There were once crocodiles here, when this was an abandoned theme park. So the story goes as we wander the grounds of Jia CURATED, a design event in Bali from 14 to 18 August that brings together design, architecture, art installations, cultural performances and food in one jam-packed long weekend.
The founders of the event, Budiman Ong, Rudi Winata and Yang Yang Hartono, take the time to show us journalists around on the first day, when some of the exhibits are still under tarpaulin. The space is rough and raw, dotted with old buildings from the theme park days, mostly in crumbling concrete. The graffiti is everywhere and impressive, a hangover from its use as a skate park by local kids. And there is the ever-present Balinese jungle, with trees and vegetation of all sorts encroaching on the space.
All in all, it is the perfect backdrop for contemporary design and architecture. And there is a lot here. There’s furniture – a lot made of timber and rattan – plus sculpture, lighting, homewares and finishes. There are art installations large and small. A series of projects repurposing waste into design, from chopsticks to plastic bags. There’s a program of speakers from around the world presenting in the world’s most unusual auditorium. An exhibition of scale models of buildings by 24 architecture studios across Indonesia showing the breadth and depth of work here. And there is food, lots of food.
One of the most outstanding exhibits was by one of the founders of the event, Budiman Ong, an Indonesian designer who trained in Scotland and whose enthusiasm is infectious. His lighting design for his brand Ong Cen Kuang, Jamur, was hung at various heights, all encircled by curtains of long vertical black fringing while leaves crunch underfoot, creating drama and a break from the heat and glare.
Built over two storeys was the stand Millimeter Manifesto, a collective of designers showing new electronics, finishes, rattan, furniture made with terrazzo, and woven bags made with recycled plastic. But most impressive is the stand itself, Serumpun Pavilion, designed by architect Studio Aliri and made using modular laminated veneer lumbar (LVL), a material fast gaining in popularity for its sustainability around the world.
The auditorium for the talks program was a fantastic installation all of its own, featuring existing concrete tiers and a lavish graffiti backdrop, with an eclectic range of furniture provided for the speakers and audience alike, lent by the exhibitors at the event. And, centre stage, was the most magnificent oversized pendant light, the Kapuk Dome by Budiman Ong for his lighting brand Ong Cen Kuang created with an insulation material that looks almost like bedding.
A truly international bunch of speakers presented here, including Italian designer Pietro Franceschini, Japanese designer Jin Kuramoto, Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis, Australian designer Jessie French, and Mexican designer Fernando Laposse. This last speaker was particularly inspiring, discussing his projects on traditional Mexican plants like corn and agave, which are also deeply rooted in human rights, protecting Indigenous ways of life and rethinking agriculture.
With plenty to see and do, Jia CURATED was a holistic experience full of creativity and life – an event that showed the success of Bali and Indonesian design and a meeting place for the international creative community.
A huge thanks to Jia CURATED for hosting me at the event this year – my article for the Australian Financial Review is available to view online (warning: paywall) and my article for Green magazine will be out in the next issue..
