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Lighting designer Budiman Ong dares to mix unexpected materials
Indonesian lighting designer Budiman Ong likes to push conventional boundaries as he continues to make a name for himself on the global stage.
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The Alur collection by Ong Cen Kuang Designs. Budiman Ong, founder and designer behind Ong Cen Kuang, said he likes to combine unexpected materials in his pieces. (www.facebook.com/ongcenkuang//File)
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ndonesian lighting designer Budiman Ong likes to push conventional boundaries as he continues to make a name for himself on the global stage.
Budiman, founder and designer behind Ong Cen Kuang, said he liked to combine unexpected materials in his pieces. Established in 2008, the company has, since the beginning, been driven by a material-based principle in creating original, handcrafted lighting fixtures.
Local and international industry players have come to recognize the company through its signature product: a lighting fixture made of zipper material.
A post shared by Ong Cen Kuang Designs (@ongcenkuang) on
Budiman continues to experiment with different elements to create unique pieces, as he continues to fuse traditional craft with modern elements in his designs.
"I'm a rebel. I like to challenge people. Everybody told me that wood and metal didn't work together, but I think it does," Budiman told The Jakarta Post after speaking at the Index Mozaik Indonesia 2017 Expo in Jakarta on Friday.
Budiman has found that metal is easy to maintain in comparison to fabric, which the company continues to use despite his admitting it's a more challenging material to take care of. Further, he said he mostly preferred to use a material as it is, leaving it bare without a polish.
"I don't like to add color or put a finishing, additional layer. So it's a bit naked in a way," Budiman said.
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All designs are made in Indonesia and exported abroad, with the company recently having established a representative in Paris, and signing up a distributor in Los Angeles, the United States.
Budiman urges Indonesians to support locally made products, calling for a need to raise awareness of the many locally based designers who are creating quality products.
The lighting industry in Indonesia holds great potential, he said, however, appreciation of locally made lights is still low.
"Many people think products made overseas are much better. It's not necessarily so," Budiman said.
Trained at the Gray's School of Art, Robert Gordon University in Scotland, he returned to Indonesia to work in jewelry design before establishing his own company in Bali.
Through Ong Cen Kuang, the 41-year-old designer has also worked closely together with hotels and commercial spaces across the country. Among others, Budiman has established an almost decade-long collaboration with Tirtha Uluwatu, an upscale wedding venue in Bali. (kes)
