The Dinner Series: Water Tiger

In the spirit of celebrating and connecting Bali’s brightest thinkers, Elami and Co. launched The Dinner Series: a string of intimate evenings in collaboration with Bali’s top cooks, artisans and creators in 2019. After a two-year hiatus, The Dinner Series 2.0 is back in 2022!

The Dinner Series is co-created with Maya Kerthyasa. Maya is a writer and has her first cookbook coming out in 2022 from Hardie Grant Publishing. In a past life, she worked for the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide.

We design each event to tell a piece of Bali’s story, from past to present. We felt the story of China’s influence on Bali is an unknown one and wanted to take the opportunity to explore it through food and culture. And from there the Water Tiger Dinner was born!

We knew from the minute we planned this dinner we wanted to invite a very special guest: Eve Tedja, a journalist based here in Bali who is of Chinese-Balinese descent. Eve Tedja is also associate editor of Epicure Asia. Eve was the subject of a beautiful article on the legacy of China-Bali relations written by Risiyana Muthia. She shared her story with the table before we started the meal.

We gathered to celebrate the Water Tiger, and also to pay homage to the deep cultural bonds between China and Bali which date back centuries and are interwoven in many different ways throughout our cultural and spiritual lives on the island. The guests were seated based on their shio, or Chinese zodiac animal and each guest had an origami animal waiting for them when they sat down.

Our meal was crafted by chef Dwi Perkasa from Fu Shou Noodle Club, who prepared a beautiful spread of Chinese and Balinese-influenced foods for our meal. The tea was from the Kerthyasa family’s farm up in Bedugul, grown organically, rolled by hand and roasted over wood-fire.

21 incredible people gathered around the table to celebrate, taste, and soak in the atmosphere. We were visited by two very special guests: the Naga Langit Barongsai and the Balinese barong from Ubud Kaja.

Get to Know: Neyna Rahmadani, Photographer & Graphic Designer

One of our absolute favorite photographers on the island. She’s helped capture incredible moments from TEDxUbud, The Dinner Series, The Creative Refresh, and more. Neyna is also a graphic designer with a sharp eye and even sharper mind.

(Ajeng and Neyna were housemates at the time of this interview. Spot the moments that make this strong bond clear.)

What are you?

A coconut tree.

What are you working on at the moment? Work and play

Currently, I am working remotely as a part-time graphic designer at a Singapore-based digital agency, where my scope of work is around UI/UX designing. Also, I have freelance work and an ongoing online course about design thinking. Aside from that, I am doing fun illustrations from Indonesian cinema/TV series like Petualangan Sherina and Si Doel Anak Sekolahan. I print them on postcards and send them to my friends.

What other than design what do you love doing and why?

I like reading books. Lately, I have read many books about eastern philosophy (ie. Japan, Buddhism, etc). Why? Maybe because in recent years I have learned to meditate and many from these books are indirectly aligned with my meditation learning process. Moreover, sometimes I need to ‘unplug’ myself for a moment from work and anything related to it.

What moves you to be who you are right now?

The Aries in me. Joking... Hmmm.. maybe because of the fact that what I do now reminds me a lot of my childhood. Since I was a kid, drawing and anything that is visually appealing has intrigued me.

Can you recommend 3 events you would like to sign up for online and participate in until the end?

1. A webinar series from the Gojek design team (@designatgojek)

2. Podcast WorkLife with Adam Grant & TED Invisibilia

3. ‘Why Photograph?’, a webinar from Chennai Photo Biennale

How do you see pandemic improve yourself and your design?

I have been given space in the time of pandemic (and maybe others too?), to pause, sit back, relax and reflect on what I have done. Be it career, portfolio, relationships, or life in general. I have more time to study by joining online courses and more time to read books. Also doing things that I left behind for a long time such as doing illustrations.

What are the things people haven’t known about and they should know about you?

I have a cute yellow Penny Board named Banana! :*

Behind the design: On the road to COP26 with Environmental Bamboo Foundation

We’ve been working with Environmental Bamboo Foundation over the year, but recently we were excited to work with them as the team headed to the COP26 Climate Change conference in Glasgow, UK.

We started with a series of Instagram lives with longtime friends and supporters of the non-profit as they chatted with Arief Rabik about what climate change meant to them and where they saw the possibility of change in the future. Lives were held with Sara and Michael Franti, Sam Branson, Happy Salma, Indonesia Education Minister Nadiem Makarim, and Elora Hardy. Watch them all on the Foundation’s Instagram.

The Environmental Bamboo Foundation was invited to co-host two panel discussions at the Indonesia Pavilion at COP 26.

Definitely a new challenge for us to to provide support remotely with an event in several different time zones and a hybrid panel of in person and online speakers.

As part of the panels, we worked with ASA Film to create two short films about communities facing climate change in NTT. The first film shows the aftermath of Cyclone Seroja and how the community is thinking about the future of more extreme weather events. The second focuses on the stories of Mama Bambu, women creating bamboo seedlings and nurseries to reforest their degraded lands.

We also produced merchandise for the team to take with them to Glasgow, including masks, t-shirts, hoodies, brochures, name cards and gifts.

Get to know: Kanoko Takaya, Artist

We’re very excited to be able to share this conversation with Kanoko Takaya. Not only an artist we’ve admired and had the good fortune to collaborate with for TEDxUbud, but also because she was the artist we asked to help bring our Loteria de Bali to life. Please enjoy this insight into her art and process.

When did you know that you wanted to become an artist?

When I was in kindergarten or early elementary school.

How did it start? Is there a specific memory that reminds you of the first time wanting it?

When I was a kid, my mom’s job required her to work in Bali too. So sometimes we visited Bali together. I usually spent time waiting for her at a cafe, drawing by myself. I had a sketchbook with me. I never drew something out of my imagination, it’s always been something in front of me.

One day, I had an ice milk tea and I drew it in my sketchbook. A guy walked past me and saw what I drew. He stopped and gave me a compliment. It was just a simple sketch a kid could draw. Then he returned to where I sat, brought his big painting and asked to trade it with my drawing. It turned out he was an artist! He said that he often traveled around Indonesia seeing kids’ drawings, but mine was one of his 3 favorites. Wahhh, I’m so happy. That was the first time someone from the art world gave me a compliment. He also asked for my signature. I just made my signature up and for the first time I felt I was an artist. This is my favorite story of my life. It seems like serendipity too because it happened in Ubud.

