Bands: Navicula, Geekssmile, Scared of Bums, Ripper Clown (Denpasar), Morfem (JKT), Iksan Skuter (JKT)

Teater Kini Berseri, Mural Komunitas Djamur – ISI Denpasar, Painting exhibition Made Bayak.

Free Entry!

PSP’s latest project is a short documentary about Bali’s waste problems and grassroots solutions titled ‘Greening the Island of the Gods’. The first screening will be held in Bali on Sunday, January 13, 2013 at Suly Resort in Mas, Ubud. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director Rebecca Sweetman.

Greening the Island of the Gods Film Screening
Date/time: Sunday, January 13, 2013 starts at 7pm
Location: Suly Resort, Jalan Raya Desa Mas, Ubud (directions to Suly Resort)
Notes: Free entry. RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Gembull Navicula meets an orangutan

Bali based band, Navicula has launched the start of their Borneo Tour (Kalimantan) as part of their orangutan conservation campaign by holding an acoustic concert in Medan, on 24 July 2012. The event titled “Road to Borneo Tour” is aimed to raise awareness about the issues surrounding deforestation, a threat to the endangered species in Sumatera, especially in the area of Tripa peatland in Aceh.

“The concert in Medan is a warm up before we tour Kalimantan this September. During preparations for our upcoming Borneo Tour, we have heard about many pressing issues affecting Sumatera, such as the conversion of the Tripa peatland forest, which is an orangutan habitat. With the support of organizations that are concerned about these environmental issues, we are able to arrive in Sumatera, and chose Medan as the city for the main event,” said Gede Robi Supriyanto, vocalist of Navicula writing from Bukit Lawang, North Sumatera, Friday (20/7).

Robi has travelled to Bukit Lawang to trek through the Gunung Leuser National Park. His trip through the rainforest is a chance for Robi to gain more experience and understanding, to better campaign for environmental issues through music. Navicula’s Road to Borneo Tour in Medan is supported by Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL), Sumateran Orangutan Conservation Programe (SOCP), PanEco, Sawit Watch, and Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) Sumut.

The concert will be held at Rama Gardenia Cafe on July 24, and Navicula, a band active since 1996, will perform an acoustic set. The event will also include an environmental discussion focused on saving the Tripa peatland, as well as a Sumatran orangutan and tiger photo exhibition by Mata Kamera Community of Medan.

Navicula, who has consistently been advocating for environmental issues will leave for a Borneo Tour in East and Central Kalimantan this coming September. The tour is themed around the critically endangered orangutan, facing extinction as a result of deforestation and the massive expansion of palm oil plantations.

Navicula’s Borneo Tour is paid for through crowdfunding projects on Kickstarter.com and Patungan.net. On kickstarter.com, Navicula launched a project with a funding goal of US$3,000, while on Patungan.net the funding goal was Rp.5 million. Both projects have exceeded their funding goal, and the project on Kickstarter.com is still running until 29 July 2012. As compensation for supporting their project, Navicula has offered digital download of their songs, t-shirts, CDs, traditional handicrafts, private gigs, and even a ticket to join the tour in Kalimantan.

“We’re really happy our Borneo Tour crowdfunding project has succeeded in gaining the interest of people who support our mission to use music as a media for environmental campaigns. This is also an example of how independent bands can hold a tour without funding from sponsors or promoters,” added Robi.

In December 2011, Navicula released the song Orangutan as a free download under a creative commons license. Vocalist of Navicula, Gede Robi Supriyanto, wrote the song Orangutan in April 2011. The track will be included on Navicula’s 7^th album, which is still in progress. The album will also include tracks such as Harimau! Harimau! (a tale of the last Sumatran Tiger) which is dedicated for the conservation of the Sumatran Tiger, of which only 400 exist in the wild due to habitat loss.

