Welcome to ARTISAN ASIA ...

My name is Sinta Maroe. I would like to share you about my work as a Buying & Sourcing agent and my involvement with lots of amazing projects done on a daily basis here in the island of Bali, Indonesia.

Living in Bali is a living proof of richness of arts and cratfs, beautiful nature and enviroments and wonderful harmony of livelihood aiming on a balance of God, Man and Nature that the Balinese called "Tri Hita Karana". This balance is carefully preserved in each family compound and each village structure. Where there is a family temple and in each village where the allignment of streets and houses reflects the balance as well.

Bali, is a small island amongst 13,677 islands belongs to the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesia is by far the world's largest archipelago country strewn across 5,120 km (3200 miles) of tropical seas.populated by over 210 million people. On the map of Europe the archipelago extends from Ireland past the Caspian sea. Fourth - fifth of the area is occupiead by oceans and many the islands are tiny, no more than rocky outcrops populated by a few sea birds.

We have unique geologic and spetacural tropical habitats strecthing from Java, Bali to the rainforests of Sumatera, Kalimantan , Sulawesi , Maluku and Papua. It was the main reasons European traders came in the 15th century, variety of spices, clove, nutmeg, sandalwood, camphor etc.

We are a melting pot of 100 distinct ethnic groups, each with each own cultural identity, who together speak a total of more than 300 different languages. Anyone traveling in Indonesia will find enermous physical differences of people from one island to the other, its different soil conditions, different agricultural patterns, different customs and tribal practises.

For instance, in Kalimantan (or otherwise known as , Borneo), home of the Iban and Dayak tribes, the avarage density is less than 10 persons per-square km. Their food procurements practises are hunting, traping, fishing reflects in their arts and crafts.

 

You will no doubt be fascinated by the richness of expressions found in many Indonesia's simple tools use daily some even still use it to this day), many traditional heritage's sarongs, elaborate rites of passages written on lontar leafs, ceremonial offerings bowls, keris knife (a blade invented as early 9th century in Java, a symbol of many's identity as mature and resposible), elaborate adat house such as tongkonan house in Toraja (central Sulawesi) - as seen here :

Extensive arrays of house hold used traditionally as rituals decorations , ceremonies marking birth, puberty, marriage, death. are reflected in many products and designs practised up to this days.

With apprication to these craftmanship , I am honored to have been working with many of our talented artists.

Global warming is the greatest threat we ever faced. The astonishing fact is that each of us can make an impact by not being thoughtless, with what we purchase.

ARTISAN ASIA produce most of our items using the waste of an-already-existing pieces. We collect scraps from traditional Javanese house-beams, we scavange old Torajan' houses' windows, old train timber tracks.

We keep them in existence, regenerate them and transformed them into a new use or function.

It is our share to be responsible to our planet. To aim for our clients' satisfactions, we also encourage designs to develop the product based on their technical drawing, and sensitivity to protect old growth. To consume consciously.

Our job is to appoint the right manufacturers, sharing the same visions, supervise production and QC and organize shipment to clients designations.

Original Javanese "joglo" houses have become the new benchmark for modern tropical living. Manual installation construction techniques enables this type of house being transferred from one place to the other, one island to the other or as it has been a showcase in the last decade, between one country to the other !

With concerns towards the enviroment and natural resources depletion since early 1970, Artisan Asia try our best to produce with considerations on the aspects of ecology, economy and social-culture. The owners of these originals houses moved up in their economic-status by building "modern houses" using modern materials, hence they abandon their original houses.

The structures certainly exist , ecept the house's beams, poles and main-floorings are seperated and dismantled , where at this stage antique seekers and recycled furniture manufacturers would seek for "pieces of the traditional architectural legacy".