Designing Possible Future in The Uncertainty

Alright, I know how hard it is to explain my own project. Even to explain it as quick as 3 minutes elevator pitch. Not only to communicate it in English but also in Indonesian. Therefore, I spent my weekend to literate myself and redefining my research question after I did 3 tutorials in a row with Zuleika, Richie and Roger last week.

But now I am going to make it longer here (I HAVE TO).

Who Am I?

During an annotated bibliography session with Zuleika, I shared my frustration about how to position myself within this project. Who am I to galvanize a community to create change? Even after conducting my first intervention with the people in Cipadu last month, I still feel a significant gap between myself, the community’s overall needs, and my proposed ideas.

I asked myself several times: “what is my superpower?”

Zuleika suggested that I shall deepen my understanding of grassroots practice and connection, and recommended me to read Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown to gain more insight into grassroots movements.

The book turned out to be deeply inspiring, expanding my perspective on enabling and mobilizing grassroots change. Brown’s work draws heavily on empirical insights and diverse research, with particular influence from Octavia Butler. Butler serves as Brown’s multifaceted inspiration for Emergent Strategy, profoundly shaping her views on change, leadership, and the role of imagination in creating a more just and liberated world.

The book revolves around Butler’s famous words: “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you.” This quote drives the book’s core philosophy, planning through an emergent strategy rooted in the belief that transform yourself, transform the world.

The author focuses on how massive the wicked problems in the world, and we are just a tiny piece that makes up this world. Thus, we have to transform with our own capacity. A small ripple might create a big wave if it is constantly being moved. This also aligns with DelSasto’s idea in Design and Social Imagination (2022), that a change begins from one passionate person who has a goal in transforming the future. However, these ideas from two amazing authors did not validate my frustration on how can I step in to a neighbourhood that caught in a circle of wicked problems like Cipadu, if I only a who I am as a citizen, who works as an advertiser, design studio owner, a woman and never have I ever lead an entire community.

However, I did get snapped out of it. Twice.

Or maybe three times.

With Zuleika’s closing in our final session: “Well, you know exactly what to do, if you are an advertiser.”

Slapped.

And when I talked with Andi Qodir, a creative director of Karasa BDG who initiated Graphic Design Village in Gempolsari, Bandung, West Java. He said, some changes come from within. That is why he was able to create a new community within the society using his own superpower: graphic design.

I will elaborate more on my interview with Kang Kodir on the next blog report.

And lastly, is when I have group learning discussion at the CSM with my girls; Meaghan and Goldaneh.

After I showed them my research, they told me I was almost forgotten to give agency and authority about my project. When I might already know who am I and what am I capable of. I was too focused on searching my superpower, when it is already there–facilitating people to share their story.

Therefore, I am Sasha, a creative strategist who have been working as a strategist and advertiser for almost 5 years, an Indonesian, an Asian, a Muslim, a sci-fi fan, and currently interested in design for social innovation. And I know I can help people communicating their story, and enhance them with a tailored storytelling.

Who Am I Talking To?

But who is this project for?

When I explain my recent findings and my presentation to both Richie and Roger, I got an input to give more context towards my communication so that I can communicate it with my targeted audience effectively and efficiently.

Roger specifically gave his direct feedback on my presentation, which are:

• You should carefully consider the context and audience for each piece of communication you create. Especially, the relationship between visuals and text when you’re speaking or presenting. This often means creating two or three different versions of your PowerPoint, depending on the situation and who you’re presenting to. (Don’t forget to keep your original version as part of your research documentation.)

• For your written report, the audience may be less varied, but it’s still important to pay attention to the tone, formality, and voice of your writing based on who is likely to read it.

• As for your Learning Log or Blog, you may not have a clearly defined audience, but it’s important to remain authentic—while still aligning with the academic or professional fields you’re engaging with.

So from all of these feedbacks, it is clearly I have to put myself on different positioning when I talk with different stakeholders within my database. Thus, I try to map out my stakeholder radar into this image:

Most of the core target audience are apparently falls into grassroot to marginalized community. As subsequence to this, I need to make the presentation that can deliver a residual communication, based on what Richie said, so it will a meaningful impact for the people at the core and the ring 1 of my stakeholder.

Moreover, this is the latest picture of the neighbourhood on 14 August 2025. The huge rain was pouring excessively until it flooded the entire neighbourhood. Pak Ade, the village leader, told me the flood height is up until an adult’s belly length. This tragedy torn my heart apart, because apparently the flood came from its nearby area that has higher sea level than the area in Cipadu.

Their situation, location and condition are highly vulnerable. I realized that having a serious conversation at this point of time might not be really helpful for them. I believe it will be better if I can facilitate a co-design discussion that could spark an imaginative yet casual approach for them.

As Imaginative as Possible

And as critical as possible.

Because when I am spiralling, Richie told me that “sometimes the gap is found in your critical thinking”. It is also important to give your ideas a perspective, so I will found the most important matters when I am being critical over it.

Then instead of thinking of what this project could be in the future, I landed myself in the present time to think what I can do NOW!

So I read,

I write,

I read

and I map out.

If imagination does not come naturally, because it requires sensibility and understanding to enhanced imagining experience, which later can stimulate idea of possibilities (DelSesto, 2022). But how would I be able to facilitate people to nurture their radical ideas to improvise the way they live in the neighborhood?

Well, not until Goldaneh’s notification popped out on my phone.

She sent me the article about worldbuilding that might be relevant to my project. The article already hooked my attention with its abstract begins with “We will look at Worldbuilding as a methodology, as a tool able to define our future, a tool where the only limit is the one, we fix, a tool able to scale” (Grenier, 2022) which is fascinating because I thought that worldbuilding is for gaming. But then I realized, this is related to what Richie told me about scenario based experience, and my initial idea on making an Imaginarium for social innovation.

Thus, I probably will be able to develop a “Future Neighbourhood” based on speculated future from social realities, to spark hope in people.

AND I finally come up with an idea for my next intervention. Co-design the world that people want based on multimodality experience using zine-making. Zine-making is a universal medium for people to make art, and everyone is welcome! I am trying to take an action on this with Indonesian Collective in London called ‘London Bergerak’ to initiate an event as shown below:

For further information, check out the Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNQRAZUslwn/?img_index=1

SO YEAAH

Let’s see whether an Imaginarium based on worldbuilding and design for social innovation does really work as an emergent to make people contribute in building their vulnerable neighbourhood.

