (beautiful) based on the perspective of the Javanese, (2) the appearance of ora wangun (not beautiful) or aèng (strange), (3) the form of wangun based on the king’s legitimacy or trend, and (4) the forbidden wangun. The important findings in the study of pesugihan painting reveal that there are perpetuated events of collecting illicit wealth (pesugihan) in the form of paintings as life lessons on how some Javanese gather their wealth under an agreement with demons. It was found that the existence of wangun elements and arrangement systems which are classified as forbidden wangun (new findings), angger-angger (rules), and wewaler (prohibition), consist of sacred values and meanings in various contexts.

This paper was created to discuss an interesting issue, dragon ornament in batik cloth, the value of its aesthetics, and its context to Javanese and Tionghoa (Chinese) culture in Indonesia. This paper attempts to answer several questions including what is a dragon ornament, why is a dragon ornament applied to batik cloth, how is it aesthetic, and how is the relationship between Javanese and Tionghoa dragon ornaments in Indonesia. This issue is approached using interpretation perspective, both specifically in the context of batik cloth and its aesthetics, as well as in a broader context of Javanese and Tionghoa cultures. The interesting findings show that dragon ornaments on classical batik cloth in the form of Javanese dragons and Chinese dragons have their respective characteristics. Dragon ornament is applied to batik cloth due to its visual beauty and meaning as a protector and symbol of power that is identical to the king or emperor. The two Javanese and Chinese dragon ornaments not only adorn batik cloth, but are also applied for the benefit of architecture and other art works. Specific findings indicate that Chinese dragon ornaments are more developed than Javanese dragon ornaments, especially for contemporary batik fashion. Another finding is that the Parang motif combined with the Chinese dragon looks aèng or strange but is favoured by the public. This article suggests that batik producers develop Javanese dragon motifs for contemporary batik (preservation with new functions). For researchers, in studying dragon ornaments, the use of Western and Eastern aesthetic approaches will complement each other and result in more comprehensive findings. Another phenomenon that is intriguing for future research is the presence of batik producers and online shops that offer batik products with a variety of motifs and patterns. It is an interesting phenomenon to be studied in terms of design and marketing.

In creating interior designs, most people do not optimize natural resources and the concept of eco-interior design. This causes a lack of comfort such as hot air, lack of light during the day, and noise entering the interior. The question is how to utilize natural resources optimally in supporting interior eco-design. To answer this, identification on several cases with similar problem solving need to be done. The findings can be used as inspirations for the community in constructing public buildings and residences, so that interior designs can be occupied comfortably. The results and discussion found several alternatives namely technical utilization for optimal but not dazzling sunlight, technical use of optimal cross-air circulation in buildings, and utilization of natural building materials that can absorb sound to overcome noise from outside.

The Borobudur chair originated from the reconstruction of seat image (two-dimensional) in the Borobudur Temple relief in Central Java Province Indonesia. This reconstruction process produces a replica of Borobudur Chair and has redesigned the chair with wangun or indah concept (Javanese beauty concept). In the Javanese context culture, the antithesis of wangun concept is aèng or strange, both come together in the creation of Javanese beauty concept. There are some problems when the Borobudur Seat is explored and developed by various possibilities of design with the aèng method. The aèng method in the Western world is similar to the method of distorted changes (refraction) and destruction and others. As a result, there is a chair that enters into group of artworks. The Borobudur chair as an artwork cannot be judged from the calculation of material prices, a cost of artisans, final settlement, and profit gained. Artwork is appreciated for its beauty that is highly valued by the public, critics, and art collectors. Certainly, the Borobudur Chair design development with the aèng method is still processed. The stages which have to be taken is an exhibition to measure how this work accepted by the society.