Siwalaya (Realm of Shiva) (2022)

Sacred sites once embedded within spiritual cosmologies and civic life have gradually been transformed into cultural artefacts to be preserved and monumentalised. Siwalaya revisits the ancient Hindu Shiva temples of Indonesia, centring on the monumental complex of Prambanan. Tracing its shifting meanings over time, the film reveals how the Javanese site has shifted from sacred ground to cultural heritage and now stands as a monument enlisted in the project of national unity. Tracing these layered recontextualisations, the film reflects on how sacred space is transformed across time — from living spiritual centre to colonial object of study, and finally an instrument of nation-building — questioning how history, heritage, and identity are constructed through the changing uses of architecture.