Description

Recommendation of Special Grant of $95,000 to the Asian Cultural Council for the project Library of Congress-to-Bali Repatriation Project: Films & Photographs by Gregory Bateson & Jane Belo   The research supported by two prior grants for the Bali 1928 project for restoration and repatriation of the earliest music recordings and films in Bali, directed by Edward Herbst, has led to new discoveries of archival material and exchange with elder knowledge makers and keepers of Balinese cultural traditions. The current request would enable work on a new body of Library of Congress films and field notes, by Gregory Bateson (with Margaret Mead, between 1936-1938), Jane Belo (1931-1938), and Madé Kalér, with a focus on children in 1930’s Bali. Herbst’s dialogic, participatory approach involves extensive community consultation and collaboration in Bali, as he writes, “sparking memories, local knowledge, personal narratives and artistic insights” and reconnecting a new generation with their cultural history. A multimedia publication in Indonesian and English will join two bilingual book manuscripts, nearing completion, on the repatriation process, and on the masks and creative world of the Balinese priest Ida Pedanda Made Sideman (1878-1984) , the latter co-authored by Ketut Kodi and Herbst. ACC will again serve as fiscal sponsor.   This grant would further the Asia Program’s Goal 1 (maintaining the vitality of Asian studies, particularly through continued support for Southeast Asian studies, and providing opportunities for engagement with Asian counterparts).