Guest Contribution by Pascal Panagiotidis

Craftmanship and tradition has a lot to offer especially when they are interpreted through a young designer's eyes. Indonesia is a country where modern and tradition coexist, high quality materials and craftsmanship work together providing new modern design forms. A wealth of art and culture is a continuous source of inspiration for the young designers willing to explore the history of their country. Linger Bench is Alvin Tjitrowirjo’s latest concept, a tribute to Indonesian art and history. His respect to tradition and craftsmanship is obvious as Linger bench is hand made and natural material such as rattan was used for its production. This elastic material is ideal for outdoor furniture, resistant to any weather conditions and easy to handle as it takes any form without breaking.

Playing with the forms Alvin has taken advantage of the rattan’s qualities and managed to make a modern approach as per the design, avoiding this way old fashioned patterns. Above all, the designer has managed to maintain the Indonesian culture alive through new concepts like the Linger Bench. An effort that helps and sustains the local craftsmen whose technique is a valuable asset for the generations to come.

This attempt to establish the Indonesian design throughout the world brought Alvin Tjitrowirjo and International designer Marcel Wanders closer through a successful collaboration. A combination of Wanders' poetic approach and Tjitrowirjo's deep knowledge and interpretion of the local art could only lead to new concepts that will place Indonesian design in the international Design map breaking any geografical or ideological fontieres.

Alvin Tjitrowirjo graduated from RMIT University in 2004. In 2008 Alvin Tjitrowirjo was named a finalist for the "Australian Alumni Award for Creativity and Design". His specialties are industrial design, art direction and interior design. Tjitrowirjo joined Grain&Green architecture firm lead by renowned Architect Jeffrey Budiman and at the same time he joined Dform, a non-profit organisation that aims to promote Indonesian designs. Right now he is working on his own label alvinT. The alvinT brand is dedicated to revive the Indonesian design and make its special character well known around the world.

Nowadays alvinT holds a wide variety of products, a profolio where each object brings the traditional Indonesian art's mark. The brand has been present in many international exhibitions like Salone satelitte Milan 2005, Launch Pad Melbourne 2006, Shanghai 2006, Talents Ambiente Frankfurt 2008 and Planet Mueble Paris 2009.