Dance Research NRW #61

‘Asta kosala kosali’ is a traditional Balinese architectural concept that defines how space is designed. At its central core is ‘sikut gegulak’, a system of measurement that uses the human body – from head to toe – to determine the proportions, distances and volumes of a house. This practice reflects a Balinese worldview in which humans are not autonomous individuals, but manifestations of the universe: the body as a small cosmos, the house as its larger counterpart.

Based on this knowledge, Bali-born choreographer Krsina Satya explores how the body adapts to geographically, socially, culturally and emotionally distant environments. His research project ‘Sikut Awak’ is being based in Düsseldorf and focuses on Frank Gehry’s Neuer Zollhof, whose radically curved, almost fluid forms embody a deconstructivist approach to space.