What would you do if you were not an artist now?

I never thought about it. Hmmm... I think I’ll still be in the creative industry. Maybe instead of painting, I would make art in different media or platforms.

Is there anything else you want to be or do? How is it going with Mosi Mosi (Kanoko’s clothing brand)?

I really want to have a solo exhibition at Museum Topeng (Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets). I can imagine myself exploring space and creating 3 dimensional artworks.

If the question is for my life in general, hmmm.. I never really have something I want to do as a hobby. It’s like when someone asks me if I like music, I’d say yes but nothing excites me like that.

Mosi-mosi is good! Mosi-mosi grows slowly and we enjoy the progress. We just signed new consignment deals with a shop in Bandung and a shop in Jakarta.

Oh I just remembered! I do have a hobby! Lately, I like doing yoga every morning and using sea salt for a body scrub! I just moved to a new house in Mengwi. We have a pendopo on the third floor and I always have my morning yoga there.

Also, I like nongkrong (hanging out). I like sharing and exchanging ideas with small circles, or just 1 or 2 friends instead of all at once. Just hang out and talk and chill.

Do you have a personal drawing journal?

1 day 1 drawing every day.

But lately, I rarely draw so thank you for reminding me. I used to draw every morning.

Which part of a collaboration process excites you the most?

Brainstorm! When the collaborators communicate their ideas. Sometimes, I find more things are actually interesting through brainstorming with other collaborators. It’s like an eureka moment. Also, when we complement each other’s ideas.

What does it look like to be Kanoko in her studio for a day?

Hmmm.. depending on the projects. It could be different. But I have a morning routine I like to keep. I wake up in the morning and do yoga. We have a small pool on the third floor and I like to jump into the cold water. It makes me feel alive and it’s an effective way to get my body up. Then, I continue with sea salt scrub and hot shower. I end it with meditation before starting to work.

I will do house chores if I have time after that. If not, I just go straight to work. Like yesterday, we finalized a 5 meter doll for a photo shoot so it was a pretty crowded day. In another time, I’m painting by myself.

I have 2 people assisting, an admin and a runner. They work until 5PM. But I don’t live by those rules, sometimes I will draw until 10PM. Sometimes I go to the market in the morning and cook at night… Cooking is tiring but it’s rewarding with a full happy tummy. I will be too lazy to do anything after that so I just hang out for a while and go to sleep after.

When you drew for Loteria and TEDxUbud, which part of the process you remember to be exciting the most?

When I drew for Loteria, I was so excited by the details. I was searching for characteristics of so many new things I didn’t know about or I didn’t pay attention to before. For example, when I asked you about pecalang, I browsed it and I didn’t realize pecalang is just in Bali. I think it’s cool. I learned a lot about Bali and Balinese from the little things I missed.

I was so excited to draw for TEDxUbud. I have so much respect for that project and Louise Despont, one of the speakers, is one of my idols. I drew the speakers’ and performers’ portraits. I really enjoyed the process because I got the chance to imagine how the person’s character is, what they were thinking about… It’s like I know it all by observing their facial expression and lines. When I watched and/or saw them in person, it turned out to be a surprise for me… oh, their expressions and character are actually a little bit different from what I imagined. It’s fun!

If you took Elami and Co to Japan, which season and important event should we not miss?

Kyoto Experiment! If I’m not mistaken, it is held every summer.

And definitely Naoshima! Imagine an island with different artworks exhibited. They will give you a map so you know where the artworks are. So you can explore the island and enjoy the artwork. One of the famous artworks is from Yayoi Kusama, it’s installed at the beach. Sometimes, you have to come into an ancient house to find artwork too. This annual festival is a must-visit. The island is also surrounded by small islands with limited boat schedules to cross. So you have to make sure you have the two-way ticket and watch your time. It’s like Nusa Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan only Naoshima is filled with art that is built close to the village.

I went there once when I was in college and want to go back. Especially because I have been creating more artworks now. I wonder how it feels to visit again.

What was the best experience you’ve had from your creative circle in Bali and/or Indonesia?

Pegang-pegang Exhibition in December 2020! I remember Sharon Angelia , my collaborator in the exhibition, and I had weekly meetings. We didn't talk about the concept or what we wanted to create. We shared things we were interested in during those weeks and responded to each other. Then we made a space and just put things together. Following ideas that just popped on our head, like a photoshoot with a man from a market. We made appointments and while waiting for the date to come, I made a costume for him. Also a photoshoot with a long-nailed man. He’s a tailor! He was cutting fabric when I visited him on shoot day. After the photoshoots were done, I continued to work on the chair.

The process started 3 months before the exhibition. That was the first time I worked with furniture experts. Definitely not easy to build a chair. I posted in my Instagram story that I need volunteers to help me. I mentioned that it would be dirty since they need to work with sandpaper and resin. I was surprised that some people DMed me and barely knew each other. There was one volunteer who came every day of a 9 days process. Woah, I thank him very much. I was also feeling a bit uneasy because I wanted to give something to him and I don’t know what and how. But it turned out to be a chill and fun process . We shared ideas and hung out at work. I gained so much from it. I learn how to work with people, communicate my ideas, how to keep the team focused and the process enjoyable. I was so focused on what I did too. The most pleasant thing was that friends came to the site to see the process, they shared it on social media, documented it, and helped! I feel supported.

After all the process, I can still remember how stiff my body was. I was so focused that I worked from 9AM to 10PM everyday. I just took a work day off on Sunday. I feel so cool that I could do that. I would never imagine my body can endure that much work. I was satisfied with the outcomes. The work quality could be much better, but its process has become a precious journey for me. And I feel it was enough. Sometimes I don’t know where to bring this feeling of excitement when the opening exhibition day comes. I still have the adrenaline rush from the process with me.