Navicula has been performing the song Orangutan live from stage to stage, and even on a popular music program on national TV. Since this exposure, many Navicula fans have requested that the band travel to perform the song live in their cities, including requests from fans in Kalimantan. “As a band from Bali, which is far from the center of the music industry, we are proud to be able to tour Kalimantan, one of the last remaining rainforests and habitat to the critically endangered orangutan, and perform the song Orangutan live there,” says Robi.

An International Campaign

The song Orangutan has made Navicula the winners of the International band competition Planetrox. Navicula will be travelling to Quebec, Canada to perform at the Envol et Macadam Festival on the 7-8 of September. “This is one way we can raise awareness about the plight of the orangutan on an International level. Environmental problems, whether in Kalimantan, Sumatera or Antarctica are the responsibility of everyone inhabiting this planet,” says Robi.

To participate in the Planetrox Competition, Navicula submitted the music video Orangutan, which was chosen as one of the semi-finalists. The 10 semi-finalists then competed in an online voting stage, from which 5 finalists competed in a live competition held in Bandung on 7 July. The jury chose Navicula as the winners to represent Indonesia in Canada.

Besides performing in Canada, Navicula is also in the running to record in Hollywood, USA. Out of 500 videos from 43 countries, Navicula has been chosen as one of the top 10 finalists for the RØDE Rock competition. If they win the online voting stage of the competition by 31 July 2012, Navicula will be flying to Hollywood, California to record three songs at the legendary Record Plant Studios. Navicula is currently in the lead for the online voting stage.

The Bali provincial government vowed in 2010 that Bali would be free of plastic waste by 2013, yet plastic waste is piling up at the rate of 1600 tons per day, an increase of more than 200% from last year’s plastic statistics. Villages are polluted and water-ways are choked with plastic. Instead of moving forward, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

Recent media coverage is reflecting a rising tide of public opinion: the plastic waste situation in Bali is dire and dirty. On 22 April 2012, the world’s top surfer Kelly Slater slammed Bali’s dirty beaches, saying ‘the pollution was unbelievable’ and would make it ‘impossible to surf here in a few years’:

The front page of the Bali Daily also featured a photo of a giant ‘ever-expanding’ illegal dumpsite in the mangroves of Nusa Dua highlighting environmentalists’ view of the government-sponsored program as ‘ineffective.’

Of course we can’t forget Time magazines dramatic piece titled “Holiday in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”.  This negative exposure pressured the local government into investing in two large waste management machines used to clean up Kuta Beach. In addition to the environmental costs, this coverage will take its toll on Bali tourism. Yet the government is yet to respond. So what has the Bali government achieved since 2010 to make Bali plastic-free?

The Perda (Local Government Regulation) to implement the government’s 2010 vision outlined a program that would facilitate and engage communities to reduce, reuse and recycle (the 3 Rs) plastic including ‘stopping plastic at its source.’ It included plans for a task force to supervise recycling, infrastructure to collect it and technology to create fuel from plastic. In the three years to date evidence resulting from these initiatives, that focus reusing and recycling, is lagging.

So what about waste reduction? Surely ‘stopping plastic at is source ‘, rather than creating waste in the first place, would be the most effective method of tackling the waste problem. Instead the government wants to provide incentives to retailers to supply so-called degradable bags. However, promoting degradable bags will actually increase the overall amount of plastic waste as shoppers believe these bags are an environmentally-friendly option, and will not bother trying to reduce their use.

The ugly truth is that degradable bags do not fully degrade, especially in humid climates such as Indonesia. Even in environments where this type of plastic does break down successfully, bags only decompose into microfragments of plastic that remain in the environment. This is merely a cosmetic solution that has dangerous long-term consequences and costs to both human and environmental health.

Degradable bags contain high levels of heavy metals to promote degradation. These toxins are introduced into the food chain; seeping into farming land and poisoning the many animals and marine life that ingest them.

So, what can the Bali government do to make a dent in plastic waste before the 2013 deadline?  One proposed solution is to simply ban the bag. If India and China, the world’s largest emerging consumer nations, can do it then so can Bali.

