Design Life is a 3-day design forum that brings together designers and creative individuals from various design disciplines such as Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design and Fashion from Asia and Australia.
The forum will be held at Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, from 4th to 6th December 2009, organized by Bali-based designers and entrepreneurs Jindee Chua and Suriawati Qiu, who are both alumni of RMIT University’s School of Architecture and Design. The event is supported by RMIT’s School of Architecture and Design and its prominent staff members, Andrea Mina, Sand Helsel and Ross Mcleod. Design Life is open for all designers from various disciplines as well as RMIT’s School of Architecture and Design alumni.
Keynote speakers for Design Life include Made Wijaya, renowned landscape designer; Richard Hassell & Wong Mun Summ, founders of multiple-award-winning architecture firm WOHA; and John Hardy, well-known jewelry designer and artist.
Design Life aims to recharge, rejuvenate and reinvigorate designers through a series of activities which include keynote presentations, design forum, exhibitions, workshops, site visits and publication of participants’ work highlights.
Participants will get to experience a different side of Bali, specifically tailored for designers during the workshops and site visits. They will get to see first hand and be exposed to a wide variety of local natural materials and craftmanship, unique Balinese lifestyle, dynamic culture and religion, food, as well as meeting designers living in Bali. They will understand why Bali is still, after 30 years, the cutting edge of Tropical Architectural Design. In addition, participants will visit some of the most well-designed, innovative and internationally-acclaimed resorts in Bali: Amandari, Begawan Giri, Alila Villas Uluwatu, etc.
The event will be held at the Gaya Artspace in Ubud, Bali, a gallery known for its continuous support of contemporary avant -garde works. Multiple artists who represented Indonesia at the Venice Biennale have exhibited their works at Gaya Artspace like Made Wianta, Krisna Murti and Dadang Christanto.
Bali is well-known for its beauty and great for the mind, body and soul. The creativity, friendliness and open mindedness of the people, the beautiful beaches, scenic mountains, rice paddy fields and the stunning sunsets are some of the many reasons why designers find Bali appealing. And Ubud, being the cultural center of Bali will be the perfect place for the sharing and learning of new cultures, as well as the recharging of creative energies.
About the speakers
Made Wijaya was born Michael White in Sydney, Australia. He has created more than 600 gardens, including legendary works for hospitality icons like Bali Oberoi, Bali Hyatt, Amandari Resort and the recent luxurious Bvlgari Resort, to name a few. He is a recognized authority on tropical gardens and South East Asian architecture, as well as a passionate writer who brings the concept of tropical gardens to the world. He has published numerous books, among them: The Best of Stranger in Paradise 1996 – 2008; Balinese Architecture: Towards an Encyclopaedia; Tropical Garden Design; At Home in Bali; Modern Tropical Garden Design; and Architecture of Bali – A Source Book of Traditional and Modern Forms. He also contributed to Tropical Asian Style and was the main author of a pocket guidebook to Bali.
Australian Richard Hassell and Singaporean Wong Mun Summ are the founders of multiple award-winning Singapore-based architecture firm WOHA. Coming from different background and culture, the partners have been awarded with the prestigious Aga-khan award for Architecture. In their recent award-winning Balinese project Alila Villas Uluwatu, they have re-created their version of Bali, artfully interpreting traditional Balinese elements with modern aesthetic and eco-design.
John Hardy is a designer and artist who has built a jewelry empire under the John Hardy brand name. John arrived in Bali with only a couple of hundred dollars in his pocket in the early 70s. Noting the exquisite craftsmanship of local artisans, he combined traditional jewelry making techniques that goes back thousands of years with European Design, and has since then built a huge cult following for the John Hardy brand all over the world. Recently, John sold his share in pursuit of his next venture, the revolutionary Green School and the unique Bamboo construction company.