The event will be held on August 16th 2025! See ya lateer~

Bibliography:

DelSesto, M. (2022) Design and the social imagination. London ; New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts (Designing in Dark Times).

Brown, A.M. (2017) Emergent strategy: shaping change, changing worlds. Chico: AK Press.

Grenier, A. (2022) ‘Worldbuilding as a translation and manifestation of future realities’.

I went to Are You Mad workshop on July 22nd 2025 at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross for a Paper Making from fabric waste workshop, and it was so amazing yet I found it very relaxing.

Are You Mad is collaborating with a fabric waste recycling organization called Fibrelab based in East London, who actively collecting fabric materials from all over the place and turned them into various renewed products, including paper pulp materials.

Generally, the selected waste fabrics are using organic fabrics such as cotton and denim because they are easier to be recycled rather than any other inorganic materials like polyester. Regardless most of the clothes are mainly using organic fabrics, there is still a mystery on how to recycle or giving a second chance to any inorganic materials. So if I want to implement this pulp-making from waste fabric in Cipadu, I will still another ways to take action on the inorganic fabric materials that might also clog up in the sewers of Cipadu.

The process of pulp-making is typically easy, in my opinion, for everyone. You just need a waste of patchworks or fabric scrap, proper blender to blend all of the scrap, papermaking mould from wooden frame and mesh, huge containers for the pulp, cloth canvas, towel and sun!

If you are low in motoric, you may find dipping your hand with the mesh a little bit disgusting. But, it was just a beginning because I am not used with clogged sink in the kitchen as well. Moving forward, the decorating the paper was the most interesting part! I’ve got to experimenting different color of the pulp and combine them into a new type of color. I was also capable to decorate each of the papers using the remaining scraps and other materials.

This might not be my best result, but I enjoy the process very much. I might want to do this again later. And I thought, this might also can be a great activity to do to recycle the unwanted scraps from Cipadu’s textile industry.

However, I still need a lot to learn on how to turn waste into artistic piece, or maybe another product. Thus, I think I might be going to explore further on what are the ways I can recycle for fun!

Update 8 October 2025

I think this was my effort to answer their problem on my own design, rather than through theirs. Eventhough I did not continue to “find the solution” by finding what ‘how’ that works better for them, now I realize it is better to do systematic thinking collectively. So we are all liberated to choose our own way to find a better way to live in such wicked condition.

For my second intervention, I am going to test a new method on how can creative self-confidence can influence collective imagination. In a book called Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility, there is a question that intrigued me: how can a heterogeneous society develop shared values and yet encouraged cultural diversity and personal freedom? At some senses, finding similar voices or shared values can be a struggle for a people in a multicultural environment such as metropolitan cities. Also, the rapid urbanization makes daily struggles among citizens becoming more complex and unexplainable, making people choose to tolerate rather than taking action about it. The failure to imagine differently is a result from a profound alienation which has been heavily conditioned by institutions (DelSasto, 2022).

The triggers often coming from the sense of powerlessness especially for the vulnerable or the marginalized groups, just like the people in urban villages. According to the first online intervention with Cipadu citizen, they were satisfied for having a forum where they were facilitated to share their ideas and mapping their thoughts about their neighbourhood. The quality of the conversation enabled them to identify key interconnected issues—social, economic, and environmental—that they had sensed but previously lacked evidence to speculate. Through the co-design discussion, they were finally able to engage in a meaningful dialogue that led to the development of well-formed, collective ideas.

In fact, this proven the sociological imagination as introduced by C. Wright Mills, linking the complex issue that is currently happening in the present with history and personal background. Annotated from National University Blog, Mills believed that finding a balance between systems and the individuals within them was essential to understanding their dynamic relationship, as well as the social structures that arise from conflicts between different groups. An individual issue might link with others, and it can be a solid evident on how systemic issue might trouble a society, thus connection and quality discussion should be taken place.

Lesson from Gotong Royong

Regardless Indonesia is often known for their comraderies or mutual assistance or gotong royong collective imagination seemed to be hardly woven into a tool for problem enquiry. This also evoked from the people in Cipadu from the previous workshop, they appreciated the sense of gotong royong among the neighborhood as their spirit in the urban village. But apparently, gotong royong does not cater the collective imagination that happened to be important human capital for the betterment. Social Imagination should be a method in building a quality conversation and interaction, using people’s daily experience (or we can say autoethnography) that can turn into actionable future solution. Social imagination bridge the gap with design and social sciences, planning with reflective, to actively explore the wicked problems using collective mode of thoughts (DelSasto, 2022).

One of the answers on the Padlet, showing how they actually wanted to be seen and heard by the province level government official. This can give indication that people want to be heard and to be given the attention immediately. However, in a midst of complex modern problem requires radical innovation that sparked from bottom-up (Manzini, 2015). This finding makes me want to explore Design as Social Innovation.

This term was also introduced by Ezio Manzini as Design as Social Innovation, where multiplicity of actors, experts and non-experts, interact to co-design the innovation for change or initiative. When everybody design or involved in designing process, it will give more agency to the people in the urban village by becoming their own changemaker and curators of their own area.

This reflection made me mapping out my idea into Theory of Change framework, with focus on several goals reflected from the citizen inquiries:

• Make the aspiration heard by giving people agency to become the changemaker of their own area.
• Build a resilient, creative urban village.
• Make gotong royong as the DNA of the community that can trigger social innovation.

From that idea, I managed to iterate a new framework for the next workshop or intervention, by focusing on self and how it can be reflected to others in order to elevate potential in the urban camaraderie.

Phase 1: Identify the Friends and the Villains

“Villain & Friend Mapping with STEEP” (Individual/Small Group)

Based on the “Memory Maps,” participants identify specific “Friends” and “Villains.” Crucially, for each “Villain,” they also assign a this indentification method can be varied, from curating experiences by 5 senses and also STEEP category (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political). 

Phase 2: Acknowledge your Superpowers

“Hero Within: Discovering Your Superpower” Introduce the concept of citizen superpowers. Provide “Superpower Cards Prompts” (e.g., The Connector, The Storyteller, The Innovator, The Guardian). The superpower will be given using a quick “superpower test”.
In addition, each person will be given a “shield” with a symbol for their superpower and a short “superhero name,” stating how their superpower can help the village.