Last year the idea of a bag ban gained some momentum in Bali via the Responsible Retailer Roundtable, a coalition of government, retailers and green groups. Retailers were willing to comply with the ban as long as the government enforced it. However, the idea was dead in the water when the government took no action to implement the ban.

Banning the bag is an obvious first step in addressing Bali’s garbage problem, but such a sweeping measure requires strong government commitment to enforce it along with widespread public support. At this point in time, the Balinese Government has neither.  Rather, it has an island of 3.5 million inhabitants who have become dependent on single-use plastic bags, and who expect the government to make the garbage disappear.

This state of affairs requires an integrated policy to support a progressive phase-out of single use plastic bags. Such a policy might include an initial bag tax, strictly enforced regulations and fines for illegal dumping as well as increased public education about the obvious need to clean up Bali.

Single-use plastic bags are the #1 consumer item in the world. They are used often for only minutes, but can pollute the environment for over 1000 years.

Bali Cantik Tanpa Plastik campaigns for a plastic free Bali through education and art. One of their efforts is to release the song “Tolak Tas Kresek” (refuse plastic bags) written and recorded by Navicula frontman, Gede Robi Supriyanto (Robi Navicula). The song is available for free download below, and is free for use in efforts to support a plastic free Bali. Download “Tolak Tas Kresek” here:

Name one song with an environmental message. There are a lot. Even one of Indonesia’s national music magazine’s (printed on paper from trees, of course) released one story covering 100 environmental songs in commemoration of Earth Day.

But what does the planet really need now, while facing degradation and destruction? A group of so called artists singing about nature, like the sounds of people celebrating in the desert?

Musicians who wish to touch our hearts and minds need to put in more effort than creating and producing songs, then performing them on stage. Especially in the context of fighting for our environment. Especially remembering our intense social media fever, where people feel accomplished just for being hashtag activists: then keep tweeting about an issue, but that’s all they do. While environmental degradation continues to systematically destroy our environment.

Last year saving orangutans was a popular topic. The hashtag #SaveOrangutans was used often on twitter. The trigger was the shocking news from a number of palm oil plantations in Kalimantan. They were promising a certain amount of money to workers who could kill and bring in orangutans, which are considered pests to the palm oil trees. How cruel. But the reality is that palm oil is considered more important as global resource than the continued existence of this large red ape which shares 97% of the same DNA as humans.

In December of 2011, Navicula released the song Orangutan as free online download. Other musicians, such as Shaggydog have also written songs about the critically endangered Orangutan. Robi Navicula – who has a twitter account, though rarely uses it – wrote the song Orangutan in April 2011. The song was written Navicula’s 7^th album which is in negotiations to be released in the United States. Besides the song Orangutan, this album also has songs like Harimau! Harimau! which is dedicated to the conservation of the remaining 400 Sumatran tigers, which are facing extinction due to habitat loss.

Navicula has been performing the song Orangutan live from stage to stage, and even on national TV stations. Since releasing the track, many fans have asked that Navicula come and tour in their city, especially in Kalimantan. Navicula hopes to bring this song live to Kalimantan, the last tropical rainforest on earth and habitat to the critically endangered orangutan.

Navicula may be considered ‘legendary’ and accomplished, their fan base is grassroots and dedicated, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are financially successful. Planning an independent tour to Kalimantan may be more difficult for Navicula than recording a popular song. Seeking standard concert sponsor and promoters to fund a tour to Kalimantan may not be the right route for Navicula as they are not an ideal band for cigarette brands wanting to make bring in money through concert promotion.

Financial concerns have been the main factor preventing Navicula from touring Kalimantan. But there is still potential to fund the tour through Kickstarter.com, a platform for crowdfunding creative projects. Crowdfunding is a business phenomenon in the current economic recession which the United States is still recovering from and the bankruptcy of economies such as Greece. Massalution, a research firm dedicated to crowdfunding and crowdsourcing released their Crowdfunding Industry Report earlier this month. The firm collected data from over 170 (38 percent of the total) crowdfunding platforms.

