The excavation of a shipwreck
The non-scandal around the recovery of a ninth century shipwreck.
Pondering the haze
How does a single nation handle a transnational problem?
Trop picks: Snake Fruit
Tracing the salak fruit's journey from the heart of darkness to our tables.
Vlisco: A bit of Java in Africa
It is a little known fact that these "African" cloths are not from Africa at all, but have their origins in Indonesia and are manufactured in Holland by a Dutch company called Vlisco for export to Africa.
Trop picks: Flowers of the universe
We look at designs from traditional culture as part of a series on symbols of love that are not the ubiquitous heart.
The entire spectrum of human innovation
From the engineering marvel that is Grasberg to the ingenuity of the native tribes, the entire spectrum of human innovation is found in Papua.
How inspiration works
Follow the journey of an idea.
Nostalgia: Malam di Jari Kita
"Malam di Jari Kita" might be the most evocative work of art of recent years.
Trop Picks: Syaiful Garibaldi
Science vs. Humanities: who wins? This only a valid question if you think that science is the enemy of the humanities.
What is Balinese Hinduism?
There are two Balis: “Bali,” the seeker’s paradise of the Eat, Pray, Love set, and the other Bali, a less penetrable, more complex place. “Bali” was born out of the other Bali’s dialogues with European orientalists and the Indonesian state.
You Are What You Wear
Quick: what jewelry are you wearing as you’re reading this? Do you know who made it and what they were trying to say? What are you trying to say about yourself as you’re wearing it?