Phase 3: Assembling The Heroes League

Group participants into diverse “Heroes Leagues” (4-6 people), ensuring a mix of identified “superpower archetypes” within each team. This enables a balanced and inclusive debate. As a whole group, or within teams followed by a plenary sharing, collectively prioritize the top 2 most pressing “villains” from that the “Heroes Leagues” will focus on for their missions.

Phase 4: Mission & Imaginarium Activation

“Superpower Synergy for a Regenerative Future”: This is the core imagination activation. Teams brainstorm (and document in their zine) how their combined “superpowers” can overcome the “villain.” They visualize and describe what a truly regenerative future would look like once this “villain” is defeated, focusing on vibrant aspirations.

Phase 5: Collective & Cross-Pollination

This process is using world’s cafe method, using “host” and “visitor” role play to rotate through other teams’ stations in timed rounds. Visiting teams learn about the “villain” and the imaginative solutions from the host team, offering their own insights, questions, and building upon the ideas. They can add notes or sketches to the zine/station’s evolving content.

Phase 6: Discussion!

This is the phase where every groups share their opinion and how they collaborate to explore their common “enemies” all together.

This method of participatory discussion will be first implemented with fellow Indonesian diasporas in London, in collaboration with an Indonesian student collective called @LondonBergerak with different question, so it will be more fit in with various Indonesian background in here.

If the method promising and actually opening up to the new narrative, it can be iterate and be implemented again with the Cipadu citizen in September.

UPDATE on 8 October 2025

After a thorough iteration and discussion with my tutor, I decided to make the designing process more seamless for the second intervention by focusing more on liberating guided discussion.

Here is the updated framework for facilitating the co-design process:

Inspired by action research methodology, this discussion framework will be focusing more on individual’s and people’s collective experience. Which later trigger can trigger discourse and knowledge sharing.

It begins with Discovery, where participants engage through the 5 Senses to evoke memories and ground experiences in lived realities. This sensory-based exploration helps uncover emotional and contextual insights.

The process then moves to Analysing, using the STEEP Method (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political) and a Priority Matrix to make sense of what, who, and why matters—transforming observations into meaningful understanding.

Next is Proposing, a stage of ideation that encourages “what if” thinking to imagine alternative futures or possibilities for change.

Finally, Reflection involves presentation and cross-pollination—sharing insights with others to generate feedback, collective learning, and new directions. The framework is cyclical and iterative, meaning reflection often loops back to discovery or analysis, allowing the process to evolve continuously.

Overall, it emphasizes co-creation, iteration, and the blending of experiential, analytical, and imaginative methods to design with communities rather than for them.

I had a tutorial about ethic with Richie on July 8th 2025 (wow such a long time ago, why did you just write it today? :p), and I got a chance to narrowed down my ideas and action plan before I did my first intervention with Richie.

But we can say this is a reflection because the tutorial did give me a clarity and ideas on how will I do my first online intervention.

We were first went through my ethical reflection document, which is really important because what I am going to do might involve people for my intervention.

I told him that I am going to do my first attempt on “Urban Imaginarium” to interact with Cipadu locals using online platform. Therefore, I need to make it clear for the people about their consent and also permit on documenting and protecting their data. That’s why I am having it on the beginning of the Padlet activity for my first intervention.

Richie said it might be really tricky to do urban participatory using online platform, because he said the result might be blurry. Which is somehow true, because apparently the participants are not fully engaged throughout the process. Even though they wrote down their aspiration on the Padlet, they said writing is far more comfortable rather than speaking on the meeting. Which is related to Richie’s feedback on making people have different choices to address their thought!

In my tutorial with Richie, he highlights key important values I need to have in order to empathize and making all the people feel included in the discussion. One of them is to choose the right method to make them get involved, if you want to create an art or drawing, make sure these people are not pressured and not being judged if they might not be able to draw. Therefore, in the online intervention I am using Padlet with several prompts to ease them to write. Because writing is a form of visual that everyone able to do. And voilà! They did share their thoughts confidently on the Padlet.

Because the format is facilitating the host to curate their imaginative solution and issues in their neighborhood, it is recommended to let people show their artefacts. As a result to that, I invited people to bring their “memorable artefacts” that reminds them of their village/neighborhood on WhatsApp. These pictures does really help to defining and giving more depth to the research.

The project might be very huge and required a lot of support, and yes I agreed! Thus it is recommended to collaborate with a lot of parties and experts. Richie also told me to be considerate and mindful to talk with the local authorities, and collaborate with them. It was really helpful, because the local authorities and communities seems to be willing to collaborate and expect more collaboration to improve their village with external experts.

To engage with people, it is really important to have actual interaction and collaborate directly. So, Richie asked me whether I might going to go back to implement the idea or not. I was not actually plan to do one, but apparently, this is the best idea to actually implement the urban imaginarium. So yeah, see you Indonesia on September!

Lastly, he highlighted the potential risk that I have written in the document and it was about ‘loneliness during the journey’. Albeit, I already stated that it is important to still catch up with the peers in London, he also told me to make sure I have a good, healthy progress, which led to self-management and also be well aware that everyone’s there to help.

And indeed, I got a lot of help along the way. Including with people in London, and Jakarta.

So this ‘Tale of Two Cities’ will continue, and hopefully can bridge the gap between the north and the south.

Above: Padlet as The Discussion Tools

Please change your website translation to English if you want to read the Padlet result in English!

On June 2025, I initially asked Mrs. Asla Laila, the village secretary of Cipadu, about my initiative to do collective imagination with Cipadu residents because I live closely and grow up near this area which is known for its identity as the ‘flood village’. Luckily, she agreed about my idea because she felt like there is an urgent need to have bigger impact to engaged the residents to be more aware about their area, and then she referred me to Mr. Azi and Mr. Ade; the youth community leaders in Cipadu.

I contacted Mr. Azi and Mr. Ade through WhatsApp first, asking them about what is their view about their kampung. And they mostly said that their area is actually developing with a lot of placemaking activities that are still running such as; sunatan massal or mass circumcision, nightwatch shift, and local gathering during important dates such as Independence Day. But apparently these efforts are not really enough to empowered the people and the youth, especially, to make their village a better habitat–ecologically, economically and socially.