Massalution discovered that throughout 2011, crowdfunding platforms have raised over 1.5 billion US dollars to fund around 1 million projects. These numbers are astounding. But before you start thinking about how much money your going to raise, you should know that not everyone can make a project that is interesting enough to get lots of people wanting to support it. All submitted projects also have to pass through a selection process, and be approved by the portal administrators. Navicula’s project, a Borneo Orangutan tour, has been approved by Kickstarter.com.

Navicula’s project will raise funds to tour East and Central Kalimantan through the target funding of 3000 US dollars, which needs to be raised within 45 days. As compensation for backers, Navicula is offering free song downloads, t-sirts, CDs, Kalimantan handicrafts, private home performances, and even an offer to join them on tour to Kalimantan.

Navicula is the first musician or band from Indonesia who has launched a project on Kickstarter. There have been a few projects on Kickstarter about Indonesian musicians, but the projects were actually by foreigners, not by the musicians themselves. For example a documentary film about one of Indonesia’s most influential punk collectives launched a Kickstarter project with a target goal of US$ 16,000 to be reached within 45 days, and successfully raised US$ 16,450. This project was a collaborative between 3 filmmakers hailing from America, China and Malaysia.

Kickstarter backers must have a US credit card. Of course, these makes it difficult for people in Indonesia to be involved in Kickstarter. Because of this, Navicula has launched a supporting project through Patungan.net, with a funding goal of 5 million rupiah.

And as if there is just not enough you can do for our red ape friends, Navicula has also chosen the song Orangutan to represent them in the International band competition Planetrox. The winning band will be invited to perform at Envol et Macadam in Quebec, Canada. Voting will continue until June 24^th, and 5 finalists will be selected to compete live in front of a jury in Bandung on July 8^th.

Navicula is the only one of the 10 finalists to submit a song in Indonesian. Other Indonesian bands may feel more confident submitting an English track to an International band competition, but Navicula feels their songs in their mother tongue are strong enough as is: Orangutan. It’s in the message, not the language.

Navicula invites you to join their acoustic show and launching of the Borneo Tour:
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Starts at 18.00
At Café Tjikini Jl Cikini Raya no 17 Jakarta Pusat
Performance by: Navicula, Adrian Adioetomo, Balian

For those of you dedicated to discovering cutting edge bands from Indonesia, the name Kaimsasikun should be familiar. This alternative pop band from Bali was formed in 1999, and after releasing their first single the video clip even charted on national TV stations. This single titled “Pria Dijajah Wanita” (Man Conquered by Woman) from their first album is often the only reminder of how Kaimsasikun was. Of course, I still think they had many songs that are much more interesting, but of course the pop track was released as their single.

Kaimasasikun was based out of Jakarta for a while, the whole band, but they didn’t find their hopes and dreams there. Mainly due to a lack of promotion and the fact that at the time the Indonesian public wasn’t ready for music and style, which was on the geeky side. It’s a shame for a band of their quality in the studio and live.

As a result, Kaimsasikun went on hiatus for a few years. Some of the members moved back to Bali and some stayed in Jakarta. But none of them stopped playing music. Ian (vocals, guitar) opened a recording studio and has since written a few hit songs which have been popularized by national pop stars. Sani (bass) has also been successfully writing  songs for mainstream pop artists. Pandu (guitar) has also been busy in the mainstream music industry; you can often find him performing with top music celebrities or working as a session player at Palu Studio in Jakarta, one of Indonesia’s top musical ‘hit factories’.

Their first drummer, Rendra, formed a new band, but still like to hang out with members of Kaimsasikun. They replaced Rendra with Mark, who two years ago left to Australia to learn to fly, literally, he is now a certified pilot. As coincidence would have it, the bands first logo was actually an illustration of an airplane, so Mark has taken their plane obsession into real life. Since Mark has been away, Rendra started recording drums with Kaimsasikun again.

