Author: dacman

Having journeyed to the Far East and Asia over 20 times in the past 20 years, I’ve been intrigued and inspired by the ingenuity, craftsmanship, balance and human spirit that have gone into the making of those works I have seen and collected.

Burma

young-burmese-monks“How can I capture Burma in words, as it has captured me?” This was the mantra question that played through my mind last December during the first of three happy and exciting weeks we spent in Burma. Beyond being one of the most photogenic places on planet Earth, Burma touched me in ways I don’t yet understand. There are things that could explain this affinity, like the enduring sweetness of the people or that the towns and cities have not been spoiled by the sudden world wide explosion of growth that makes most places look more and more alike. Although these are good explanations, there is something indefinable in the air. Burma is what it is, not trying to be something else. It remains whatever the current government names it (Myanmar) or does to it. Currently it isn’t madly pursuing the global hunger for MORE. Perhaps what Burma can better be defined by is by what isn’t there. Continue reading Burma

Tony

tony_naga1Tony was born of a Balinese mother and Dutch father, around the time of Indonesia’s independence from Holland. He moved to Bali from the Netherlands at age nine. Highly respected in the spiritual and political communities, Tony participates extensively in ceremonies and political events across Bali. His abilities as a shaman and healer are remarkable, though private. He speaks perfect high-cast Balinese, a feat few locals can match, as well as common Balinese, Indonesian, Dutch and English. Continue reading Tony

Why Travel?

Boatmen Launching
Boatmen Launching

Why Travel? I mean really travel, the kind of travel where you actually get to know someone truly different from you and find friendship, kinship or just plain old affinity. Travel … in which you are deeply touched by the beauty, courage or devotion of people you would have not imagined that you would have anything in common ground with. Travel … with an open heart, mind and spirit. Travel … which expands your passion for life. Continue reading Why Travel?

Travel with a Quest

davidThere are lots of reasons for travel and lots of ways to do it. I have found that one of the most satisfying way to travel is to create a quest, a quest to see the highest mountains, deepest lakes, the oldest inns or the most remote monasteries, whatever you want to make up. It doesn’t have to be significant, just a reason to get out of town, get off the beaten track, be a bit more vulnerable, open, available, and in the end, be a lot more nourished and alive. Continue reading Travel with a Quest

Food Preparation Implements in the Home

food-implementsFood Preparation Implements in the Home have perhaps the best energy, flavor, and patina of anything in the Collection.  Food preparation is the heart and soul of home and village life.  It is done with care, love, and thoughtful attention.  One can taste the love in the food and feel the care from the tools used to cook and serve it. Continue reading Food Preparation Implements in the Home

The Joglo

DAC Showroom
Joglo

The Joglo is the four-posted architectural center piece of a Central Javanese home. This is the heart of the home, the meeting place, around which the rest of the house is built. It’s structurally integrated into the rest of the house, though appears to be free standing. There is a second roof, high above the roof of the Joglo, that protects the home from the elements. Continue reading The Joglo

Newsletter December 2006

Hi Folks,

This newsletter is the first of a series from David Alan Collection.  I spend about four months each year traveling in the Far East finding pieces for the Collection and shipping them home.  Each piece I find has a story and a quality, that I wish to share with you, as well as the flavors of the cultures I move in and through, the warmth and diversity of the people, and the beauty, joy and discovery I experience everywhere.  In reading these newsletters, it is my hope that you will be inspired , informed and moved by the people, places and pieces I have found all across the East. Continue reading Newsletter December 2006