This designer is on a mission to champion Indonesian designs and craftsmanship

Alvin Tjitrowirjo was a creative child. He jests that he almost failed junior high school because he spent so much time drawing. The natural educational path for him was an industrial design course in Australia. There, he met a professor who shaped his approach to design, which is not only about aesthetics but also about problem solving.

“He introduced me to the idea that design has no right or wrong answer. It’s all about understanding what is the problem you want to solve, who the users are and how you are going to implement the solution. How you form these abstract points of a problem and then synthesise them into a solution is really up to you,” explained the Indonesian designer who founded his design studio AlvinT in 2006 and has exhibited at global design exhibitions worldwide such as Tokyo’s Designart, NYC Design Week and Milan Design Week.

These ideas were instrumental when he returned to Indonesia. “Indonesia is known for its strong craft and culture but locals lack this vision, pride and sense of belonging so we are unable to become the best version of what we can be,” he realised. The problem, he analysed, was what he calls “colonisation hangover”, where local identity is viewed by Indonesians as inferior to that of the western world.

It is a pity as Indonesia has plenty of natural resources. “It’s a complex problem,” said Tjitrowirjo, citing the lack of support for design on multiple levels including policies, education and available platforms.

He realises that as a designer, he plays a role in connecting the dots. He could marry his international overview with the awareness of local craft to create new products or stimulate new industries so that the craft continues to be relevant, which in turn sustain communities.

One of these communities is the indigenous Dayak weavers of Gunung Purei from Central Kalimantan in Borneo. He worked with them on a collection made from rattan for the recent FIND Design Fair Asia held during Singapore Design Week. The products were shown at the Emerge showcase within the fair, curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology magazine. It highlighted the works of Asian designers working with machinery or craftsmen, or both.

The Ndare (meaning ‘weave’ in the Dayak dialect) collection was made in collaboration with leading social enterprise Handep that works with more than 200 indigenous Dayak artisans and smallholders across Indonesia to create a sustainable village economy.

“The artisans live remotely in the village and the way they cultivate and work with the materials is very different from how we live in big cities. That gave us a different perspective on how we should see the potential of these resources, a way that works in harmony with our culture and the environment; there’s a lot of misunderstanding in terms of valuing what we have here,” said Tjitrowirjo.

To reach the village, he has to take two one-hour flights and then drive almost six hours into the forest. “They’ve been living there for generations, and make objects like baskets that are of very good quality. Traditionally, they made these to harvest rice or forage for fruits; they also made floor mats. The woven patterns tell their stories and project their identities. For example, one such patterns illustrates the Dayaks climbing the Pohon Puti tree to forage for honey from the nest of giant honey bees,” Tjitrowirjo elaborated.

Rather than changing the way they work, he wanted to respect their age-old systems. “Usually when you work in a factory, the designer gives the workers the order. Here, we collaborate and utilise what they usually make into our designs. We also wanted to change the normal way buyers haggle for the best price so we asked them what price were they willing to take for them to do a very good job,” said Tjitrowirjo.

To be proud of their work instead of seeing it as inferior is important in passing on the skills to the next generation. “The younger generation don't want to become artisans anymore. They want to work in a supermarket, sell mobile phones; they don't see this as a viable option to live, which is disturbing because our [collective] identity was shaped from these objects. I tell people we might be living with the last generation of these artisans,” said Tjitrowirjo.

In the process, he also found a sort of awakening. “I learnt about the respect the artisans have toward their materials. For instance, they take only what raw materials they need from the forest that day; not as much as they can. They don’t plant many rattan trees in the forest just to increase production because the plant lives side-by-side with other trees; it’s symbiotic.”

They also respect the timeline of Mother Nature. “Certain plants can only be harvested at certain times. For example, during the rainy season, the rattan plants will have more dark spots, which is not ideal. If we want to create something beautiful but also not intrude in their lives, we need to be patient, although some people may call that idealistic.” Because of this, the pieces in the collection are limited editions. “We’re not going to force them to mass produce. When it’s all sold, we’ll develop new things,” explained Tjitrowirjo.

Looking at the artisans, he was filled with admiration – and perhaps envy – of the honest, unpressured way of life. “They work with their hands, and while they are weaving, they are chatting with their friends, making jokes. They have very strong social connections, having lived in the villages for generations. I feel that nowadays working in the city, we have a lot of anxiety. I am sure they have a lower stress level [than city folks]. That gave me a different perspective on how to live.”

The Ndare collection is a highlight at the AlvinT Gallery that opened in October this year. It is located in the newly established Indonesian Design District (IDD) in North Jakarta. The physical space is a milestone for Tjitrowirjo, who is excited to create a sensory spatial environment that offers visitors a more in-depth way of understanding their own cultural identity and values through design.

“The approximately eight-hectare, open-air space opened by a private developer comprises over 50 furniture, art and decor shops. It will have cafes, restaurants and bars, and it’s the first of its kind in Indonesia – something like the Design District in Miami. We positioned our shop as a gallery because we don't just want to sell furniture; we want to try and sell the experience and push ideas that we believe in,” said Tjitrowirjo.

Through the years, he has not only worked with rattan, shaping it into sweeping benches and even a rocking chair that was displayed at the famous Rossana Orlando Gallery in 2018. As creative director for Indonesian furniture brand Vivere Group, he constantly dreams up furniture pieces that are found in homes and hospitality projects.

A recent project for Indonesian terrazzo company TMAC has him experimenting with a new material. Tjitrowirjo made furniture from terrazzo that is conventionally applied to flooring or countertops. “The company wanted to push themselves out of their comfort zones. We were inspired by something that is hard but can be malleable. So we came up with organic shapes that look soft but is actually very solid,” he explained.

Aside from running his design studio, Tjitrowirjo also has a design agency called Shape of Thoughts that he started in 2017. This enables him to contribute more to the shaping of Indonesian design through curating exhibitions and consulting for manufacturers. Next year, it will direct the IFFINA Indonesia Meubel & Design Expo, which Tjitrowirjo is excited about.

“The exhibition stopped many years ago and restarted only this year. We feel that the role of the trade show can be more than for commerce; it should try to connect everyone. Then hopefully, we can create a proper ecosystem [for design to flourish in Indonesia],” he said.

He added: “Indonesia has an abundance of commercially available craft, materials, people and culture. It’s only a matter of how we manage that so that they become sustainable and provide long-term value instead of abusing them; otherwise in time to come, everything will be gone.”