Only one member of the band, Aldino, left the music scene completely. He is now focused on surfing and running his successful family business. Lately he has also been involved in creating videos and even did one music video for Kaimsasikun. There is no such thing as an ex-musician, there will always be some longing to make music again. So now Aldino is committed to be involved in Kaimsasikun’s unique new concept.

Euforia, ku hampa – Zat Kimia from Aldino Tayeb on Vimeo.

They continue to create. As a band, Kaimsasikun’s songs are innovative, exploring each member’s taste, skill and abilities.

Kaimsasikun is committed to release a new song on the eleventh of every month. Their songs can be streamed for free through the band’s Soundcloud account.

Half of the band is in Jakarta and half in Bali, but distance is not an issue for a band willing to utilize the Internet and digital recording technology to communicate. Producing songs, creativity and their love for music will not be hindered by the uncertainty of the music industry in Indonesia.

At this time, the music industry in Indonesia is out of ideas of what to sell, since RBT (ring back tone) sales have dropped. However, musicians following their ideals can be smart, follow the industry and continue to survive, and will shine all the brighter if they have the ability to put on a great live performance. These simple speculations are common conversation over coffee for non-mainstream musicians, the strange thing is they never bore of talking about it. Maybe the idea of ‘hope’ gives them some comfort and amusement.

Kaimsasikun has it all; talent, time and facilities. What more are they waiting fore? They know their music has to be released. And they don’t care if it’s not what the market wants, more importantly they enjoy the process of creating songs and the urgency of releasing those songs.

Kaimsasikun doesn’t have a clear reason for releasing songs on the eleventh of every month. But imagine, in a year they will already have enough material to release a full-length album. This method is clever, instead of rushing into the scene again and announcing their band is back together, they are patiently sharpening their intuition in producing songs. While building excitement and passion for long-time fans, such as myself.

There is a unique surprise for you to enjoy every 11^th, the same as the meaning of their band name. Kaimsasikun means 11.

Berkumpul, bermain, memanfaatkan barang bekas di taman. Mewujudkan imajinasi tentang sebuah kota.

Kardus-kardus dan kotak-kotak bekas makanan bisa ikut tampil dalam sebuah panggung taman hijau. Mereka memperkenalkan diri sebagai sebuah kota yang padat. Kota dalam taman.

Lalu bagaimana jika robot, monster, dan berbagai mainan ikut hadir? Entahlah.
Tapi yang pasti sebuah cerita dan peristiwa bisa terjadi.

Kegiatan ini bertolak dari ide yang sederhana. Errik Irwan Wibowo, seorang arsitek muda, saat sedang bercengkerama di Lapangan Puputan Renon melihat kardus-kardus dan kotak makanan yang mau dibuang. “Rasanya sayang betul. Lalu tiba-tiba saja muncul imajinasi seolah yang saya pandangi bukanlah dus-dus dan kotak-kotak tak berguna, tapi tumpukan bangunan,” kata Errik.

Errik mengatakan ada banyak benda terbuang lain yang masih bisa diberi kesempatan tampil di taman. Mereka didandani layaknya bangunan yang gemar bersolek. “Menarik juga kalau orang-orang tak dikenal, yang malu-malu tapi ikut terlibat mendandani dus-dus dan kotak itu,” kata Errik.

Kegiatan ini merupakan pengembangan dari apa yang terjadi pada Minggu (29/4) sore lalu di Lapangan Renon. Errik dan kawan-kawannya mengumpulkan sejumlah barang bekas dan semua orang diajak merespons barang-barang yang disajikan: tusuk sate, robot, piring kertas. Beberapa orang menggunakan cat air di atas lembaran kertas.

