Dynamics of Industrial Revolution 4.0: Digital Technology Transformation and Cultural Evolution –
Wulandari et al (eds)
© 2021 The Author(s), ISBN 978-1-032-04451-4
The influence of digital technology on the cultural evolution of a city’s
monumental icons
G.A. Prahara
Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
M.Y. Suhairi
University Computer Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT: Sculptures serve as a symbolic reflection of a spirit that contains philosophical,
historical, and aesthetic elements. Digital technology makes it easy to replicate and reduplicate, as
well as speed up, the process of working on the pre-production process and the production of threedimensionally built objects. A society’s misinterpretation turned the monumentally built objects in
Bandung into a decorating tool for the city, yet visually borrowing form from cultural objects with
philosophical value. The method used in this study was ethnography-descriptive observations on
three-dimensional spatial objects to explore relationships between the physical form of the objects
with cultural philosophical beliefs of today’s society. There has been a decrease in philosophical
significance because of cultural objects’ replication through the use of digital technology.
Keywords: digital technology, spatial objects, cultural symbol
1 INTRODUCTION
Bandung is a historic city, the center of West Java’s cultural development, where various historical
events became iconic symbols. Heritage buildings have become symbols of modern cultural acculturation based on historical narratives currently used as symbols of civilization. In Bandung, there
are objects built with a spatial approach such as statues, monuments, buildings, and symbols. The
current municipality uses duplicated cultural objects in form of figures, typography, and cultural
symbols in public areas in Bandung. Bandung’s green open space was revitalized into a friendly
open park with a community’s physical activity and became a comfortable place to interact.
Bandung City Square was revitalized into a playground for children and families with synthetic
grass flooring. Spatial typography serves as identity in an open space such as a city park or
identification of a location. The Siliwangi Tiger statues, facing the four wind directions, became
decorators at several crossroads in Bandung. The Kujang (traditional weapon) symbol was built as
part of border signs on street gates as well as an iconic element of the philosophical character of West
Java society. Kujang monuments in several places stand as a reminder of the Sundanese people’s
ancestors related to the Padjadjaran Kingdom. All objects are imitations or artificial replications
of their original form functioning as aesthetic elements of the city.
The development of digital technology, especially three-dimensional printing presses, revolutionized the industry’s design and manufacturing. The creation of a prototype in three-dimensional
design takes a short time, as the capabilities of the three-dimensional print machine are advanced.
Solid materials of both color and type can be cheap and easy to make into a prototype according
to the design on a digital computer (White Clouds 2019).
The development of production techniques and tools based on digital technology can answer
design needs including laser cutting tools for large scale objects, where shapes can be printed on
metal at the desired scale. Materials are increasingly flexible so that they can be easily transformed
288
DOI 10.1201/9781003193241-54
Wulandari et al (eds)
© 2021 The Author(s), ISBN 978-1-032-04451-4
The influence of digital technology on the cultural evolution of a city’s
monumental icons
G.A. Prahara
Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
M.Y. Suhairi
University Computer Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT: Sculptures serve as a symbolic reflection of a spirit that contains philosophical,
historical, and aesthetic elements. Digital technology makes it easy to replicate and reduplicate, as
well as speed up, the process of working on the pre-production process and the production of threedimensionally built objects. A society’s misinterpretation turned the monumentally built objects in
Bandung into a decorating tool for the city, yet visually borrowing form from cultural objects with
philosophical value. The method used in this study was ethnography-descriptive observations on
three-dimensional spatial objects to explore relationships between the physical form of the objects
with cultural philosophical beliefs of today’s society. There has been a decrease in philosophical
significance because of cultural objects’ replication through the use of digital technology.
Keywords: digital technology, spatial objects, cultural symbol
1 INTRODUCTION
Bandung is a historic city, the center of West Java’s cultural development, where various historical
events became iconic symbols. Heritage buildings have become symbols of modern cultural acculturation based on historical narratives currently used as symbols of civilization. In Bandung, there
are objects built with a spatial approach such as statues, monuments, buildings, and symbols. The
current municipality uses duplicated cultural objects in form of figures, typography, and cultural
symbols in public areas in Bandung. Bandung’s green open space was revitalized into a friendly
open park with a community’s physical activity and became a comfortable place to interact.
Bandung City Square was revitalized into a playground for children and families with synthetic
grass flooring. Spatial typography serves as identity in an open space such as a city park or
identification of a location. The Siliwangi Tiger statues, facing the four wind directions, became
decorators at several crossroads in Bandung. The Kujang (traditional weapon) symbol was built as
part of border signs on street gates as well as an iconic element of the philosophical character of West
Java society. Kujang monuments in several places stand as a reminder of the Sundanese people’s
ancestors related to the Padjadjaran Kingdom. All objects are imitations or artificial replications
of their original form functioning as aesthetic elements of the city.
The development of digital technology, especially three-dimensional printing presses, revolutionized the industry’s design and manufacturing. The creation of a prototype in three-dimensional
design takes a short time, as the capabilities of the three-dimensional print machine are advanced.
Solid materials of both color and type can be cheap and easy to make into a prototype according
to the design on a digital computer (White Clouds 2019).
The development of production techniques and tools based on digital technology can answer
design needs including laser cutting tools for large scale objects, where shapes can be printed on
metal at the desired scale. Materials are increasingly flexible so that they can be easily transformed
288
DOI 10.1201/9781003193241-54