Indonesia

Weaving Sumba’s history into the fabric of the world - Paul v Walters tells the inspiring story of MANAMU, a studio for woven steel jewellery on a remote Indonesian island.
The Bahari bag: Holding onto the craft wisdom of Itak Sein - Atri Priyamanaya from HANDEP tells how they drew on the unique fibre weaving knowledge of a Dayak elder to revive the beautiful basketry techniques of Central Kalimantan, resulting in a stylish bag.
Topeng Malangan: Batik behind the mask - Astrid Kusumowidagdo writes about innovative and socially aware Topeng Malangan batik production, guided by Janet Teowarang.
Gamelan is character building - Embie Tan Aren rediscovers Indonesia's communal values in Pardiman Djoyonegoro's gamelan performances.
Jayanto Tan ✿ Delights for every palette - Pamela See interviews Jayanto Tan about the role of brightly coloured food in his installations.
Dias Prabu ✿ Re-imagining memories of past encounters - Bianca Winataputri writes about Dias Prabu's exhibition of batiks, which tells the story of Makassan fishermen whose journey left a legacy of shared traditions.
Raci’s mangrove apple: A batik message from the coast of Pasuruan to the fashion catwalk - Lauren Veronica Sidarsono writes from the village of the "little King" that celebrates the mangrove fruit with fashionable batik.
Treasures from Marege: Yolŋu-Makassan trade today - Diane Moon and Will Stubbs describe the exchange between Yolŋu and Makassan cultures that continues after their trade was banned.
Cherry blossom to wear - Bella Lucianto and Salma Haudia Atmaja describe how they incorporate the spirit of the Japanese cherry blossom into their fashion.
Mancapat: Heritage batik from today’s soil - A Singapore exhibition features the heritage textile Batik Tenun Gedog that has been produced according to circular principles using homegrown cotton.
Monkey love: A Javanese romance - Aishah David recounts the love story of Dewi Sekartaji and Panji Asmorobangun as told through the Kethek Ogleng Dance
Made in Indonesia: The globalisation of Indonesia’s footwear industry and the legacy of shoemaking - Rahayu Budhi Handayani reveals the production process of creative Indonesian artisans and shoemakers.
A future for waste: Upcycling fashion for Gen Z in Indonesia - Janet Teowarang reflects on the increased interest in sustainable fashion and methods that combine machine and hand weaving. 
The soul of Feng Huang: An art of contemporary batik pesisir pattern - Enrico Ho captures the unique dialogue of Javanese and Chinese cultures in a mythical bird that fuses opposites.
Jember Batik: The dragon rises - Geraldus Sugeng describes the unique batik designs that come from the town of Jember and are now seen around the world.
Indonesia’s generation Z takes up shibori - Janet Teowarang writes about a collaboration between industry and students keen to develop sustainable fashion.
Looking at the past, creating the future: The forgotten role of the museum - Michael Nathaniel Kurniawan believes the museum plays an important role in design education because we can only go forward by learning from the past.
An appeal to help textile communities devastated by Cyclone Seroja - Ikat weavers from the "placenta of the earth" in eastern Indonesia seek help to rebuild their communities
The Lontar basketry of Palu’e Island (eastern Indonesia) - Stefan and Magnus Danerek visit friends on a tiny volcanic Indonesian island, famous for its unique "crazy weave" baskets.
Kasih Project ✿ Delivered with love, Indonesia style - Lachlan Blain finds a community initiative that takes the Indonesian spirit of dapur umum, temporary kitchen, to help international students currently stranded in Melbourne.
Jumaadi’s garden of shadows - Kevin Murray explores the studio of an Indonesian artist filled with shadows of history, culture, craft and dreams.
Quarterly essay ✿ Batik journeys between the three worlds: Here, there and everywhere - Elly Kent follows the path of batik as a way to explore the complex dynamic of Indonesian culture and to discover a much-needed optimism for our time.
Editorial: Pembaharu - The penultimate issue of the journey heralds a new Indonesian generation keen to use their technological know-how to precious support cultural heritage.
Kandangan village: A rich harvest of innovation for pandemic response - Alexandra Crosby catches up with Singgih Kartono in the village of Kandangan to find out how they are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bridge to Indonesia, my second home - Cassandra Lehman reflects on her magical journey through Indonesia, where art extends far beyond the museum.
Batik journeys between the three worlds: Here, there and everywhere - Elly Kent follows the path of batik as a way to explore the complex dynamic of Indonesian culture and to discover a much-needed optimism for our time. 
Naga Kacip: A snake god at work - Linda S. McIntosh writes about the story told by the quintessential Southeast Asian implement, the kacip betel nut cutter.
Flag Project (2006-2020) - Arahmaiani Feisal finds an answer in flags that bring communities together across the world to support positive values.
Brahma Tirta Sari: At home with nature and ancestors - Agus and Nia Ismoyo share the philosophy that underpins their life-long dedication to batik.
Butterflies metamorphose into jewellery - Paryana Puspaputra works in partnership with a Butterfly Park to make precious jewels from the broken wings they leave behind.
Beauty from bacteria: Micro-farming batik  - Nidiya Kusmaya reveals the benefits of micro-farming in ecological batik production.
From canting to extrusion: The proliferation of technology from the Indonesian archipelago  - Pamela See looks at the genealogy of 3D printing in Indonesia. 
Batik exchange: Wahyu Subiyantoro Soediro - Carla van Lunn collaborates with the creator of striking bold Madurese batik.
Sanggar Batik Batara in Baujeng Village - Janet Teowarang describes a successful program to introduce batik skills to factory workers
The fragrant tuberose: Collaborative eco-printing by batik artisans from Pasuruan Regency in East Java - Janet Teowarang finds innovation from nature among a new generation of batik artisans in East Java.