According to Tomoki Fujii (2016), floods are common in Indonesia, exacerbated by rapid population growth, land-use change, and clogged waterways. Jakarta, for instance, has a long history of severe floods with significant casualties and evacuees. And he also added in his journal, flood disaster and drought can lead to or deepen poverty especially those in the vulnerable group because it might affect their consumption and livelihoods.

People who lives in urban kampungs like Cipadu, are considered as vulnerable groups—especially when its condition reflects a form of communal residential life. They are vulnerable to threats against their housing security amid the arbitrariness of power. (Rujak Center for Urban Studies, 2019, p. 11)

After connected with Mrs. Asla, Mr. Azi, and Mr. Ade, they are very much open to guests who might be able to help them raise their voices so they will not get drown in the sea of unheard opinions (sadly this is what is happening in our politic right now).

And finally, on July 20th 2025, the locals in Cipadu agreed to do Online Participatory Action Research with me to discovering their aspiration about their urban village or urban kampung.

Initially, I only invited 10 people from different range of demographic who lives in Cipadu. I requested Mrs. Asla and Mr. Ade to spread this banner to invite the citizens to join the discussion.

And apparently, more than 10 people showed up so I need to select these people because this is an incentive based dialogue. Thus, I made a registration form as the a way to select the right audiences. I also asked about their consent and agreement to be willing be recorded and all the data will be used for the research in the form and also on the Padlet’s introduction (refer to the Padlet above).

Following what George Clark and Ismal Muntaha from Jatiwangi Art Factory suggested me, I must act like the guests and facilitator so I can engaged to the residents like they are the hosts and the curators. In result, they will decide which issues that are their priorities and unpack their aspirations about their village. And apparently it did really make them comfortable to speak their mind out (stated by Mr. Ade during the meeting).

I introduced myself and my project to the locals on the beginning of the discussion, and they also share their concerns and issues that they were currently facing. Not a lot of people were actually showing their faces on camera, because I was trying to make the discussion as inclusive and as comfortable as possible.

After 15 minutes of introduction, we go straight through to the Padlet activity. The discussion are divided into several section to ease the process of filling in the given questions by giving them instruction one by one (although some of them trying to filled all the sections without instructions).

This is the introduction part where I asked their consent and permission, and also to tell them the how-to-play rules and instruction to do this Padlet activity.

On the second part, the aspirations are being collected using their 5 senses. Because, our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) are the primary channels through which we gather information about the world, hence, to create our imaginations. Using the 5 senses, I instructed the participants to fill in each of the cards based on what their senses experienced when they are in their neighborhood.

Through these activities, participants shared various observations, feelings, smells, and sounds, providing rich insights into their daily lives and the challenges they face:

What residents see and feel about their environment:

• Positive observations included clean environments, lush trees, comfortable surroundings, and positive community activities. Residents felt happy seeing their community engaging in mutual cooperation or camaraderie (gotong royong) and expressed comfort and safety due to friendly and helpful neighbors.

• Negative observations and concerns highlighted the presence of much trash, dirty and arid areas, and clogged/smelly water channels. A significant concern was the lack of public awareness regarding cleanliness, leading to improper waste disposal. Residents also noted the lack of playing facilities for children, causing them to play in the streets, and some expressed worry about negative social interactions or “pergaulan negatif”. The environment was also described as feeling “sesak” (crowded) by one participant. Persistent flooding led to a sense of frustration and contributed to the area appearing squalid and poorly organized.

Common smells in the environment:

• The most frequently mentioned unpleasant smell was that of trash. This included smell from clogged sewers, decaying trash, and the smell of burning trash. Other specific unpleasant odors mentioned were those of wild cat feces and dead rats/mice. The smell of trash was particularly strong after floods or heavy rain. Some also noted general vehicle exhaust (knalpot) and cooking smells. The underlying issue for many of these smells was identified as poor waste management and minimal culture of maintaining cleanliness.

Common sounds and community identity:

• Residents often heard the sounds of children playing, which one participant considered a sign of a “living village”. Other common sounds included motor vehicles (especially those with noisy exhausts), people selling with speakers, and the ‘azan’ (call to prayer). Some found the loud volumes of street vendors or ‘ondel-ondel’ disturbing, and even complained about neighbors singing karaoke off-key.

• A recurring theme was that the village’s identity is strongly associated with “banjir” (flooding). When the name of their environment is mentioned, people immediately think of flooding. Despite this challenge, residents describe their community as friendly and sociable, with frequent conversations and discussions.

The 5 senses activities revealed a community with a strong sense of camaraderie or Gotong Royong, and positive social interaction, yet deeply troubled by pervasive environmental issues, particularly flooding and mismanagement of trash, which are rooted by a perceived lack of community awareness regarding cleanliness.

In this section, because of the prompt said that they can choose from one to all of the priorities, a lot of people commenting more on the social and edutech, apparently. However, less people commenting about environment, even though the environment seemed to be the no 1 priority during the primary research using Google Form.

Social Priorities:

• A significant social concern is the lack of public awareness regarding cleanliness, leading to improper waste disposal. This results in dirty public areas, scattered trash, and increased pollution due to irresponsible behavior.
• Persistent flooding is also listed as a social issue for them, causing a sense of prolonged frustration and contributing to a squalid and poorly organized environment. The village’s identity is often linked to flooding. I suspect, that their environmental issues has far more become social issue to them due to negative perspective they gained.
• Worries about negative social interactions or “pergaulan negatif” and “pergaulan bebas” (free association) were expressed.
• Other social issues mentioned include poverty, stunted children, and a lack of green open spaces for children and residents to play and gather.

As a summary, social identity, eco-awareness and children’s safety has become their primary concern in social priorities.

Technology/Education Priorities:

• A primary concern is the lack of parental control over children’s gadget usage.
• This leads to misuse of gadgets for online gambling (“judol”) and online games, causing children to be lazy in studying.
• They assumed that gadget misuse is also linked to social issues like teenage brawls or gangs starting from WhatsApp groups.
• Participants noted the excessive use of social media by underage individuals and the general misuse of technology, hindering children’s optimal development.
• Parents preferring children to play with phones without time limits was also a point of concern.

The need of public space is often being subtly mentioned by how these people are worry about the gadget misuse among their children. The social interaction must be built with mindful and positive institution, therefore this is still linked to the social issues they have been addressing.

Economy Priorities:

• A significant economic issue is the difficulty in finding jobs, with many productive-age individuals unemployed. This includes the specific challenge for fresh graduates to find employment.
• There is an imbalance between young job seekers and job availability.
• Concerns were raised about the rising cost of living and poverty.
• A need was identified for social networks to expand insights into people’s economy and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UMKM).

Opportunities and access to jobs are the biggest factors among people especially the youth in their situation. This was assumed by the locals as one of the causes the youth lack of activities and therefore were trapped in negative social circle.

• Environment Priorities:

• The most dominant environmental priority is flooding (“banjir”).
• Inadequate waste management and the minimal public awareness about environmental cleanliness are major issues.
• This includes the lack of waste sorting management in the area.
• Other related environmental problems are unhealthy air, polluted water, and accumulated trash, which can also lead to contagious diseases

Environmental problem appear to be the most visible issues that they can trace. Think of these priorities as a tangled knot: each strand—social, economic, edutech, and environmental—represents a challenge, but the environmental issues, particularly flooding and waste management, are often the tightest and most central knots, impacting and intertwining with the others, making the whole system difficult to unravel without addressing them first.

And after going back to the 2 main priorities, environment hold the main priority among the citizens, while the other two–economy and social– are equal or draw. So instead of two, we include the issues as three main priorities:

1. Environment
2. Economy
3. Social

And after that, we go to the Kill/Improve/Keep Section to make the residents curate the words, the issues and the important things based on their prioritized categories.

Flood is the main concern to be fix immediately, because all of them chose to have it fix and voted it as the main priority in environmental problems.  Followed by trash and air quality/pollution

Job opportunity is the main priority and wanted to be fix or change immediately. (most people voted using likes). Access to financing follows after with demand on improving the access. And lastly the issues in high grocery prices.

 People voted “environmental awareness” as the main priority to be fix/change. Followed by fixing and changing the youth problems/uncontrollable promiscuity. And also, s lot of them wanted child-friendly environment and gotong royong behaviour to be improved.

To close the conversation, I allowed them to share their wildest and craziest imagination for their kampung. But apparently, they keeping it precise and iterated the same concern like they have been saying over and over; eco-awareness, flood, child’s friendly and friendly neighborhood.

After 2 hours of conversation, the discussion ended. But I asked them to keep me posted, and share their “artefacts” that meant so much to them in the WhatsApp group. And yes, they did sent me!

It is about waste, jobs, identity and children again. And it kept on being iterated throughout the discussion. And it seems that the local library has just been exposed by them post online discussion.

Some of the participant told me that this forum is really helpful, because sometimes they can’t comprehend a face-to-face discussion. Padlet does ease them to synthesis their mind to discuss and imagining their own neighborhood.

I am still gathering a feedback form from the participant to ask them how they feel about the discussion. So I will keep you guys posted on my Miro.

Well, this going to be a looooooongggg writing. I am gonna have the second part in the next post!

Ciao~

After talking with George Clark two weeks ago, I had a chance to make a quick call with one of the artists who are part of the Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF)’s ecosystem or family; Ismal Muntaha.

According to his blog, he described himself as a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works and lives as a ‘warga’ in Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF). In 2009 together with Sunday Screen he initiated the Village Video Festival, an annual residency-based video festival in Jatiwangi. His compassion with collective art led him to many initiatives such as Land Study Agency (BKP) in 2017. A temporary institution that focuses on the study of land and all cultural landscapes contained in it, through various artistic projects.

His background heavily rooted in arts and development studies, there is no wonder it leads him to be part of the JAF to making art not just as an outcome but also way of life.

On 18 July 2025, I got a chance to to online meeting with him and here’s our discussion:

Q: Hi, Ismal. Finally I got a chance to talk to you, after I had a discussion with George a couple weeks ago, finally I did! How are you?

A: Wow, you met George? Wonderful! I am great thank you!

Q: There are few questions that might going to be very generic and some questions that are based on what you are and why you do it in JAF. But let’s start with your role in JAF

A: I am an artist who is also part of the family and citizen (warga) of JAF and also in Jatiwangi. We can’t really say it is a collective or organization. Because our founder, Kang Arief, made us feel included and building this ecosystem as a community. Therefore, I feel like this is more like a family to us.

Q: I am curious about the vision and the dream in building JAF?

A: Oh my god, well, I guess the dream is to be granted with heaven (he laughed), or entering heaven in the after life, all of us. Because when we talk about sustainability, it is beyond the realm of worldly life. We build relation and connection between other being in the world. We are part of the cosmic, I think it is should be a relevant vision why we build JAF.

Q: When building these huge dreams, how do JAF able to invite and collaborate with people in Jatiwangi to be part of the ecosystem?

A: Well, because we are also the citizen of Jatiwangi, so does Kang Arief as the founder, we are able to invite and collaborate with people in Jatiwangi to be part of JAF ecosystem by making ourselves not a “people from outside society” but rather “society itself”. We hung out, talk and build relation so we can deeply engaged with the people.

The reason why we are existing is to gather the collective imagination of the citizens as the capital to make the area thrives. Imagination is being used as collective idea to improve Jatiwangi, from there, we want to create the land that we want to have. Also we want to build strong relation with our capital, the people and the land.

Tile Factory in Jatiwangi (Source: Google)

Q: I can see that collective imagination plays an important role in JAF, what was the trigger why collectivity plays an important part in building resilience community?

A: The land is changing every time, especially when industrialisation happened and Jatiwangi is now being surrounded by many factories in the last 5 years. Jatiwangi, well, was also known as tiles producers or factories. But now is developing as industrial areas from multinational to local brands.

We began to lose our belonging to our land. That’s one of the mission amidst these rapid urbanization and industrialisation in our area. We would like to reclaim our sense of belonging to the land. So, soil and land is our biggest concern right now.

Q: Do you think there is also a chance amidst industrialisation for the people, or maybe JAF itself, to work and collaborate with these growing industries in Jatiwangi?

A: It can be, however, there is also significant impact on ecology and economy. There are emerging problems like congestion and pedestrian issues because a lot of people are working in the factories that harms the environment. But on the economy side, the existence of new factories make people imagine the economic sustainability. It is, however, really beneficial during this uncertain times.

