Mekar Bhuana Centre Mekar Bhuana Centre - Documenting, Reconstructing and Repatriating Balinese Gamelan

family-based gamelan and dance centre

Collections

We have more than 25 gamelan sets at Mekar Bhuana, with 21 at Mekar Bhuana in Bali and four at Mekar Bhuana Aotearoa in New Zealand.

Caruk

Our smallest ensemble with just two musicians, Caruk is one of Bali’s rarest gamelan art-forms and is only found in a handful of villages, including

Javanese Gamelan

We have one Javanese gamelan set at Mekar Bhuana: a very old set that based on its organology, patina and ornamentation dates to the first

Angklung Lombok

In 2019, we restored and reconstructed a very unusal set that we have called ‘Angklung Lombok’ because of its provenance – however, these types of

Semara Patangian Set 1

Our first Semara Patangian (Pelegongan ) set is at Mekar Bhuana Centre in Bali. It is an antique, very complete ensemble that Vaughan Hatch acquired

Semara Patangian Set 2

Semara Patangian kami di Selandia Baru unik karena merupakan satu-satunya di luar Bali dengan tatanan bilah dan instrumentasi kuno.

Seven-tone Semara Pagulingan Set 2

The Seven-tone Semara Pagulingan set in New Zealand also partly old but has a higher tuning than our one in Bali. The ensemble is both

Six-tone Semara Pagulingan

Our Six-tone Semara Pagulingan is not yet complete, as we still need to fundraise more to make the ornate wooden casings, the design of which

Seven-tone Semara Pagulingan Set 1

In mediaeval Bali (circa 1600-1906) Semara Pagulingan (also known as Semar Pegulingan) was an important part of the Balinese courts. Accompanying court rituals and Pendet

Five-tone Semara Pagulingan

Our five-tone Semara Pagulingan set is our antique Semara Patangian set with a terompong, ponggang-kempyung, kangsi and grantang added, and the gender rambat removed. It

Selonding Set 1

Purchased in 2012, our first Selonding set is modelled on the Bugbug formation but with additional instruments found in the set from Merajan Selonding in

Old-Fashioned Angklung

Our Old-Fashioned Angklung set is characterised both by its age (estimated to be from the 1800s) as well as its old-fashioned instrumentation (hence the name: