Saraswati: The Exploration of Art, Culture, and Spirituality in Bali

flowing Perspective on culture

When I think about Balinese culture I see the glowing smile of our beautiful Dayu, the knowing winks and expressions of Evert, and the gentle, unassuming, and peaceful presence of Weiske. I feel privileged to be led around this exotic island by such a gifted and honest group…

Bali Ha’i

Or Should I Say: Bali Says Hi

The culture of Bali, Indonesia is wonderful and I will truly miss it when I head back to the states.

Bali Ha’i will whisper
On the wind of the sea:
“Here am I, your special island!
Come to me, come to me!”

Filming rice.

Throughout my time in Bali I have been working on a larger project for this art course. My larger project, as previously mentioned, is a film about rice. I wanted to do a film about food and the interactions with the culture here in Bali, but as I spent more time here I saw the significance that rice…

Dear Tippy,

You were worried for what was coming. You weren’t expecting this trip at all, but it taught you a few things. Trusting yourself is your number one priority. Trust that you can connect and that you can make your time worthwhile. Trust that your art is good enough and valid. You might not be an art major…

The Perfect Humans

Perfect Humans Have To Eat

Now there is a table in the room, many tables, and chairs, and the humans.

The perfect humans are going to eat and drink. We will see a meal. The perfect humans are going to eat and drink. We will see a meal.

Art and Spirituality influencing different parts of culture.

A lot of my interactions with the culture have primarily been around the concepts of we focus on in class which are the spirituality of Bali and the art. Culture is such a broad term to discuss so I am going to point out a…

The Culture of Bali

When I first came here, I felt something more than just the heat and humidity. There was this wonder and essence that brought me to appreciate it more. It’s a place I’ve never been before. I felt magic here. The energy that I was exposed to made me think of the elements. The symbols I saw in…

Reflection inspired by the film The Five Obstructions

Dear Silly Hanna,

You came to Bali a little nervous but you shouldn’t have been. You had traveled before in Europe and Central America and were well prepared with the items you packed and the preparations you…

Project Poetry

My project for this trip consists of poetry that I wrote about the sensations I’ve felt while in Bali. This includes trying to capture the sights, sounds, smells, touch, taste, and temperature of things and experiences that have struck me while here. A specific goal of mine has been to write personal…