A magical time to be in Ubud

Throughout November, we have been inundated with the most incredible beauty, craft and performances as a huge ceremony for Pura Desa Ubud took place. A once every 27 year ceremony, the rituals and contributions from the wider community have been incredible. People have donated elaborate decorations, amazing performances, time and energy like nothing you could have imagined.

For us, being within walking distance of these ongoings has been a visual feast and we’ve both caught sight of the processions and attended some of the ceremonies when we can.

In Rully’s words:

“For my eyes that born outside of Bali, all the processions still feel magical. Sesuhunan Mesolah (the dancing of sacred masks) feels more than just a 'mask' and 'costume' that is part of the performance, but a manifestation of beliefs that come alive. This year I was lucky to see traditional artists working on everything from tapel (masks), jewelry to payasan (Sesuhunan decorations), so it feels complete when I see tonight how everything is displayed during Mesolah. It's great to live here and still be able to see a living culture.”

In this great interview by Now Bali, Ubud elder and customary head of the village, Tjok Raka Kerthyasa explains a little about the ceremonies taking place.

Scroll for a few more of the Elami team’s pictures from the last few weeks. The colors, styles, motifs, patterns and techniques have truly captivated us.

Our guide to Ubud: our favorite art & design stores in the neighborhood

Ubud has some INCREDIBLE stores, boutiques and shops that are beautifully curated with an eye for design and artisan crafts. Below is our list of our current favorite stores and shops of Ubud, Bali.

P.S. We also have a little store of our own called Toko Elami on Jl Kajeng.

Aaaannddd if you like our suggestions you can buy our Design Guide to Ubud (which is a regularly updated Google Map with our notes about each of our choices of places to stay, shop and eat)

On with the list of great places to spend at!

1/ Shop Mina: the tiniest gem of a shop in the most walkable neighborhood in Ubud, Nyuh Kuning! Has amazing selection of Bali’s best small brands and products.

2/ Seniman Shop: over the road from the best coffee shop in Ubud in Taman is their little gallery and merch shop. Grab coffee in all forms (beans, capsules, green) or cool t-shirts, upcycled drinking glasses, and even their famous rocking chair.

Seniman gallery

3/ Threads of Life: an Ubud institution. A social enterprise gallery and shop offering heritage quality ikat and batik textiles, handwoven and naturally dyed by women across Indonesia.

4/ Kado: the retail outlet of the wonderful Saraswati Papers. Handmade and recycled papers in the most luxurious notebooks, greeting cards and photo albums.

Threads of Life Gallery

5/ Miraku: a gorgeous wood-clad shop with Balinese jewelry and natural indigo-dyed clothing. Elegance beyond.

6/ Curative: a store filled to the brim with local brands and designers, from pins to shirts, to jewelry and stickers and more.

Rumantra Shop

7/ Oiland: essential oil products like roll on perfumes. Only oils of the highest quality and mixes that will remind you of Bali forever. They have a tiny outlet in central Ubud.

8/ Quarzia: modern Italian batik clothes in the most beautiful silks and cottons. All hand-drawn and crafted.

9/ Rumantra: a store overflowing with amazing products based on designs and illustrations of the owner. Don’t leave without a t-shirt or a piece of jewelry.

Quarzia Batik

Get to Know: Fiona Caripis of Kajimundo

A convo with founder of Kajimundo, natural color and pigment explorer, and a bridge between the worlds of natural pigments and fine art.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and background

I'm from Melbourne, but have moved around since graduating from Tafe- I studied fashion design and patternmaking. I went to intern with a sustainable womenswear brand in London. That was probably the beginning of my looonnng journey learning about 'sustainability', and to figure out what I wanted to do. The fashion industry didn't really align with my values, which sucked because I thought that was the field I wanted to work in. After working a few different jobs in fashion, theatre, and galleries in UK and Australia, I ended up on Google looking up "fair trade jobs" (or something like that). I didn't find a job but did find (Nia and Ismoyo's) natural dye batik course at Threads of Life, Bali. That's how I ended up in Bali.

Have always wanted to ask: what’s behind the name?

The short story.... Kaji means knowledge in (old school I'm told) Bahasa Indonesia and Mundo means world. The name is about learning from the world and across cultures.

The long story...... John [Kajimundo co-founder] and I needed to pick a name, we already had the Kaji part, we were Kaji x (for collaboration at first). At the time, we were also really fresh, and still working out what the project would be, so wanted something that could be fun, catchy and work for potentially a range of projects we may be doing around sustainability and knowledge sharing. We were stuck at Cafe Vespa one day due to a massive rainy season downpour, and by the time we left we had Kaji Mundo. John spent a lot of time in his other life living in South America and is fluent in Spanish so that's how we ended up with the Mundo part.

