Final Major Project (UNSW)

A project that challenges global homogenisation and invites viewers to reflect on, learn from, and embrace their cultural identities within Australia’s diverse cultural landscape.

‘Unfolded Stories’ is an immersive fabric installation that explores cultural identity, memory, and reconnection through Indonesian cultural arts: Batik Tulis — a traditional Indonesian wax-resist dyeing technique (inscribed by UNESCO in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity).

As an Indonesian-Australian designer I prioritised myself in learning Batik Tulis as this was the key to my project’s concept of reflecting on my own relationship with heritage, weaving together personal reflection and learning Indonesian history.

Each layer represents an imprint of Indonesia’s history: Disconnection, Customs, and Reconnection.

Rooted in cultural research and spiritual principles from my homeland, such as “Adat Basandi Syarak, Syarak Basandi Kitabullah” (our customs are grounded in Islamic values, and Islamic values are grounded in the Qur’an), this installation explores the relationship between cultural identity, spirituality and tradition. It invites viewers to reflect on their own stories, asking how cultural knowledge can be carried forward and given new meaning in an increasingly globalised world.

Honouring the emotional weight of tradition.