When I make an artwork, there are always stories and memories. But when they are installed, and people come and see them, I don’t feel the feeling is comparable to how the process was. That’s why I often question myself, do I create my art in an interactive way to accommodate the whole mood so as not to lose the euphoria? Or my art is not enough for me to feel the joy of having the exhibition because it hasn’t reached the most interactive way it could be? Or should I explore more at the exhibition event?! Like for example the festival on an island I mentioned before. I’d like to have an exhibition like that instead of in the white box installed on the wall. I want my art to be close to people.

A Bali-Mexico love affair: Loteria de Bali is born

Introducing Lotería de Bali!: The beautiful relationship between Bali and Mexico reaches back to the 1930s with Miguel Covarrubias’ iconic book, illustrations and films. In honor of that, and our own deep connection to Mexico, we have always dreamed of creating this game.⁠

⁠Combining the original graphic direction with traditional Balinese culture makes a game that’s a visual homage to two vibrant cultures.⁠ You can order it on our online shop or via Whatsapp.

⁠The game features the artwork of Kanoko Takaya, one of Bali’s most exciting artists. She originally illustrated all 52 images in a 170 x 138cm canvas. We then digitized and printed on coated paper. ⁠

⁠Lotería (the Spanish word for “lottery”) is similar to bingo, but using images on a playing board and a deck of 52 cards. Bali Lotería will also teach you a few Spanish, Indonesian, and Balinese words in between.

If you've played Loteria, you'll notice a lot of familiar names of the traditional icons and characters, like La Muerte and La Danzante pop up in Loteria de Bali. ⁠

We sat down as a team and underwent (an intense!) period of brainstorming and lobbying of which ones would make the cut and be translated for the Bali edition. The boot transformed into the flip flop, the hat into the farmer's sun protection, and on and on. ⁠

Hope you enjoy discovering all the differences and similarities!

Get to know: Jana Broto, graphic designer

We sat down with the elusive Jana Broto to hear how she was doing. Jana is one of our favorite graphic designers to work with and an all-round amazing human that you should get to know. We recently worked with Jana and For Good Impact to create a website for Environmental Bamboo Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on climate change and bamboo agroforestry in rural Indonesia.

What are you up to?

Working on some ongoing projects with the For Good team. Also, other projects from my clients based in Australia. I really like Railway Adventures, the company. They have train tours within Australia, Vietnam, and Kalimantan. Yes, I didn’t know either that we have passenger trains in Kalimantan. Recently, they are back to business after they postponed their program because of the pandemic.

What’s your job?

Graphic Designer.

Can you tell us more?

I make visual concepts and layout with design software… I design websites too.

How do you explain your job to people who don’t understand?

My neighbors always link the word designer to home design. So most of the time I point out the closest banners, posters, or flyers I can find at that time. But I think graphic designers solve problems through visuals.

Tell us about For Good.

For Good Impact is a communication team we build for brands that promote good causes. Back in 2016, I moved back to Indonesia because my working permit in Singapore was not continued, but the creative agency company still employed me. So I went back to my home in Jakarta. But since I did my work remotely and flew to Singapore occasionally, I decided to move to Bali. Bali has always been in my mind for a long time.

I contacted Irma, my friend, who just resigned as a Communications Manager at Green School. We then looked for a house to move in together. In the process, we found a house owner who owned a business in Singapore. We talked a while. They sold organic products and were looking for a marketing team. We were interested and thought why don’t we give it a shot as a brand team. So that’s how we started. As time went by, we focused on more local movements and products, NGOs, and environmentally conscious projects, every organization is responsible towards people and nature.

Our first clients were TRI - an upcycled fabric product, U Healing - a healthy fasting program, and NALU - a social enterprise that donates uniforms for students in India with every product purchase. Even though I am still taking projects from corporations, working for brands concerned about sustainability has always been what I want. For Good Impact now has Sani. I’m so glad we have her since she is really good. She makes sure we follow the timelines, meet the deadlines, but are not overwhelmed with the projects. Other team members are outsourced depending on the projects.

Who are your clients currently?

We have been occupied with a USAID project. They are creating guidelines for tourism books in Indonesia. They contain information on the protected areas, how to do sustainable tourism, with many colorful illustrations of animals and maps. We outsourced to our friends too, Flora Marcella who did the animal illustrations, and Reevo Saulus did the map illustrations.

Right before USAID, we worked with Terra Water, a social enterprise business. It is a brand of water filter. Actually, Indonesians used to do this traditionally. We have kendi (pouring vessels made from terracotta) to store water. So Terra Water developed the technology to use terracotta as a water filter. They are produced in Indonesia. They plan to cross-subsidize by providing filters at low prices to poor families.

What do your weekdays look like?

Hmmmmm I.m not really a person with a regular timeline. I do make a list though. With For Good, we have weekly meetings on Mondays. So I just set what I need to do in that week around the workload. Mostly I do the work close to the deadline... I am so easily distracted. I think most of the time I work will be like 1 hour to do A, 1 hour to do B, and probably go back to A in the following hour. The list helps me. I love making lists by writing them on paper. It’s satisfying when I mark the list done.

Zola Bola, my dog, always reminds me to rest by lying down near my desk. When I see Zola sleeping soundly, that will be when I go to bed.

What made you want to be a designer?

Woah, long story. I used to live in Canada. My family applied for permanent residency after the May 1998 riot in Jakarta. My sibling was studying there and my dad’s sister lived there too. In Canada, they don’t have majors for high school. But we can choose which class we want to focus on. I took the general class with a mix of art classes where I learned about printmaking and publishing. I enjoyed them a lot. I used to like to draw as well (now don’t ask me). I used to think about being an animator as well since I love cartoons and manga. Where I lived, we had an Indonesian children’s association. They asked me to make a poster for a club event. That was my first design.

When I was probably 19 or 20 years old, I made a little flyer with Photoshop. So I thought, oh maybe I should go to art school. I applied and was rejected. Twice. Apparently, they wanted written descriptions of the drawing concepts which I was too lazy to make since I’m not good with that. I just submitted my drawing portfolio and that’s all. So, I shifted to my animation dream. I took a programming class. For a year I learned C++ and other coding stuff that I didn’t like. So I quit. I changed to a design major. But, I often skipped classes. We lived in the suburbs, 1 hour away from my college in Surrey. It was the longest trip for me since Vancouver generally is gloomy. Let alone when we’re in winter. I needed to take the Skytrain and bus. Urgh, mager (males gerak = lazy to move). I know that Vancouver is not gloomy as London.