What was your first experience with natural pigment?

I don't know how old I was but I recall sitting in the backyard at home digging at the dirt until I reached an orange clay, I'd scrape some out and smoosh it in my hand. I clearly remember sitting on the grass, and the feeling of digging my finger into the layers of soil and clay, dirt getting stuck under my nails.

What do artists think or tell you when they first hear about Kajimundo?

Artists specifically, I'm not sure. Leaning into the art world is quite a new direction for Kajimundo, but maybe they still think 'indigo paint' and that's a key association. I was so fixed on Kajimundo being textile/fashion focused for a really long time.

What’s your favorite pigment and why? (yes, you have to choose one)

Mean! I have to write two here, because indigo is too obvious. But indigo definitely still has my curiosity, just because it has such an incredible global history across traditional communities, and its unique molecular properties. Indigo is a colour that comes 'alive' in partnership with other matter, and I find that super interesting. I also love painting with extract from eucalyptus, it smells like home and connects me there.

What do you wish people knew about natural colors?

That they are special and carry stories, and exist in your garden and on the street, but they are not a resource for infinite extraction and industry scaling. (an opinion not fact).

The most FAQ about your work or practices?

‘Can I do a dye workshop with you?’ and ‘Can I wash your ink if I paint on fabric?’

Who are your natural pigment heroes?

Can I expand this to natural color heroes? Because I have to put Novi on here! [Dear reader, we have done a great interview with Novi of Cinta Bumi Artisans that also lives on our blog! Lucky you!]

As for other heroes, I came into exploring pigments in a pretty insular way, and have only really started to explore pigments in the last two years. Before that it was all about developing the textile binder and figuring out what to do with Kajimundo. However, some faves: @ines.katamso (I met her when I first started Kajimundo and it's so interesting to see her journey go from an interest into fully embodying pigments into her practice), @Ochre.Earth (Melissa Ladkin), Herman De Vreis (his earth rubbings and 2015 Biennale works have been an ongoing influence for me. I discovered his book "To Be Always" when I worked at the bookshop at National Gallery of Victoria)

Also, this is going to sound corny, but the ancestors I guess are the ultimate heroes, who explored and created, allowed for that knowledge to be passed down, and I guess the land itself. I learn from random articles about Aztec blue, history books, other artists, science papers (whatever is free online), YouTube, old textile books, and field trips to craftspeople around Bali. Oh, and people that have bought my ink/colours and write to me! I am always amazed to see how people use the colours, it's almost always so different, keeps me curious to explore more, and I am so happy when they share that the pigments have sparked some happiness and curiosity for them too.

Ubud Open Studios 2024 Wrap-up

What an incredible edition of Ubud Open Studios. Our third and the best to date! From the Studio Showcase and Artists Talks at Titik Dua, to the 57 studios who kindly opened their doors, to the 500 attendees who made their way studio hopping around Gianyar, it was an amazing three days.

Ubud Open Studios invites art lovers, cultural explorers, and the creatively curious to our annual celebration of art in Ubud, Bali. Behind every artwork is a story, a creative process—an artist’s journey.

This year, Ubud Open Studios showcased over 50 local and international artists’ studios, inviting you to enter their world of creativity and craftsmanship. A journey of artistic discovery & connection offering a glimpse into the sacred spaces where art comes to life. It's about community—an opportunity to connect, converse, and collect experiences and artworks that resonate.

The opening of the new Threads of Life gallery in Lungsiakan

When the Threads of Life team came to us many moons ago and told us of their idea to open a new gallery, their first retail expansion in 22 years, we were overjoyed. When we saw it coming together we started to get excited. When we walked in through the doors the day it was officially completed, our jaws were on the ground.

To put together the opening event was an honor and we were so happy to see over 100 supporters and friends of the organization come into the space and make sure it was thoroughly warmed. The new gallery is truly magical and we’re looking forward to programming more events their in the future.

In the words of Threads of Life: The new education and retail space is devoted to the textile arts of Indonesia and is a culmination of 22 years of our work with 1000 weavers across 12 islands in Indonesia.

We will continue to operate our first gallery on Jalan Kajeng, in central Ubud, which opened in 2001. At that time we were working with only 14 natural dye traditional weavers on three islands: 12 from Lembata, one in Flores, and one in Sumba.