Yes, economic imagination can be strengthened. But the downside can be very inevitable. That is why we want to cultivating imagination from the people to be able to reclaim our culture, our land.

Q: How Imagination plays an important role in JAF?

In JAF, we called it imagining our culture on the land that is connected with many things. Because our relation can be transactional, including to our soil or our land, therefore we are not only seeing lands as a foundation of property or means of capital.

We celebrate our land by using it into many cultural forms, a festival, soil based products, skincare and so many things. So it is not only an area, but material and culture for our living. Distinct from purely financial or economic capital. It is portrayed as a powerful resource that can drive action and create movement

Q: How can we have collective imagination among the citizen to build a build the same mission?

It comes from our action practice to empower people without concrete ideas framework first by initiating “practices of doing and making”. Our approach emphasizes that the collective movement was “born from practices of doing and making”, meaning they simply started “making things” (bikin-bikin dulu) with people and ideas and collaborations formed organically from these actions. In JAF, we deliberately avoids starting with conceptual ideas, as they believe this would create a “gap” or distance with the community, unlike the typical NGO approach that uses frameworks and templates. In fact, our initial rule was “no thinking, just make, make, make”.

To cultivate collaboration, JAF acts as “good hosts”, inviting diverse individuals like designers to Jatiwangi. These “various encounters” and meetings then generate different “doing and making” practices that gradually “crystallize into an imagination” and are seen as important for “triggering initiative”

One of the evidences are how we created body builder festival with our tiles factory workers. This trigger is actually made to make people becomes more confident in their own land.

Factory Worker Body Builder Festival (Source: Google)

Q: How do you invite artists or collaborator into JAF?

I think everyone can and are the artist. This is the JAF DNA, inviting everyone to be artists. We make our guests feel welcome with us as the hosts and invite them to collab with us as the artists.

Art, in JAF’s context, is not limited to traditional forms like painting but is broadened to encompass the formation of new relationships and the creation of “public relations” (relasi-relasi publik) within daily life.

Q: Lastly, is the existence of JAF has significant tangible effect on local confidence?

Yes, our community-led initiatives, such as the “Talawengkar” brand developed by former roof tile bodybuilders and the “Motherbank” initiative, provides concrete evidence of increased local confidence and agency. These projects demonstrate that residents can successfully create and manage their own ventures.

Ultimately, JAF’s activities cultivate a “sense of pride in Jatiwangi” among its residents. This pride allows them to imagine about the region they inhabit. In essence, JAF’s approach to building local confidence is like tending a community garden: instead of simply handing out seeds (ideas), they work alongside the residents, tilling the soil (daily life), planting diverse crops (various projects and practices), and nurturing them together until the community can proudly harvest their own unique produce (collective imagination and self-sufficiency).

The discussion with Ismal connects bridge the gap and new knowledge regarding collective imaginations among people. The collective imaginations, if it is being taken action will make a change towards the citizens. Which proven by the existence of JAF as the pride of Jatiwangi.

The future of collective creative has been signaling a regenerative future in Indonesia, this is evident in the Jatiwangi Art Factory of JAF in Majalengka, West Java. JAF is an Indonesian art collective that leverages community engagement and playful artistic interventions to highlights socio-economic challenges in Majalengka.

George Clark was the expert I was interviewed with regarding JAF. He is an artist and lecturer from University of Westminster who were collaborating with JAF during his residency program with British Council and JAF itself. He highlights JAF as the collective has unique approach to identify the problem, which prioritizes local needs and grassroots initiatives. JAF empowers villagers to become “curators” of their own living archive, fostering pride and ownership within the community. This method provides a powerful alternative to traditional heritage preservation and offers a model for resilience and self-determination in the face of rapid urbanization and industrial impact.

In relation to that, I manage to travel to University of Westminster to sit down and have a face-to-face discussion with Clark himself.

I did not took a lot of documentation during the interview (a classic forgetful Sasha) but I managed to visit the exhibition in the University, while waiting for Clark to finish his class. I found a lot of interesting exhibition in here, especially how it is portraying curated heritage and art from different narrative around the globe.

After strolling around the gallery, Clark finally came out and inviting me to his office to discuss his favorite project, Jatiwangi Art Factory.

In this article, I will transcribe and point out some of our discussion on 30 July 2025 in University of Westminster.

Q: May I know do you start your career?

A: I was always interested in film, but always saw it in within an arts context, yeah, and for me, like to be involved in it. What was interesting was like, it’s not just about it’s not enough to just make films, because also, I wanted to be able to talk about them with other people. And also to watch things. So very early I started like trying to curate things, to organize screenings and writing about films. And there were always to stay close to things I was interested in, yes, so that, like, took me into curating and into writing.

Q: That’s really interesting, but what drives you to explore rural villages and finally encountered JAF?

A: I used to lived in small villages, that’s related right. My background made me curious about exploring opportunities and trying things that aren’t typically available in the village. This approach led me to seek out unique film experiences, particularly in artist film communities that were different from traditional cinema. It is also made me appreciate alternative ways of creating and experiencing art, which inspired him to explore experimental film scenes, especially in Southeast Asia, and understand how art can connect with local communities and social issues in the rural areas.

Q: What are the communities that impact your early career?

A: I was getting involved with many film organizations like Lux (London Filmmakers Co-op). From there, I started connecting with film communities and attending international film festivals like Rotterdam and Oberhausen. These experiences allowed me to meet filmmakers, understand different film practices, and build networks. That’s why I met many independent filmmakers from Southeast Asia, particularly those working outside established canons. I became interested in grassroots film practices and how communities collaborate.

Q: How these connection affect the your path in going to Southeast Asia as your creative interest?

A: I met young people from these festivals, who were mostly filled with older filmmakers. I was able to finally connected with young individuals like Alexis the Second from the Philippines, May Adadol (a Thai film scholar), Hafiz from Malaysia, and Nia Trinhti from Vietnam, and I was able to exchanged each other film recommendations, sharing DVDs, and discussing our interests. My approach was actually very organic and driven by curiosity about the emerging independent film scene in Southeast Asia, which I realized it is really highly active and collaborative.

Q: How did you get funded to collaborated with JAF?