Then my parents sent me away to Jakarta, to La Salle College. From that time, I took school seriously. No play no more. I had a diploma as a design major. But my parents want me to have a bachelor's degree. Typical Asian parents. So I went to Raffles Design Institute in Singapore, finished my degree, and started to work and live there. I guess, design found me.

How would you describe your style?

I don’t know how to describe it. I see my design like a chameleon. They adjust to what the projects need. Why do I have this question? I can’t even describe myself. But maybe I’m a minimalist. Simple lines, simple shapes.

Where can we see your work?

That’s the thing, I don’t make websites for myself. So people who hire me are those who were recommended by my previous clients. I am interested in brand values. Once they stand out and are clear, I love to translate them to shapes, textures, colors…

Are you doing a ‘self-project’ currently?

I started to be serious about making organic compost even pre-pandemic. This big box near the kitchen is filled with worms in soil covered with coco peat. All the vegetable waste goes to this box. While others go to my living compost, Zola,. Just kidding. If I have glass bottles, I collect them for Budi Boleng. Now I have a lot I think it’s time to send them. Budi Boleng makes upcycled bottles in his LOVELIFE Studio.

How do you see design and creative innovation during the pandemic? And its impact on yours?

I follow Covid Art Museum on Instagram. Their response to this situation is funny and smart. Often I think too much when I watch films- like hey don’t touch your friend’s face! Or no handshake! So I guess, I respond to this situation with a kind of nervousness. Also, there’s a little bit of pressure because my friends who work in creative fields are all doing projects in their self-isolation. While I’m not. However, in regards to the For Good Impact team, the pandemic itself didn’t affect much. A lot of companies and organizations use this time for rebranding or updating their websites. One of our clients, Photovoices by Lensa Masyarakat Nusantara, is making a website.

Overall, I think the pandemic itself is affecting us all. The first couple of weeks of self-quarantine, I experimented with food a lot. I did gardening or took care of my houseplants. But then there’s so much going on in the world and don’t we all consume news (or pretty much everything) online? So I guess that constant interaction we have now is stressing us. I get so tired. I’ve had moments where I found it difficult to work. And other times where I had so many ideas but again, tiredness wrapped me first. I even bought Nintendo Games out of boredom once. So I think again. I might say that self-isolation pushes me to pay more attention to my wellness. I deserve to spend time with myself not working and watching series instead, it’s okay to do fun things other than working.

I don’t think the pandemic reshaped design. The design will be the same. The difference will be in the strategy. Like, how to apply the design itself depends on the brand. I don’t think design is significantly changing because of the pandemic. Maybe there is a slight difference, but not merely because of COVID.

What would you like to see happen for Bali’s creatives in the next three or six months?

I am not following Bali design development actually. If you asked me about Balinese artists, I might share a few thoughts because I pay more attention to art. Since moving into Bali, I still find it difficult to find Graphic Designers in Bali who are compatible. Maybe because I still carry creative agency culture. In Jakarta, it is so easy to point out the person or team from where they work/ at which agency and style they represent. I don’t see graphic design stick out in Bali. I don’t know, I could be totally wrong. Sometimes I think probably in Jakarta there are a lot of design schools? Other than that, it’s hard for me too to work with graphic designers from Bali. After a couple of years living here, I have come to accept that I can’t compensate for the reference and quality barriers. It’s so hard to click. I believe there are young people out there who I don’t know yet who make good stuff. I do really hope that Bali can develop its design scene, especially in its education system. Actually, Rumah Sanur is a good hub for creative and design people. I like their local program and network. And I know good artists more than graphic designers. Oh and once more, female graphic designers. We need more of them and need to look at their work more.

Limited edition naturally dyed Snakes and Ladders Bali game

We’ve been excited to work (slowly but surely!) on a range of naturally dyed Snakes and Ladders Bali games over the past year with Threads of Life dye studio.

We now have three colors- jackfruit yellow, Ceriops rust and indigo blue.

Threads of Life makes natural dyes with colourfast traditional Indonesian dye recipes using sustainably sourced dye plants and plant mordants, and without synthetic modifiers. All the work is by hand, from the scouring, through the dyeing and finishing.

A Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 100% sustainably certified forest concession in Papua supplies the Ceriops tagal bark extract used to achieve rich red-brown earth tones. Instead of using industrial alum, this Ceriops dye is fixed with a plant-mordant of fallen Symplocos cochinchinensis leaves collected by community harvester groups we have established in Flores.

Get to know: Mariko Sugimoto, ceramic artist (and Slanker)

Mariko Sugimoto is a Japanese ceramic artist based in Ubud. She was born and raised in Tokyo until she was 12 years old before moving to Nagoya with her family. To date, she has two ceramic studios. One in Ubud (Setia Ceramics) and one in Nagoya where young people learn how to make ceramics.

Elami and Co. worked together with Ibu Mariko last year for our Elami Box series.

When did you start making ceramics?

When I finished my college, I became a kindergarten teacher for 4 years in Nagoya. Then after that, I began my ceramic journey.

It started from our program back in school. In Japan, we have kyushoku, it’s when all the students and teachers make and have lunch together at school. Usually, it comes with a glass of milk. Before graduation, the school organized this event where the teachers made ceramics for their students as a gift. So we made mugs for the children to drink milk. Kyushoku is also an event where the school invites the parents to watch what kind of activity we hold for their children. Parents take a lot of photos of this event usually.

What was your background in college?

I was in college for kindergarten teacher education.

So did you always want to be a kindergarten teacher?

Not really, hahaha, back then I only thought that it’s better for me to earn the certification. It would be easier for me to apply for a job. I got the kindergarten teacher license and a cooking license. These two license exams were easy for me. It’s a normal thing in Japan. People earn specific licenses and work based on the needed expertise. For example, men choose to take mechanics licenses for vehicles. Besides being easy to get a job, the salary is also higher because we have the licenses. Because of that, many of the kindergarten teachers don’t just teach. Some of them are also professional pianists or musicians.