The new gallery now holds natural dye textiles, traditional basketry, and carvings from 12 islands of this remarkable archipelago, including Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Timor, Lembata, Sumba, Flores, Savu, and Rai Jua, Bali, and Nusa Penida.

On these walls and shelves is the work of more than 1200 women and craftspeople who are committed to carrying on the traditions of their mothers and grandmothers.

We hope visitors will take their time, open the specially made drawers one by one, and look closely at the art that often takes more than nine months to create—the complexity of the dye process requires a rich diversity of dye materials across a range of terrains and climates. Visitors can also watch the Tradition Keepers Documentary Series in the lounge area, or book a class or residency at the Threads of Life Natural Dye Studio.

Toko Elami is open: our little gift shop in Jl Kajeng, Ubud

We now have a store in Ubud! Come and vist us at Jl Kajeng No 19. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm.

Everything is handmade in Indonesia, supports local makers, and makes a great gift no matter the occasion. We’re calling it gifts for the design curious.

We had a crazy idea a few months ago: what if we took Toko Elami from the virtual to the real? In a blink of an eye, we had a brand new space secured on what is now the new Ubud Market street, Jl Kajeng.

Jl Kajeng used to be a sleepy side street, known for cement squares containing messages from past visitors, some dating back to the early 1980s. Now it’s alive with hundreds of pedestrians checking out the temporary market stalls that have popped up since the traditional market began its renovation process.

We have all of our own products in there (Snakes and Ladders Bali, Lotería de Bali, Monoprint Notebooks) and have been so happy to welcome thirteen tenants, including brands and artists that have been longtime collaborators and friends. It wouldn't have been possible without the expert guidance of Sylvia Fairmann of Tao Collection. Thank you a million times, Sylvia!

We have the beautiful eco print work of Cinta Bumi Artisans, handmade candles by NOKA Design, handbuilt and handpainted ceramics from Arta Derau, prints of Maya Kerthayasa’s incredible pen drawings, hand-crafted leather pieces by Samoi, crocheted hats by VT.TVN, Boemi Botanical’s clean body products, Rumantra’s pieces to adorn the body, ArtNiluh’s mini scarves, stickers and pins from ByWilzzie, breast-inspired jewelry by Elppin, hand-carved wooden hiking mugs by Bushcraft, and art collaboration merchandise by Ketemu Project.

Keep up to date with all our news and products over at Toko Elami’s Instagram.

Elami Creative Day: Screen printing at Devfto

We descended on the peaceful studio of Pak Devy Ferdianto to learn a fraction of the art and science of screen printing (or sablon as it’s known in Indonesia). With Pak Devy’s patience and help, we created four incredible pieces to take home with us. Scroll on for the story behind each piece and a quick glimpse of the six-hour process.

The first piece is from Daniela Burr. She wanted to work with her first love: typography. The source material came from the Rijksmuseum collection available for public use. Daniela created a subtle red on red gradient which doesn’t show on the photo.

The second piece is by Michellina Suminto. Based on an impromptu drawing prompt game she played on Instagram, she added four of her sketched characters to a hand painted screen background.

Mila Shwaiko’s choice came from a 17th century zoology book that claimed to document the Indonesian species of unicorn: the Camphur, a web footed amphibious being. You can’t make this stuff up…

And that brings us to Rully Rumatra’s incredible peacock, based on his original artwork. Rully chose a gold accent for the peacock’s tail feathers.

Ubud Open Studios coming in October 2022!

Please welcome Elami and Co Productions’ latest creation: Ubud Open Studios!

The Ubud Open Studios weekend is your opportunity to meet the artists and craftsmen, get studio tours & the background story, or answers to questions you’ve always wanted to ask your favorite creators.

Ubud Open Studios means a weekend of exploring Ubud's art studios, meeting the makers, painters and potters while getting a glimpse of their techniques, processes and philosophies. With doors open for two days only, it’s a chance to get an insider's view of Ubud’s unique wealth of creativity and hidden worlds.

If you’d like to register your studio, the deadline is August 24. Tickets will go on sale September 1st.

Ubud’s studios can be quite hidden, but are definitely should be on your radar. Your itinerary might include anything from intimate studio visits to immersive discussions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and plenty of opportunities to stop and take it all in. In short, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at Bali’s fascinating creative ecosystem.

Photographers, printmakers, carvers, painters, illustrators, ceramicists, leather makers, textile artists, architects, glass blowers, jewelry designers, costume makers, and more

Why Ubud?

Ubud is a magnet and source of creativity. The Ubud culture is known around the world for its rich artistry, striking performances and craftsmanship.