A: The British Council supported, and it was really interesting model, because they they first organizations in Indonesia would apply as a host, and then you’d apply to those hosts, so they’d get support. So rather than having a residency program already, they’d get support in order to host someone.

Q: I was actually had little to no connection with JAF in Indonesia, I guess they were busy. Could you tell me a little bit the history behind JAF based on what you know?

Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF) was founded by two brothers, Arif and Gingi, from Jatiwangi. Arif had studied art in Bandung and was doing performance art, but felt disconnected from its impact. They observed that local factories were closing and workers were losing their jobs. The brothers decided to create something meaningful in their community with no initial resources. Their strategy was to “pretend” they were something, hoping that by acting as if they were an organization, people would believe in them. They started by offering food and creating spaces for community gathering in an old factory building. Their approach was to use art as a tool for community cohesion, redistribution of resources, and creating new opportunities for local workers. Their founding philosophy was simple: leverage art to address local social issues, provide work for unemployed workers, and build community confidence. They transformed an old industrial space into a cultural platform that could bring people together and create new economic opportunities through artistic practices.

Q: Wonderful Story! How did the factory becomes the space for JAF to do collective art?

A: I hadn’t done so many residencies before. But JAF was of interesting. I asked the how can I be helpful, how are we going to help you do your project. Because, they’re not even pitch your ideas or something. And they told me something peculiar, “Don’t not your idea, don’t worry, this is what we want you to help us, and that’s it.” And at that time, they have this the village video Festival, and they wanted to figure out an archive, how to archive a festival. So they said, “That’s the job for you. You can help us do this. So we have all these factories, but they all closed.” And I was, ah, sounds like my village. And that was really nice.

Q: So what were you doing there as an artist?

JAF has their own strategy, they feel like art needs to be involved with community and social issue. Therefore, the artists, are becoming the facilitator for the people in Jatiwangi who will curate the artefacts in their village, to share what aspects in the village that matters the most to them. This is how we collectively gathering problems.

Instead of inviting artists to merely showcase finished works, JAF invites filmmakers to “come and make works with them”, treating artists as “workers” similar to someone repairing plumbing. Artists are expected to contribute their skills to specific community needs, rather than the community being there to support the artist’s personal vision

A key goal is to build community confidence and a sense of ownership in their environment and future. This is particularly relevant when facing external pressures like highway construction splitting the village, which brings “aliens” and outsiders. By inviting “aliens” (outsiders like artists) into the community, JAF aims to help local people become confident enough to discuss what they want and who they are on their own terms. This helps to “future-proof” the community against changes they didn’t ask for.

Q: JAF has festival format that seemed very unusual than any other festival. Could you describe why they choose festival as the format?

JAF’s core is “medium is festival,” and their primary is “resource is people,” not external funding. These festivals are not just events; they are strategic tools that allow JAF to leverage “art” to redistribute resources, opening doors for funding and conversations. A significant aim is to build community confidence and a sense of ownership in our environment and our future.

Q: You said something about community or local confident, how do we actually pursue this possession and how it is important for the locals?

Local confidence, as demonstrated through the work of Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF), is crucial for empowering communities to navigate and shape their own futures amidst complex challenges.

If people feel they have no ownership or that their presence is temporary, they are less likely to care for their environment. Confidence helps communities feel a “sense of ownership” over their environment and future, legitimizing their efforts to look after and build something in their space. Because if you have no sense of ownership, well, you could plant something there, but maybe you will never harvest.

Q: But how can we nurture heritage to the youth demographic who might less likely known or even have the sense of ownership of their culture?

Yeah, In England, the protection of culture often follows a “heritage route”, deeply intertwined with the “heritage industry”. This approach tends to focus on preserving monumental or elite examples of culture, such as national parks, castles, or iconic industrial structures. The goal is often to instill a sense of national pride, as seen in the idea of being “proud of the castle” or visiting Buckingham Palace to feel “Oh, I’m British”. However, this is critiqued as generating a “false pride” that often overlooks, such as the labor of those who built these structures, including child labor in factories, or the use of resources sourced through slavery.

This top-down, commercial, and often distant approach from grassroots realities can obscure the true origins and social costs of such heritage. Furthermore, environmental debates, like those around preserving “farmland” or opposing wind turbines, often prioritize a nostalgic or aesthetic view of the English landscape over ecological sustainability or practical needs like affordable housing. The underlying issue here is a potential “sense of dispossession” where people are less likely to care for an environment they are told is not truly theirs, or where their presence is temporary.

Conversely, in Jatiwangi, Indonesia, the approach to cultural protection, particularly through the Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF), is fundamentally bottom-up and community-centric, focusing on empowering the local populace and fostering a deep “sense of ownership”. This might be a great start to massively build awareness of cultural perseverance.

Q: I am currently working on the linear project that talks about Urban Kampung in Cipadu, Tangerang, Indonesia. The problem that is happening within the area are mostly about waste management and flood. Because the area is actually resided side by side with fabric or textile industry.

A: Wow, it seems to be a “wrong type of circular economy” that can maximizes pollution. I think your intervention for Cipadu would likely be highly supportive and insightful, viewing it as a project with strong parallels with Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF). Well, JAF’s approach is not meant to be copied exactly, but rather to serve as an inspiring model for implementation elsewhere. But using festival as a fast and effective way to build community level of awareness can be a good move.

From our discussion, JAF and George Clark has inspired me to do more in pursuing local confident in order to develop heritage perseverance from grassroot level. Adapting co-creation method with the stakeholder, by inviting artists and creatives to facilitate the people to curate their “living archives” at their neighborhood can be a good approach to diagnose and define the real problem before we decide to co-design with the local people.

In every design, urbanism, and psychology book I’ve read recently, Copenhagen and Scandinavian regions are always mentioned in at least one or two discourses. Whether Copenhagen was being mentioned as the patron for functional design or as the happiest place on Earth. And I wonder why I have been haunted by the word of Copenhagen while I am here in London.

The feeling was empowered even more when I got an information from my friend about the event called 3DaysofDesign at Copenhagen in June 2025. And so it goes, I think this is the right time for me to actually plan a visit to Copenhagen this summer, to find the reason why.