Back to the story of how I found ceramics, I decided to continue learning how to make ceramics. I lived in one of the ceramic maestro’s studios in Seto. It was 20 minutes from Nagoya by car. Nagoya is a city famous for ceramics. There are a lot of ceramic artists, handcrafts, and studios. Seto is also a famous place where many people from other countries come to learn how to make ceramics. Including 8 other people who lived in the studio before me. They came from France, Australia, Germany… They all keep coming from abroad… Mostly learning how to make ceramics in a traditional way, such as Japanese tea ceremony ceramics.

Did you still teach in kindergarten when you started your ceramics practice?

No, I quit to make ceramics. I was just like a tukang (craftsman) who helps the wood artisans in Jalan Raya Mas. We had our small rooms like a kos-kosan (boarding house) and we got free meals but no salary. I lived in the maestro’s studio for 5 years. It’s not long compared to one ceramicist who stayed there for 20 years.

What is your maestro’s name? And why did you choose him if there are a lot of maestros in Seto and Nagoya?

Kato… Kato Motoo… He has already passed away. Well, no reason, in particular, just a coincidence.

Why do you have many ceramic designs for sake and arak?

I receive orders from restaurants and shops. So the ceramic designs for sake and arak are one of the popular orders. They might order here because I have the Japanese style they require. It brings back memories of when I arrived in Bali. I wanted to open a ceramic studio but I didn’t know what the customers needed and wanted. Eventually, I found out that they like the Japanese style. In Japan, there are enough ceramic artists to make Japanese-style ceramic for sure but here there aren’t many.

What is your favorite thing to make from clay?

Hmmm… the thing I like the most is interior furniture. Lamp bodies, vases, candlesticks, and other small pieces we usually like to keep in the room.

How did you come to Ubud and how long ago?

I was a tourist, traveling to Bali around 1998 or 2000, I don’t remember. One of my friends has a shop in Bali and I came along with her, so did my friends. I came to Bali once a year. Eventually, I came to Ubud and my respect towards the people has only grown since then. I feel at peace, so I started to follow rituals like going to the temple and joining the ceremonies.

At that time, I worked in Japan and Bali, staying in each place for 6 months. Until I found it difficult to manage my production timeline. So I needed to decide, which one of the countries should I live in. At first, I decided to live in Japan. I was too afraid to live in Bali alone. Yes, I love the culture, but I was not familiar enough with it. Back in Japan, I had my network and I had contracts with some of the art galleries already. Everything was easier and manageable. Also, professional ceramicists have their career paths in Japan. In Indonesia, I need to compete with the market. Also, every time I mentioned that I am a ceramicist here, many people would think I make ceramic tiles.

However, when I addressed this, my uncle, who was 98 years old at that time, was the one who encouraged me to move to Bali. He was the oldest of 8 children from my mom’s line and I was close to him. My uncle was an ambitious type of person. The only ambition he didn’t achieve was living abroad. So, I guess that’s the reason behind his strong suggestion. He said that since I have my ceramic studio already in Bali, I should start to take care of it. I thought, well my ceramic studio was actually a prep studio for my artworks in Japan. Oftentimes I would buy material from Bali such as traditional baskets, woven fabric, and metal to combine them with my ceramic artworks. Some of the commissioned works came from this ‘assimilation’ as well.

Long story short, I listened to my uncle and I gave myself a chance to move to Bali for good. This then brought me a big surprise, because not long after I moved to Bali, there was a huge tsunami in Tohoku (2011). The economy in Japan collapsed and a lot of art galleries were closed. I felt lucky but also devastated because I saw how distressing it was when I went to Japan once it was safe again. I came back to Bali and continued what I started. It’s difficult, yes, but I have made a strong commitment and work hard. So here I am, 10 years later.

Will you move back to Japan someday?

I guess when I’m really old there might be a chance.

Who are your favorite Indonesian and Japanese artists?

Nara Yoshitomo! He is a painter.

And Kuncir too, I respect his work… oh and Rio Simatupang.

I like them.

Do you have a favorite place that makes you miss being in Japan?

Hotspring! Onsen! There are so many onsens in the Japanese villages. The one that I like is in Takayama, a few hours from Nagoya. There are a lot of heritage buildings and traditional food there. The village view is literally as beautiful as anime in real life. We keep our cities, towns, and villages from over-building. The Japanese government makes strict policies to regulate this.

What is the most important event in your life?

Finding a ceramic practice… That was the best moment of my life. I have been working 20 years working and never ever have I been bored. That is my happiness.

We know you’re a huge fan of the music scene in Java and Bali, who is your favorite musician and why?

Slank. We became good friends and those friendships became my reason to stay in Indonesia, in Bali.

I used to watch their performances on TV and liked their music a lot. I collected their cassettes and CDs, listened to them even when I was in Japan, and learned what they were talking about in the lyrics. There wasn’t info about them in Japan, or online of course, so I thought I would register my contact in their fanbase to have their concert info. One time I need to go to Jakarta to manage my visa. I stayed at my friend’s place in Kemang, which is close to Gang Potlot, where the Slank fanbase is based.

I just went there and my idea was it’s just a registration office. I remember I paid Rp5.000,- for registration. Later I learned that the Slank members and Bunda Iffet were living there as well [Bunda Iffet is Bimbim’s mother, one of the Slank founders and members. She is also the band manager]. When I was there, hundreds of Slankers were hanging out, playing music and singing together. So I joined in. One of them asked me whether I could sing Slank’s songs. I was so proud. They were surprised, maybe thinking who is this Japanese girl singing a Slank song. That, the registration officer came to me saying Bunda Iffet wanted to see me. I was shy at first but then I met her and the band members. They are a lovely family, humble people, and I felt welcomed straight away. She invited me to join their backstage team along with the band to go to Sukabumi, West Java. So I stayed with them for two days before their concert. That was a wow moment for me. I went there just as a fan wanting to know their upcoming concert schedule, wondering if they would have a concert in Bali.

With a backstage pass, I learned so many things with them. They have a solid backstage team. I never saw a crew’s stamina like theirs. Also, the team was built from the people who like to listen to Slank as well. When I was in university, I took an arubaito (part-time job) at a music concert event company. They managed concerts from international musicians such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie. I worked there so I could watch the music concerts for free. I love rock music and I gained a lot of experience from being a part of that huge team. There, we were divided into certain roles and divisions. But I saw what this solid team did for Slank. They worked differently. It looks like no one was the supervisor. I have huge respect for how they have trust in each other.