Semuanya terjadi tanpa penulis cerita dan sutradara. Entah apa skenarionya, tak jadi soal. Tanpa komando, orang merayakan ruang (dan waktu) terbuka. Merasakan jadi manusia yang manusiawi di kota. “Pasti sesuatu akan terjadi dan kita tinggal mengikuti,” kata Errik.

Errik dan kawan-kawan merencanakan aktivitas kedua, Minggu sore berikutnya di Lapangan Renon. Bagi partisipan diharapkan membawa bahan-bahan yang bisa digunakan untuk meramaikan suasana. “Bisa bawa dus-dus, boleh cat air, kertas lipat, alat musik, camilan, kamera, mainan, apa saja. Bagus juga kalau barang-barang tak terduga yang baru ditemukan di sekitar itu bisa ikut digunakan” kata ia.

Menurut Errik dalam kegiatan ini setiap orang akan merespons dengan caranya masing-masing. Mungkin akan ada yang bermusik, menari, bermain, atau membuat instalasi. “Silakan untuk menggambar atau menggunakan cat air di media kotak, lalu menata atau menempatkan. Ini seperti bermain dalam arsitektur atau susun massa,” kata Errik yang komik-komiknya sering menghiasi halaman akarumput.

Kota-kotaan dari kardus ini adalah sebuah peristiwa yang dibangun. “Harapannya akan ada orang-orang penasaran yang akhirnya kenalan, terlibat dan ikut berkreasi. Untuk yang sudah kenal bisa lebih akrab lagi. Selama proses itu bisa terjadi diskusi-diskusi menarik pula. Setidaknya ada hal aneh baru yang terjadi di lapangan itu. Kira-kira selesai ketika matahari menghilang,” kata Errik.

Sebuah ajakan yang menggoda. Mari rayakan kota dalam taman.
Waktu: Minggu, 6 Mei 2012 mulai pukul 15 WITA
Tempat: Lapangan Puputan Niti Mandala Renon. Berkumpul di Circle K depan Museum.
*Bawalah kardus bekas yang bisa diolah

Nafka – 2nd chance to be Better
Talks and responsible lifestyle products presentation

Sunday 22 April 2012 | 2-4pm
at Little Tree Green Building Center
Jl. Sunset Road No. 112x, Kuta – Bali

Presentation and discussion sessions:
1. Responsible lifestyle product ideas by NAFKA | Ayip
2. Financing creative and good projects by Patungan.net | Enrico Halim
3. The making of Wisnu Open Space | Made Suarnatha

Ecological Sustainability Solutions Week at Little Tree Bali
Date: April 16-22, 2012
Address: Jl. Sunset Road 112x, Kuta, Bali
Free entry!

Monday – April 16, 2012
14:00-15:00 – “Indonesia goes organic” presentation by Darsih
16:00-17:00 – “Waste management” presentation Paola (EcoBali)
17:00-18:00 – “Bali Urban Farming (BUF)” presentation by Akarumput

Tuesday – April 17, 2012
13:00-14:30 – Expert Discussion group about Energy
15:00-16:30 – Expert Discussion group about Water
17:00-18:30 – Expert Discussion group about Waste

Wednesday – April 18, 2012
13:00-14:00 – Sustainability in Architecture by Charlie Hearn
14:00-15:00 – Sustainability in Construction by Marcus Bishop
15:00-17:00 – Complementary Currency Systems, dealing with problems in times of monetary crisis
17:00-18:00 – Waste composting by Rodney

Thursday – April 19, 2012
9:00-12:00 – Towards a Sustainable Hospitality Industry
15:00-17:00 – WIKA presentations
17:00-18:00 – CLEAR (Comfortable Low Energy Architecture) presentation

Friday – April 20, 2012
9:00-12:00  – Towards a Sustainable Hospitality Industry
13:00-14:00 – Options of sewage treatment in urban development by Florence Gattin
14:00-15:00 – Big projects as agents of community development by Agus Mantik
15:00-17:00 – WIKA presentations
17:00-18:00 – Permaculture projects
18:00-19:00 – 1000 Billionaires wanted by Alan Bywaters

