4 years ago this time, I made one of the most memorable trip in my life. A trip to Mount Bromo and Ijen in Surubaya, Indonesia.
It was a 4 days 3 nights long trip with some of my favourite people. As they have made the planning and bookings, all I did was to just follow suit and unsure about the greatest adventure that was about to unfold. It was deemed an adventure for multiple reasons, not just the fact that we are going to climb a volcano; there were the early wee hours breakfast at the airport, the 8 hours bus ride to the destination from the surubaya airport, the games, the silly remarks along the trip, the very bad conditioned hotels stayed, the exploration of native Indonesian cuisine, the beauty of the dusks and dawns, the hike itself, the harshness of the cold up the mountain, the sight of “the blue lava”, the pungent sulphur smell, the donkey / motorbike / jeep rides, the waterfall, the fall I had, the number of gadgets brought along and lastly more importantly, the company, joy, fun and laughter.
Some years have passed, many things have changed. But the feeling of those memories remains pure and constant. I love mountain climbing and is always excited about the unknown, the uncertainties that each journey would offer. Every trip I’ve made so far, usually includes a mountain climb or at least a hike. Yes, even when I have brought on several luggages for fashion tradeshows overseas. Packing for a couple of days out in nature is a standard practice.
This particular trip, I was captivated by the textures observed of earth’s natural formations. There were these intricate details in those surfaces, cracks and folds. Just like how we appreciate the texture of the fabric used for our clothings, these textures were probing me to make something out of them. Initially, all we knew was to turn the images taken into print that can maybe help to beautify a wall. Then some years later, who would have thought that these archives could resurface to provide inspiration to a whole new project.
Since two years ago, we have been working with more local artists, makers and producers to develop more product range thats locally made for the store. While learning more about pottery and how different makers can have distinctly unique styles, we chance upon one and with the right materials, we would be able to achieve the textural effects of what I have imagined from my little adventure.
The past becomes a texture, an ambience to our present - Paul Scott
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