I have good relationships with the Slank members and Bunda until now. Sometimes they order ceramics for the band merchandise and I stay at their place whenever I go to Jakarta. The Slank members are rebellious, but only for a good cause and they all are kind-hearted. Two years ago, if I’m not mistaken, I went to Hongkong and Sumba for their concerts. They are my family in Indonesia.

What is the best advice you have ever had?

I have taken this away from Osamu Tezuka’s works:

“If you see this world we live in is beautiful, then your world will be.”

I honor his mangas. For me, manga teaches me more rather than reading a complex book. Tezuka is a manga artist, one of the manga pioneers originally from Japan. He likes to write philosophically and historically. He wrote Atom (Astro Boy), one of my favorite mangas.

What is your typical morning routine as an artist?

Wake up, coffee, work, sleep that’s it.

Do you have a favorite anime and favorite show from Indonesia?

Akira… and Bajaj Bajuri!

[Akira is a Japanese cyberpunk manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo; Bajaj Bajuri is an Indonesian sitcom that aired on Trans TV from 2002 - 2007, it told the story of a humble Betawi family in Kampung Betawi in Jakarta]

Behind the design: Ring of Fire + Island of the Dogs

The project: The digital launch of two important documentaries about Indonesia for media company SavEarth.

We’ve been fortunate to collaborate with the team at SavEarth Media as we worked towards the digital launch of the Ring of Fire series on iTunes (UK/Aus/USA/Can). Amazing to think that nearly 50 years have passed since filming began. If you'd like to watch it again here's the link.

The Ring of Fire is an epic. 5 individual journeys around Indonesia, from Sulawesi to Papua and Kalimantan. So many people have told us how it inspired them to travel to Indonesia or become filmmakers.

The Blair Brothers sailed with pirates aboard their black-sailed schooners in search of the Bird of Paradise, struggled through rapids and deep jungles searching for elusive nomadic tribes, witnessed veiled forms of human sacrifice and found themselves drawn into ten years of danger and discovery in a magical land where ancient myths still flourish.

Their intimate encounters with the vanishing masters of tribal wisdom were to lead them from a physical adventure, into a deeper, more personal quest of self-discovery. Originally cut from 80 hours of 16mm film in co-production with WGBH, Boston, RING OF FIRE was produced, directed and photographed by Lorne Blair and co-produced and written by Lawrence Blair.

For Ring of Fire, we were very excited to dive into a trove of slide photography from the film’s shoot. Some warped by time or heat (victim of a house fire) and showing the scars of the years that have gone by.

The team at Potato Head hosted a small screening to help celebrate the iTunes launch. Lawrence spoke before the first episode was shown and charmed the audience completely with his stories of Richard Attenborough wanting to buy the footage and how Ringo Starr helped make the shoot possible with his funding. Story below in the audio.

The second of Lawrence’s films has also been digitally remastered for its iTunes launch. Bali: Island of the Dogs is a film about the ancient dogs of Bali and their complicated relationships with humans.

The world’s experts on genetics, at UC Davis, California, pointed out that the dogs of Bali are the richest gene pool of genetic diversity in all of dogdom, and can trace their ancestry right back to the proto-dogs, whereas all our ‘breed’ dogs are barely a couple of centuries old.

The film’s locations include Bali, Australia, and the United States, and features interviews with Balinese high priests on the ancient roles of dogs and man, current world experts on dog genetics, ecology and rabies control, and owners of the remarkable dogs which, largely unrecognized, have such high scientific value and yet face imminent extinction. We ask the question: if we can’t get on with the dog, our closest of natural companions, what hope have we with nature herself?

Get to know: Budhita Kismadi, creative community activist & facilitator

We got a chance to have an interesting conversation over the phone with Budhita “Budhsi” Kismadi. Budhsi is a creative community activist engaged in various issues such as the environment, education, human rights, culture and well-being in Indonesia. Budhsi is the co-founder of Inspirit, a group of trail-blazing facilitators who work in the non-profit and government sector in Indonesia.

Elami and Co has collaborated with Budhsi, especially during TEDxUbud, where she has hosted sessions with her incredible grace and compassion. Budhsi is an expert storyteller and incredibly good at helping people find their words and be comfortable in front of an audience. We talked to her about the power of events, how virtual events changed the game, and how facilitating can uncover what’s inside.

Hi Budhsi! How are you? Can you share what you are currently up to?

I’m good! I started my new routine back in April. I go to the office once a week. Currently, I am assisting a project development program. My team and I designed a closing event for a social inclusion program. The program is made to create space for the unseen and the unheard. Including the children of migrant laborers, children who are sexually exploited, and children in conflict with the law. We work with local institutions to provide rehabilitation, involving their family in the process. In this context, we built a safe space for the children to undergo a rehabilitation process with their families. We have 1965 survivors, indigenous people, and people from religious minorities joining the program.

I learned many things that I might not have known about. Some issues that were only on the news suddenly become the main things I studied. My team and I feel strongly about empowering people to tell their stories. When they are comfortable with telling the story, I am able to understand and empathize with them. Some are funny, heartwarming, or shocking.

There was one transwomen’s group that encounters a lot of discrimination. Our event facilitated bringing a group together with other community groups. One time we paired the trans group with a Kiai (religious leader) who had never talked to a trans person before. Unexpectedly, he was fully interested and listened to all the discrimination they had faced. We were nervous as one group blended in different ways. From that experience, we learned that they were actually creating their safe space in their own way. They went beyond economic and education status, allowing them to just be human beings, sharing in an equal interactive space. Another thing we learned was encountering inner or self discrimination is no less powerful than discrimination inflicted by others.

I like your nickname, how did you get it?

Budhsi comes from Budhita, my name. My mother is a Catholic Phillipina and my late father was a Muslim Indonesian. I was raised in a pluralistic family. In the Philippines, nicknames are common. When I was 2 years old, I was bald, big, and like to sit cross-legged like a smiling Budha statue. My grandmother said I was like a little Buddha. Because the Philippines was formerly colonized by Spain, she called me Budhita. It means little Buddha in Spanish. Then it became Budhsi for short.