In a month, I did everything so I can apply for the Schengen visa and plan the itinerary for this trip. It is so peculiar how I was so moved to go to this event in Copenhagen. And in addition to that, one of my friends told me that during my planned visit to Copenhagen, there will be a Midsommar festival in Malmö, Sweden, just 45 minutes away by train from Copenhagen. Perfect! It is definitely goes to my itinerary list, all because I always love folk festivals and cultural activities like this. The whole plan was dedicated to a design and cultural trip, which I wished would be the most invaluable trip I would get.

And yes, I will spoil it in the beginning, this is actually the most satisfying solo trip I’ve ever had.

Celebrating Design in 3 Days

The afternoon summer breeze in Copenhagen greeted me very well during the first day. I have seen a lot of young people on my tap-free bus ride to the hostel, such an amazing system I thought. It was so intriguing to see a lot of people going out during the summer with various activities that is currently happening in the town, including this most wanted design event.

3DaysofDesign is Denmark’s annual design festival initiated 13 years ago from a small district in Nordhavn. The event later expands throughout Copenhagen and conceived as a platform to showcase and various great designs from brands to studios across 8 district in Copenhagen. Such a fun walk experience for me to visit each of the design studios in 8 different districts by foot.

I had the opportunity to explore a range of design innovations and learn about the evolution of Danish design and its influence on modern aesthetics. Renowned for its emphasis on functionality, simplicity, and harmony with nature, Danish design underwent a major transformation during the mid-20th century—especially during industrialisation, when creativity was pushed to adapt and flourish in uncertain times. It was fascinating to observe how its narrative has now shifted toward a focus on social innovation within the design space.

I have seen several product designs that incorporated reusable and recycled materials. One notable example was a sofa crafted entirely from leftover fabric, intricately woven into a new upholstery.

Another fascinating example featured recycled plastic materials that were remolded, remodeled and repurposed into new composite materials. Leveraging technology, some of these plastics are now used in 3D printing to create new furniture pieces—often inspired by Bauhaus design—that are not only functional but also commercially viable.

In relation to this, Ezio Manzini (2015) believes every creative has capacity to design that can activate, sustain, and orient processes of social change toward sustainability. And these products has proven how creativity can drive changes towards the complex problems in the world. I believe most of designers in the world has this capacity to drive changes if they are not only bounded by the exhausting execution role only.

Design can produce a shift toward action that models alternative presents and possible futures in material and experiential form (DiSalvo, 2012). Hence, this inspired me to invite designers and creators to my project in order to co-design the complex challenges that is currently happening in my research subject are: Urban Village or Urban Kampung in Cipadu.

A Lesson from H.C Andersen

During my time in Copenhagen, I made it a point to visit all the iconic landmarks while also taking in the city’s atmosphere as much as possible. I immersed myself in the surroundings—observing the city, its people, and the everyday rhythms—as a way of understanding it more deeply. I noticed how the urban design here clearly emphasizes creating public spaces that encourage interaction and build a strong sense of community. From Christianhavn to Holmen, the canalsides and streets were full of people connecting with one another. It was such a lively and joyful summer scene!

The mood shifted a bit when I spent time people-watching in the heart of the city, at Rådhuspladsen—the City Hall Square. There, a familiar figure caught my eye: the statue of Hans Christian Andersen.

Andersen was one of my favorite storytellers growing up. I have vivid memories of my mom reading Thumbelina to me before bed, or watching The Little Mermaid on Sunday mornings. Even The Story of a Mother once inspired a logo I designed for a makeup brand. So it’s no surprise that this statue drew me in—especially given its curious placement, with Andersen appearing to gaze directly into Tivoli Gardens, as if lost in his own whimsical world.

Out of curiosity, I Googled why Hans Christian Andersen’s statue is facing Tivoli Gardens while I was standing in front of it. I discovered that this positioning is intentional, because it symbolizes Tivoli as Andersen’s realm of imagination, a source of inspiration for his storytelling. Over the years, Tivoli Gardens has embraced Andersen’s legacy by incorporating his fairy tales into its programming and attractions. The park’s theater regularly stages productions based on his beloved stories, making his presence there all the more fitting, including his statue in Rådhuspladsen.

Everyone has their own imaginarium or, according to Wikipedia, a place devoted to stimulating and cultivating the imagination. In a city that were thriving amidst uncertainty and hardship, Copenhagen managed to outlet its imaginarium into a concept and a strategy, and turned it into a design that challenge the status quo.

The term of imaginarium later inspired me to directing my idea of collective community into an imaginarium that collects people’s aspiration and imagination to contribute to the future of their city.

The Misunderstood Midsommar

After my memorable trip to Copenhagen, I came to Skåne area–Malmö for another major trip plot; The Midsommar. Midsommar is known for celebrating the beginning of summer and also known for bloody festival if we are referring it to Ari Aster’s 2021 movie, Midsommar.

The Midsommar Festival is a tradition that includes dancing around a flower-covered maypole, singing, communal meals, and wearing traditional clothing. Although it is rooted in ancient agrarian culture, Midsommar has successfully transformed into an inclusive space for the people of Sweden, and even attracting tourists from all over the world.

Interestingly, the Midsommar film, which reimagined the festival as a dark and eerie ritual, has only fueled more curiosity and attention from international tourists. Each year, the event seems to grow—whether because people are genuinely drawn to folk culture or simply want to see if the festival lives up to the film’s eerie and frightening portrayal. Rather than rejecting the association, Swedes seem to embrace it; the movie is even broadcast on local TV during the midsommar season.

In the context of cultural exchange, Midsommar demonstrates how “local confidence” can be revived without losing its original meaning. It shows how local identity can foster global curiosity and connection. Festivals, after all, are one of the most effective ways to bring people together, facilitating the exchange of ideas, traditions, and experiences.

Therefore, how can we reimagine the narrative of festival as the place where people just gather, spend time or maybe wasting money and trashes, turned into a changemaking place for the local to accelerate their livelihood in the neighborhood?

Triangulation of The Idea

On my flight home, I realized how the trip was actually the calling. I am thankful for trusting my gut feeling because apparently I got my ideas for the project when I visited Copenhagen and Malmö.

Why wouldn’t I project my idea into a festival in a form of urban imaginarium?

People in the city is the key player and curator of their own neighborhood, and they need a facilitation to provide them the space to accelerate the growth.

Hence, I think this would be the subject of my idea in my research about people and creative energy.