Hybrid Architecture and Contested Space of Colonial Interaction: Colonial Exhibitions at Pasar Gambir of Batavia and Jaarmarkt of Surabaya

In the early of twentieth century, there was a development of technology and an expansion and cultural domination of the middle class that introduced the Dutch East Indies to modernity. Although in reality a clear dichotomy between the colonizer and the colonized was still present, there were some events that allowed local middle class to practice western culture. This phenomenon was clearly shown in the way local people mimic Dutch's lifestyles, from hybrid architectural styles and the idea of modern lifestyles spread out that basically showed a mix of both Western and local cultures. A night fair at Pasar Gambir was held by the Batavia City Government to display modern products and technology while the Surabaya government organized a similar fair of Jaarmarkt Surabaya that attracted diverse crowd ranging from the Europeans and local middle-class. Those colonial exhibitions became a rare event where both the colonizer and the colonized practiced modernity. During these period, the organizer exposed hybrid architecture adopting both European and Indies architectural elements. The night fair offered a temporary 'negotiating moment' for both the colonized and the colonizer to mingle and enjoy each other's company by creating a utopian-neutral ground and using leisure as its faade. This moment in history offered not only the way local people tried to localize the idea modernity but also a lesson of social and cultural integration. In this research, we discuss the colonial fair of Pasar Gambir in Batavia and Jaarmarkt in Surabaya that became a contested space for interaction between the Dutch and Indies people through the use of hybrid architecture.