What is your background?

Cultural Anthropology undergraduate in Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. Anthropology in my university was specifically divided into physical and cultural. That was the best place for me at that time, knowing that Japan’s cultural life was so strong. I lived there for 7 years and worked in an archeological site. In Japan, if there’s an artifact found in the middle of the building site, an excavation process is a must. I love what I did. Once I found a beautiful cremation jar in an excavation area and we made a ceremony for it.

When I went home to Indonesia, I was thinking about continuing my study/career either in archeology or ethnomusicology. But then I asked myself, do I want to be a researcher? What do I want to be? In my family, community service is really important. I remember my dad asked me,” What is your task in life? Have you found it?”. A lot of my relatives work in NGOs. My father used to be the Minister of Environment in Indonesia. Climate change and sustainability have been ingrained in my head from the start. So I worked for an NGO that has donor projects with environmental NGOs. That’s where I got my connection to environmental NGOs and movements in Indonesia.

Then I applied for a scholarship for a Public Policy Master Degree in NTU. That was a program between NTU and Harvard Kennedy School. So I passed with a diploma from both universities. After I graduated, I continued to work for an organization that takes care of Canadian volunteers in Indonesia.

I have acquaintances from several environmental NGOs from that time and started to assist some of their events in my after-hours. Eventually, I got an offer to join facilitations. That’s how everything started.

Because of my working circle, I was exposed to various issues. I decided to not go deep into certain issues. My friend, Dani, and I built an organization where we are facilitating and improving facilitators in Indonesia. Inspirit is an umbrella organization where we offer services- the main one is vibrant facilitation. So now I am a vibrant facilitator.

What does a vibrant facilitator mean? And how do you as the vibrant facilitator create a meaningful event?

Vibrant Facilitation is a way of facilitation. Inspirit exists to design and create space and programs that allow participants to continue to grow and develop and have the competence to manage the changes they are facing. So we are not aiming to inspire, but to move people to inspire themselves. We are not motivators.

The alumnus of our courses are the ones who embody, bring life into a meeting, event, workshop, or any form of interaction by transmitting energy that enlivens the spaces with several values.

People who join our facilitation training have to be really interested in facilitating events, have empathy, and unconditionally respect others. We know that everyone has assumptions but to be aware of that and be present and non-judgemental needs practice.

Speaking of assumptions, some people associate vibrant facilitation with inciting activity. It’s because we often play music while facilitating. So they often just take away the idea of incorporating fun in the process. If we look deeper, we bring out the character and the feelings that are restored in the participants. Another thing a vibrant facilitator does is to awaken the senses. Our programs activate participants holistically, emotionally, rationally, and physically. All the senses are awakened by the Inspirit process. Full of life, in spirit, to give life.

How has the world of events changed for Inspirit now when we can’t do face to face anymore?

We entered the virtual event world when the pandemic hit. It is a new challenge for us because we need to transfer what we do at the venue to an online presence. So we tried, it took us 3 months but turned out to be really good. We experimented with spaces, aromatherapy, and colors. I also applied what I learned from a 3-day online facilitator intensive course— I decided to take the class last year in the quarantine period and I got so much from there. In the session, my facilitator trainer used mindfulness exercises.

“Relax, make sure you have water close to you, sit comfortably, think about where you are, and expand your imagination. Imagine we are sitting in the same space together. Shake out your arms, feel your feet, raise your arms. If anything comes in between, just remember we are under the same sky, on the same land. For the next 1 hour and 30 minutes we are in this space together.”

It completely changed the atmosphere. So I adapted it to our facilitation practice. Inspirit invests in the introduction. “Look around you… what do you see that you can show to the camera… what is your favorite color?”.

We started to have to lower our expectations and outputs. Meaning that we can’t do it as we did before. The longest we can do is 3 hours per day, with a long break. Yes, that’s risky. People tend to change their mood after the break. But that situation requires us to educate the clients. For example, we encourage them to create a surprise during the event, or host a podcast before the event. So it’s not just designing the process and how it is delivered, it activates our 5 senses. Now we have invested in the lighting, microphone, and any audiovisual equipment that is supporting what we do. Our office turned into a studio.

This vibrant facilitator dream started with our being tired of really bad meetings. Also, many meetings only give opportunities to certain people to talk. They cast out introverts. What we do is to shine a light on them but not in a way that forces them to be under the spotlight.

Many of the alumni experienced change within themselves after the facilitation training. On how they treat other people, rediscovering something about themselves, or even falling in love again with their spouses. I guess because the reflection session at the end of our facilitation has always been an important part of training.

What makes you interested in what you do? Is there a favorite thing that you’re always looking to get out of a person when you are facilitating?

Hmmm, I find my calling through books actually. I say to myself every time before I start doing an event, change the way you see everything, change the way you see yourself and your situation. I see every person who comes into facilitating, hoping that they will find something that is usually already within them.

What I do requires listening and sharing stories of where my roots are. When I told you my name, I shared the story behind it so you change the way you see me. When I did it, I remembered it again and so on. In the facilitation process, we allow everyone to share what they want to share instead of what we want them to share.

From there, we can learn once again, to hear and respond. We will find similarities and differences. Those small changes that we look for on a personal level. I like to hear what they learn on a deeper level too. Interestingly, we often get deep reflections. One that I remember dearly is an answer from a kid. He was a volunteer in an organization that is active in social inclusion issues. He said that he turned out to be great (as a person). I was so moved.

I think that’s why we resonate with what Elami and Co does. Everybody who walks out from TEDxUbud experienced everything in 5 senses. And you do it in everything you do.

Is there a remarkable experience you want to share with us?

Our vision is Inspirit Indonesia Keren 2045. We work to build the vision by assisting participants to create their vision boards -so to get Indonesians dreaming about Indonesia. We ask them to make personal vision boards, but also think about what kind of Indonesia they want to have. Inspirit did this once with a women’s group in eastern Indonesia. Fast forward to 4 years later, we did a women’s leadership workshop there. So we also visited alumni on our trip. There was one lady who chased me showing her vision board to me. She said almost everything is achieved. She wanted to go to school and she did it. So now she wants to make a vision board together with her family.

