Walkin: Walk in the forest bar, Tirtha Uluwatu. (Photo Courtesy of Ong Cen Kuang)

For lighting designer Budiman Ong, lighting is an irreplaceable piece in a room, either as a source of light or for decorative purposes.

“For me, lighting is the utmost important product in a home. Lamps can transform the mood of a room — such as bring a warm feeling to a space — something that other products cannot provide,” said the brand founder of Ong Cen Kuang, which designs and builds lighting fixtures by hand, one at a time, in its Bali studio.

Born in Kisaran, a small town situated a five-hour drive from the North Sumatra capital Medan, the youngest of five children was brought up in a closeknit Chinese community. His parents earned their living in the food industry.

Culture and heritage were practiced on a daily basis at his home — where he would fold offerings or make lanterns at different times of the year.

“This is something that I take pride in making as it has links to many good memories of celebration,” he said.

Being a lighting designer was a world away from his everyday existence.

It was during the last year of his applied art course at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, in Scotland, that he fell in love with lighting design when doing a project for his degree showcase.

”I knew right then I wanted to make more lamps and somehow be involved in the lighting world.”

His first pieces at Gray in 2001 were made of rubber.

 “I had a blast making them. The process was part of the best experiences I have had, transferring the delicate quality of papers to rubber,” he said.

He continues experimenting with different materials until today, a crucial process that allows him to play, question and develop ideas.

“To me, design is a process. I don’t always know where the idea leads me until I explore the material at hand and expand my imagination into a new light.”

From his hands, he creates original and handcrafted pieces that lets the character of the unique materials speak for themselves while fusing traditional craft with modern elements in the process.

Budiman finds himself mainly influenced by Asian culture in general, while consciously balancing the simple shapes he finds in Scandinavian design that he admires.

“So my Asian heritage fuels my inspiration and my Western education shapes my aesthetics and knowledge in design,” said the fan of Japanese designer-sculptor Isamo Noguchi’s works.

In Bali, Budiman finds many international influences but the craft is something the community still takes pride in.

“I cannot help but feel there is a red line that links me and my history to Bali,” he said.

BROKEN ELEMENTS

Since setting up the company in 2008, he has built up a strong base of customers, from private homeowners to a number of bars, resorts and restaurants, in Indonesia and abroad.

His creations have also garnered attention at prominent design fairs in Asia and Europe, with showcases in Maison&Objet Asia, Maison&Objet Paris and recently at Mozaik Indonesia in Jakarta.

Budiman said his lamps often employ “broken symmetry”, a phrase he picked up from a book about nature’s number by the late English author Iain Banks, to pique interest.

The concept highlights the human mind’s attraction to symmetry that appeals to visual sense while, on the other hand, people’s minds also like surprises and often consider imperfect symmetry to be more beautiful.

As the nature of his folding, Budiman’s lamps showcase repetition of symmetry that is often disturbed by introducing pinch or waves to break the symmetry and create dynamic piece.

He named Kelopak Pendant Lamp, his first lamp, as his most important creation as it was not only bold and different but captures the meaning of materials matters while embracing the concept of “broken symmetry” so well.

His other pieces, the zipper-fastened linen, lamps Bulat (Round) and Alur (Pattern), were shown in Paris in January this year.

The paper lantern-style Bulat, he said, is more into technique and closer to home, something he recalled making during his art class at elementary school. And the zipper happens to be a very good material that disperses light well.

“As much as I love paper, people’s appreciation toward it is not up to par. So my aim is to keep the techniques but use other material, in this case, linen instead of paper,” he explained.

His studio is not yet 10 years old, but Budiman is happy with his works.

“I still am surprised by discovery through experimentation and yearn to be constantly surprised by more materials,” he said.

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