Ubud’s artists have a long tradition of creating, mastering mediums and techniques, and passing them down through the generations. Ubud was once known for its art and craft studios and this was the main draw for many visitors. We’d love to support a renewal of this in the area with Ubud Open Studios.

You’ll notice subtle handmade beauty almost everywhere in Ubud — from the way an offering sits in a doorway to the gentle hum of giant kites in the windy season — which is why people from all corners of the globe flock here for inspiration. Artists and designers from outside Ubud also contribute to the village’s vibrant art culture. Many set up studios of their own and collaborated with the local artists.

Designing for COVID-19 education in Bali

It’s been really interesting to watch the huge amount of posters, billboards, signs, and graphics pop up in the wake of COVID 19. From simple commands, to Mr Bean cameos, to mask education, and stern threats. The graphics, and different styles have been flooding our eyes and brains for the last 5 months.

So many questions about who the posters are for, who decides what gets printed, font choice, and more… Definitely makes us think about effective design and messaging, and how communication actually works on a human level vs how government/bureaucracy thinks it happens.

Here are a few of our favorites. Special thanks to Suki Zoe for collecting most of the pictures on her travels.

1. Wear a mask 2. Don’t panic 3. Exercise

Petulu village really has the best messaging we’ve seen. Positive and to the point.

Other terms also apply…. that’s a lot of logos and text, Ubud. Points for being bilingual!

Balinese speakers only. At the Ubud wantilan.

All the official stuff.

Lots of points being made here.

Go Kopernik and Alam Santi for a clear message on masks.

Another one from Petulu

Balinese language and Mr Bean- amazing.

Targeting office workers?

Red is definitely eye catching against Bali’s green.

Health and safety - two in one

How to wash hands- popular in the first month. Replaced by masks now

The Elementals Dinner, April 5 2019

We will let our The Dinner Series curator and host of The Elementals Dinner, Maya Kerthyasa, summarize this magical night:

“When we started The Dinner Series one of the first things we wanted to do was take people back to the Bali we grew up in. So, last night Melati Gaymans and the Elami and Co girls brought Bukit Campuhan and the river Wos to the verandah of my little cottage, my grandmother and I prepared some of our favourite Balinese dishes, Rudi and Bawa from Akademi Bar at Katamama had infused araks and local-ingredient cocktails on the pour, and then we jumped in a time machine, rewound 20 years and watched a frog dance in the garden. My Papa, Tjok Ibah shared some anecdotes about his life growing up and Balinese culture going forward. And in true Bali style, it rained right up until the guests (who were an incredibly special bunch) started arriving at this mostly outdoor event. An especially big thank you to my Niang, Anak Agung Rai, who surprisingly doesn’t have Instagram.”

Flavours and folklore from the power of the elements

This evening was about tapping in to the many bounties of traditional Bali - the flavours, the sounds and the natural environment. Dinner was prepared by Anak Agung Rai, the 90-year-old mother of Tjokorde Raka Kerthyasa and a former palace cook, with the help of her granddaughter, Maya Kerthyasa.

The dinner was held at Maya’s private home on the banks of the Wos River in Campuhan.

We worked with Melati Gaymans to create an incredible ‘edible landscape’ down the center of the table in the shape of the Campuhan Ridge, with the two (male and female) rivers running down each side. If you look closely you can see Pura Gunung Lebah (Campuhan Temple), the old Dutch bridge and the alang alang fields of the ridge. For the rivers we used agar agar, as well as taro leaves for the grasslands of the ridge, and pandanus leaves for the alang alang.

For place cards, we wrote each guest’s name with rice grains.

The menus were hand-lettered by Michellina Suminto on recycled paper to form candle holders for the table.

The food

Anak Agung Rai, or Gung Niang as she’s known around Ubud, cut her teeth in the kitchens of the Puri in the 1940s. She was just a girl when she married Tjokorda Ngurah of Saren Kauh, who taught her much of what she knows about sacred Balinese foods and how to prepare them. Now in her 90s, she continues to cook the way she did in the palace, using wood-fire and completely natural ingredients. “Once you disconnect from nature,” she says, "you lose sense of what truly matters in life.”

Gung Niang’s cooking is lauded across the island and has been studied by chefs, home-cooks and international television crews, alike. There’s something in the sincerity of her food that reconnects the diner to flavours of a bygone era – Balinese food in its truest form. You can taste the land in the leaves and roots she harvests from her garden, there’s a life-force from the animal she butchered with her own hands, and most importantly, in every knife-stroke, and mouthful – there’s a resounding sense of ritual and purpose.