What are the hobbies you use to recharge? Can you share what you hold onto to keep you sane these days?

To recharge and keep me sane, I play with my pets! They are my source of energy to keep me grounded. I am a rescuer, so I live with 20 cats, 5 dogs, 2 birds, 1 turtle. Some of the cats live in my neighbor’s house. The turtle is so special to me, it’s over 20 years old and it likes to stay in the garden. So I have an official guardian of the garden. I live with my mom and 2 staff members to help me take care of my animal friends.

Other than that, I started journaling again after the pandemic. Somehow a lot of things I started in the early year faded away because I went back to facilitating.

Behind the design: custom boxes for Nusa Cana

Sea voyages, far-off islands, spices, and more gave us the inspiration to create 50 (each completely different) custom packaging for Nusa Caña’s VIP gifts, all telling the story of the journey of Indonesian rum across the seas.

We created a series of collages (under the watchful eye of collage artist Dayu Ajeng) with different monoprints—all based on the Nusa Caña palette that morphed into underwater animals, corals & reefs, sailing ships, birds wheeling through the sky, full moons lighting the way, and clouds over smoking volcanic islands.

We were also excited to use a honeycomb paper replacement for bubble wrap to cradle the bottles, even more so when we realized it looked like fishing nets.

A few of the test runs for the different shapes and ideas for the stories we told on each box.

Behind the design: Room4Dessert Academy

Excited to be supporting Room4Dessert once again in the development of their new learning experience: Room4Dessert Academy:

Room4Dessert proudly presents R4D Academy, our first class series, designed for professionals and amateurs alike.

Join us for a month-long (or weekly) hands-on class, led by Chef Will Goldfarb, and unfold the secrets behind the most talked-about desserts in the world. From 3 May until 29 May, each week we dive into different decadent delights.

We designed the promotional material for this experience for use on social media platforms primarily:

We also developed standing recipe binders for students to use during each week, with a different color folder for each module.

Enter the Year of the Ox

Welcome to February 2021 and a sense of renewal with the coming of the Lunar New Year.

In the Chinese Zodiac, the Ox is very hardworking and methodical. 2021 is going to be a year when work will get rewarded. In the Year of the Rat, the force was the fast, hard, active yang, while the element was water. The Ox’s earthly branch, is associated with yin, which is slow, soft and passive. Its element is earth, representing stability and nourishment. Since this is a Metal year, the color of 2021 is going to be white/silver. Besides white, the lucky colors of the Ox are yellow and green, colors that attract prosperity and success. To increase your luck, wear metal accessories.

We embarked on a journey of traditional Balinese wooden cow bells, woven bamboo horn sculptures, Indonesian buffalo cultures and their textiles, handmade angpao and more for events at John Hardy Seminyak.

We worked with Threads of Life to bring textiles and stories of cloth from around Indonesia to John Hardy in Seminyak. Guests (safely) gathered to listen to a talk while enjoying morning tea or coffee in the open air space.

The Year of the Ox was also celebrated with a special farmer to table dinner by Nusantara. We created ox wayang for the tables based on a custom illustration by Maya Kerthyasa.

Get to know: Ajeng Anggrahita

Can we introduce you to Ajeng? Ajeng came to Elami in a blissful moment of serendipity- she spotted our job advert within seconds of it being posted and was the first applicant. It was meant to be. Ajeng can always be counted on to know someone in every corner of every institution and organization in Bali’s art scene, make an incredible playlist, and quietly follow up every last thing on her to-do list.

We asked her a few out-of-left-field questions in honor of her endless ability to surprise.

What’s the best thing about being an only child?

A master of alone time and enjoying it.

What’s your favorite word in the Indonesian language and why?

Oh a lot!

But I’ll pick the classic one: “nanti besok”

I grew up in a mixed culture between Bali and Java.

In some contexts, besok (tomorrow) is whenever after today, while nanti (later) could be in a second or 6 hours or whenever or even a way of passive-aggressively avoiding something.

Scenario 1: You bump into your friend and talk. She/ he is casually saying ‘let’s have a proper catch up someday’. But you are not sure when or whether you like the idea, or you both know that it will be once in a blue moon. Then you just say ‘ok besok ya’. Your friend knows that she/ he isn't supposed to expect tomorrow is the day.

Scenario 2: One day I asked my landlord’s nephew to prune one of the trees in our garden. My neighbor usually needs branches for his shed. So I recommended him to give them all to my neighbor. He then said that he wanted to make sure of it. After a while, my housemate went to our rooftop and said that the branches are there. I had a lot of ‘nanti’ when I reminded him to put them away.

Though Java and Bali use those two words in a similar context, I found myself learning the “nanti besok” concept in Bali. In Java, sometimes you will find people say “besok nanti”.

nanti besok/ besok nanti doubles the vague concept of time. In reverse, you can only know when it’s literally nanti besok/ besok nanti by the mix of gesture, experience, and gut feeling :’D

What was the proudest moment in your professional life so far?

Now.

If you had to pick 5 artists only to listen to for the rest of your life who would they be?

Soko, Haim, Khruangbin, Susso, … Bjork.

When was the first time you made a collage? Can you describe the end result?

I can’t remember, but I started seriously 2 years ago. I use A4/ A5 plain paper as the base or tweak from the one page of the magazine. I do them manually. I cut magazine papers and/or use the byproduct of my previous cut/collages. Sometimes I add used/found things like bubble gum wrap, chocolate wrap, shell, bottle cap, dried flower, calendar, etc. I always compose most of the pieces before pasting. Even though, often, I stack additional material after all. Sometimes (very rare), I make collages in GIF format.

They tend to look like a scene in the film or story. A lot of them are representing certain feelings too. I think it’s easy to imagine single and broad interpretations from my collages. They either have main characters conditioned in certain ambience/ situations or ambience itself. I often play around with myths and body politics. Through this question, I thought about my collages and I think they are mystic.

You’re known for your sense of style and elegance. How do you curate your look?

Mood based.

Analyze your coworkers based on their astrological signs.

What a coincidence that our team has 2 Libra suns and 2 Taurus suns, which are ruled by Venus. When Libra is all dreamy and imaginary, the Taureans make them grounded and thinking practically. They are known for their sense of aesthetics too.