NOVALI 2018.447a-c

The 154-room apartment building in Aditya Novali’s The Wall: Asian Un(real) Estate Project is inspired by urban development in Indonesia, where access to affordable housing for low-income communities remains an ongoing problem. In cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung, suburban expansion has largely catered to middle-class residents, with limited subsidised housing provided through employers. As a result, informal and temporary structures have sprung up in densely populated areas and, over time, become permanent settlements known as kampung. Novali’s work reflects on the systemic shortfall underpinning this housing crisis and speculates on the form such dwellings might take in the future.