The performance

The house that hosted the dinner was once home to Cristina Formaggia, an Italian dancer who mastered Balinese topeng dance. We invited her former group from Pura Desa Batuan to come and perform in the garden by torchlight.

Watch the video of the night below:

Get to know: Janur Yasa on sustainability, food and personal experiences

We talked with Janur Yasa, one of the founders of Moksa, a plant-based restaurant in Ubud, and a Bali native. Janur has worked with Elami and Co. and TEDxUbud from the very early days - the second edition of TEDxUbud! He’s been an inspiration and calming source of support for our team over the years. In the last few years, Janur has been bringing Moksa, his amazing garden to table venue into being.

What inspired you to build Moksa?

I built Moksa with my business partner, Chef Made Runatha. We were working together at one of the healing centers in Ubud and we often talked about building a restaurant together. I was so interested because I always see Chef Made as a creative and qualified individual. He sees food as a medicine- what we eat is beneficial to our body. This bring us to the 4 principles that we apply in Moksa: learning, earning, sharing, and fun.

What are the values that form the foundation of the brand?

We have a tagline, “to create a place of awakening the senses” and we want all the guests who eat here to feel this in every way. They see the food presentation, hear the sound of the tempe cracking, touch the crafted cutlery and the texture of the food, smell the cool atmosphere mixed with the kitchen, garden, and food smells, and, lastly, be surprised by the taste. We really want that to lead to a personal experience every time they come here, whether it is the first time, or the second.

How you get the team to live your values?

My team and I are so close. I often spend my time here at Moksa, working and making new friends. There is trust between us so we respect each other. We share what we learn. We all have to taste our own food so we know what it is and we all can explain it really well. We have the garden and we bring the garden to the table, from table scraps we give back to the garden. The sense of belonging is built in and everyone in the end has each other’s backs because they are disciplined. Disciplines means respecting each other. Fun doesn’t mean ‘airy fairy’, fun is when you are ready to be present, working hand-in-hand, with good communication, that makes it fun.

What kind of events does Moksa support and why?

Always comes back to, ‘does the event support our 4 principles?’. We support Ubud Food Festival, TEDxUbud, and Slow Food events because we are aligned with their values. Especially, what make us sure is the sustainability and waste management policies of the event. We have this huge problem in Bali. Moksa really want to be part of the people who work to protect the environment. So, we want to support events who is in the same vision and mission. TEDxUbud has taught us how a well-organized big event can handle this issue.

Where do you think Moksa is at right now and what is your next project?

I don’t think that our 4 pillars is the destination. It is a process. I would say maybe the 4 pillars is also the parameter, it is day by day journey. Always learning, sharing, earning, and do fun. Like today, I learn from your questions. I never looked at our work in that way before.

We are now in the middle of building a special facility for cooking classes. Also, I started a regular talk and brunch -- which I would like to also make yoga and brunch or other dojo class and brunch. The first one was 8 people but this week it’s already 16 people. So I am really excited. Basically we talked about the history of Balinese temples, the geography, daily culture, the food, and everything related. The other project we have is more learning, more earning, more sharing, and more fun!

Inspiration: Pop up dance performances in Ubud market

In late April, we caught a glimpse of an upcoming Ubud dance event across our Instagram feed, not necessarily an unusual occurrence for Ubud. But in this case, how the organizers described the event caught our eye and we headed to the market on a Sunday to see what was happening. With seven 'stages' in total, in various parts of the market that would never be considered as suitable for a dance performance, the dances were progressive.

As one finished, the next began without any warning or fanfare, dancers often just appearing from within the crowd and melting back into it when they finished. Some dances were performed entirely in silence.  Eight dance groups participated in the event, organized by Karang Taruna Sadha Jaya of Ubud. 

The market sellers and tourists paused their activities, often looking slightly perplexed. Motorbikes navigated to avoid collecting dancers. 

Jasmine Okubo brought her beautiful contemporary dance to the stairs of the market, followed by her little noodle bowl attendees and the bakso seller. To see more of Jasmine, watch her gorgeous 2017 TEDxUbud performance. 

We all moved into Puri Saren, led by the dancers. After a few minutes wait and wondering if the event had ended as suddenly and quietly as it began, all the groups came together to perform the last piece, dancing on every surface of the Puri. 

On the main stage, a completely conventional legong performance with a full gamelan took place, holding every tourist's eye.

But as you looked around, you realized the legong dance was being performed in three other places, by dancers dressed in old-fashioned costumes.  Often the dancers were dancing without an audience as only the performers on center stage captured the tourists' attention.