Saturday – April 21, 2012
10:00-18:00 – Creativity Innovation Workshop by ROLE Eco Learning Center

Sunday – April 22, 2012
9:00-12:00 – Mangrove planting for Earth Day
14:00-18:00 – Responsible Lifestyle Ideas by NAFKA

A designer’s job is to make sure that the model can be converted into a working prototype – a blue print for the manufacturer. However, it is in our nature to measure individuality. Since the 1980s designers have been injecting unique identity “chromosomes” into their products on an industry scale.

High-income earners – which are the industry target – fill the empty space of boredom in their lives by shopping. But possessing the exact same product as everyone else only creates a new kind of boredom. The era of uniform consumerism has ended. Mass products are now being challenged by truly individual designs. Yes, it’s pseudo individualism.

During the 1980s, the concern for environmental damage was no longer exclusive to environmentalists. The call to stop deforestation, environmental pollution, and the green house effect entered into popular culture. Terms such as Eco, Green, and Global Warming were often used, while at the same time the importance of the 3Rs (Reuse – Reduce – Recycle) became ever more apparent.

Recycling can sometimes be too expensive and requires a lot of energy. Which is why some people turn to upcycling, which means converting waste or unused materials into something useful, like the products developed by Freitag. In Bali, Nafka initiated a laboratory for creative designers focused on developing responsible lifestyle products. In June 2011, Nafka showed their first exhibit in Denpasar titled Wonderground. Nafka will once again be showing the creations of their designers at the Ecologically Sustainable Solutions Week on April 16–22, 2012 at Little Tree in Kuta, Bali.

To create designs out of used materials, Nafka designers focus on planning the shapes. Through the process, the used materials can offer unexpected visual surprises. It’s as if looking at a montage or photo collage by artists from the Dadaism era on products such as bags, sofas, room partitions and lamp shades, all made from reclaimed waste or used plastic wrappers. Cut up images, numbers or letters, a build up of colors.

Nafka products seem to fuse the line between art and craft in the shape of everyday accessories. Visually they are attractive. Nafka products are a refreshing surprise in the droll of everyday standard mass-produced products. Nafka products are truly one-of-a-kind.

The products may represent individual expression. But the production process is fueled by a passion for community movement and empowerment. Nafka outsources its production to local handicraft community groups. Handicraft producers, much like other traditional production workers, are marginalized in today’s modern economic distribution routes.

In modern sales systems, the middleman marketing the products can be a necessity. When the producer and consumer are too far apart and there is no access between them, the role of the marketer grows ever larger. The role of the middleman in sales is to dictate the price to maximize profits. The producer has little power to sell at a higher, or more profitable price.

This inequality in the marketing stage is only beneficial to the seller and too often exploits the producer. In Bali, these symptoms have long been visible in the industry, for example in the sales of art or crafts. Art shops in Bali have a very high profit margin, sometimes as high as 60 percent on the handicraft products they sell. By the time they are sold, these handicrafts can be expensive, but the amount the producers receive is too far below the selling price.

The partnerships Nafka builds with local handicraft producers follow fair trade standards. In this way they are supporting sustainability, not only the environmental aspects, but also the social aspects.

It takes hard work to follow the principles of fair trade while also successfully conducting business. To make sure the products are not just salable because they are “fair trade” and pulling on heart strings, but because they are of high quality.

If upcycling has it’s own attraction for consumers, could upcycle product hold special economic value? Anyone can take unused material around them and transform it into something new and useful. So, is there still a market for Nafka products? Here the idea of branding comes into play. A product will not just be valued in a utilitarian perspective or at face-value use. Urban residents want to communicate and declare their individuality in the midst of their lonely disoriented lives. Brands provide this.

Brands become a tool for interaction, a celebration of togetherness, even without having to communicate it. A brand is a message in itself.