Ulos through the viewfinder - Dewie Sartika Bukit describes a photography project that aims to inspire a new generation to admire the distinct ulos weaving tradition of Tono Batak.
DiTenun: Artificial intelligence technology for Indonesian traditional Weaving - Nancy Margried writes about a new technology for assisting artisans in expanding their traditional designs.
Fibres for a foodie - Sabrina Sakina has found a way of using the waste produced in cooking the Indonesian food she loves.
Academic and weaver join head and hand in Bandung - Sabrina Sakina writes about the symbiotic arrangement between Bandung designer Arlene Dwiasti Soemardi and local craftsperson Pak Epi and his weaver Andre
Designers Dispatch Service: Traditional artisans connect to the global market - Eugenio Hendro ventures to East Java with the hope of making craft appeal to the next generation.
Zahir Widadi ✿ Fine batik for an intricate blue world - Hanny Kusumawati profiles master batik artist Zahir Widadi, who preserves the local wisdom of natural-dyed batik from his modest home workshop in Pekalongan.
Savu island: Greater and Lesser Blossoms will prevail - Geneviève Duggan and Icesarlince Tededara write about a matrilineal culture, where women wear their history. The challenges of COVID-19 contained the gift of time, thanks to the Tewuni rai Foundation.
Tisna Sanjaya ✿ Art as community practice - Julian Goddard reflects on an artist who channels Java’s mystical tradition to urgent environmental issues.
A house of style in Surabaya - Carla van Lunn ventures into Surabaya to find a bricks and mortar establishment that reflects the city's refined style and taste.
Weaving your way through COVID – Bali style - Stephanie Brookes writes about Pejeng Kangin, a resilient weaving village in Bali outside Ubud, Indonesia, that offers a "pay forward" scheme to buy works that help them survive the lockdown
The Shadow Theatre of Anaphoria Island - Gary Warner introduces Kraig Grady's phantasmagoric shadow world of Anaphoria Island, a place no one comes from but anyone can enter.
Jumaadi ✿ You’re invited to a snakes’ wedding - The Sydney-based Indonesian artist Jumaadi uses the snake as a symbol of a dualistic universe. His intricate painting on buffalo hide imagines a cloud-like form created from two snakes entwining.
Lessons learned from a duck herder’s gamelan 🎵 - Rosie Cook goes in search of the rare Bundengan musical instrument from Indonesia and discovers a melodious revival.
Water and flowers in Bali - Marylou Pavlovic is inspired by the water and flowers in Balinese offerings and ponders its Western interpretations
Batik and tenun as sustainable textiles in East Java - Janet Teowarang interviews Melie Indarto, the owner of KaIND, the sustainable textile in Pasuruan, East Java.
Smile for the embroidery: Abdul Abdullah and DGTMB - Abdul Abdullah talks about his collaboration with Indonesian embroidery workshop DGTMB
Meet the Neighbours: Creative dialogue with Indonesia - How do we engage with one of the world’s fastest-growing countries? A number of collaborative projects provide a glimpse of the way Indonesia will shape our creative practices in the future.
Rame Rame - Artists and makers from Indonesia and beyond were invited to share the results of their collaborations. The works and text below reflect ways in which people can create together.  tromarama | harry mawardi | sekar ikanandanti h | anita rahardja | catharine temaluru | clarissa kwok | denny priyatna | cassia studio Tromarama Made in Bandung, West Java First Wave consisted of three monitors that show three self-portrait videos of each member of the collective. The self-portrait video movement collided with text, images from magazines, internet, books, daily screenshots from their own archive. The work questions the artist own existence within this globalized world.   View this post on Instagram ▪️2006 A post shared by Tromarama (@tromarama) on Sep 13, 2017 at 8:17pm PDT w – tromarama.com Harry […]
A revolution from the kitchen at Rumah Intaran - We chat with Gede Kresna about his place in north Bali, Rumah Intaran, which practices a "revolution from the kitchen' in reviving traditional Balinese ways of living.
From Sumatra to Bellbrae: A Jenny Crompton story - Jenny Crompton travelled to Sumatra where she learnt wood carving from a traditional datu spirit man. This gave her an appreciation of culture, but it wasn't her own. On discovering her Wadawurrung ancestry, she has developed a unique language of art from the kelp of the coast that is both her inspiration and rediscovered Country.
Quarterly essay – Everything Happens to Everyone: A Rodney Glick story ✿ - They’re boots. Military field boots, I’d say; they have that look about them: pugnacious toe; thick, corrugated sole; long tongue and half-laced upper; although there is an unexpected zipper along the shaft.
The Elephant Shark story: batik between Java and Bali - Marty Hope attempts to revive the old days of Bali by returning to the craft of batik, impressed with the efficiency of Javanese workshops.
Everything Happens to Everyone: A Rodney Glick story 🎧 - Robert Finlayson visits Rodney Glick, a sculptor who also happens to be a successful cafe entrepreneur in Ubud, Bali. His world contains a unique creative chemistry of Western art and Balinese craft.
The plaited craft that holds a Dayak village together - Stephanie Brookes visits the Dayak village of Bukit Rawi where she finds Mina Herta who shares her knowledge of rattan weaving that is so important for the Ot Danum tribe.
Bridewealth of the Dayak Lundayeh - Karen Macdonald with Paulus Kadok describe a marriage ceremony in a Dayak village of Kalimantan. With help from John Boyd McDonald's photos, they show how the adat rituals involving textile and fibres crafts remain a vivid part of their cultural life.