The Implementation of Graphics on the Spatial Design of Indonesia Bertutur 2024

Indonesia Bertutur 2024, or INTUR, officially came to a close on August 18th. Amongst all the incredible art and performances hosted at the nine different venues in Ubud and Nusa Dua, Bali, one of the things that stood out in this edition of INTUR was its impressive implementation of graphics into its spatial and environmental design. Grafis Masa Kini was able to sit down with the minds behind these designs—FFFAAARRR and gemasemesta.co. 

FFFAAARRR and gemasemesta.co’s designs were built upon the key visuals and visual guidelines created by Cecil Mariani. These visuals are derived from the main theme of Subak, referring to the communally managed Balinese rice paddy irrigation system, into the significance of water, through the concept of “air, alir, asih” (English: water, flow, care). The rasterated texture implying perception underwater is combined with the blue, white, pale pink ribbons to represent a sensory interpretation of water flow. This visual guideline is then handed to the gemasemesta.co and FFFAAARRR teams to implement.

Gema Semesta of gemasemesta.co explained that they are long-time collaborators of FFFAARRR. The gemasemesta.co team were in charge of the environmental graphic system and the A-board wayfinding—taking this year’s key visuals and implementing it to the wayfinding A-boards, totems, graphic materials, printing supervision, as well as the input and layout of content from many parties. Andro Kaliandi, Sutan Regi Denali, and Kanza Fachriza of FFFAAARRR explained that their scope of work for INTUR includes the design of the venue; festival masterplan; the primary crowd flow circulation; lighting; zoning; and placement of the wayfinding boards and totems in Ubud and Nusa Dua, the Virama Stage for performances; the Kiranamaya Stage video mapping, as well as the design and production of the furniture for the SME and culinary area. 

This collaboration allowed for both FFFAAARRR and gemasemsta.co to maximize the execution of each of their tasks. “Working with FFFAAARRR is always an exciting process. We have worked together often in several projects including the 2022 edition of Indonesia Bertutur. The ideation begins with spatial ideas initiated by FFFAAARRR. We saw that the use of thatch, gedek bambu (boards of wickered bamboo), and naturally colored materials can be unique and unpredictable when combined with the shade of pink carried by the Indonesia Bertutur key visuals this year,” Gema explained. 

Going into the spatial design, the FFFAAARRR team knew early on that they wanted to present Indonesian culture from a contemporary approach. “Compared to INTUR's 2022 design in Borobudur—where we responded to the Borobudur temple, a cultural heritage that is already majestic on its own—the Peninsula venue is a larger venue so our design approach had to be different. More festive, and more monumental, more unashamed,” the FFFAAARRR team explained. Using the concept of Subak (in relation to its spiritual significance with Tri Hita Karana meaning the harmony between God, Nature, and Man) from the Artistic Director Melati Suryodamono and Festival Director Taba Sanchabachtiar, harmony became a core keyword for FFFAAARRR’s approach. “We responded to the harmonious blend between the modern and the traditional through the use of ring lock scaffolding with thatching and gedek anyaman,” the team explained.


The core theme of harmony was a huge consideration in all aspects of design by FFFAAARRR. “Like the windy weather—we used thatching and porous gedek that could withstand the wind. Then, the contours and tree points at the venue required us to create sporadic and scattered placements to avoid disrupting the existing layout in the area. The direction of the sunset was crucial in determining the stage positioning so that during the event, visitors could enjoy the sunset and moonlight (which happened to be a full moon at the time, visible from the Virama stage),” the FFFAAARRR team explained. They also considered the flow of the visitors who were directed to the back area first in order for them to be able to digest the information and context of the festival. They are then directed to the SMEs area and the light festival installation before heading to the stages. For the Ubud venues specifically, FFFAAARRR responded to the existing venues which were already packed with artworks by implementing the directory totems in order to maintain the festivity of the event. 

For the FFFAAARRR team, the culinary area is a particular favorite. “Seeing all the aspects we designed come to life and interact with the visitors. The culinary area felt like a vernacular village area where people sat on the ground while eating, with music, illuminated surfaces, and the sunset, sunlight, and penjor swaying in the wind; the entire area became lively. Essentially, we loved all the decisions we made, as each area could provide a different experience,” said the team. The pink Balinese penjor, which is traditionally simply the yellow color of the leafy material, certainly caught the eye of many visitors. The blend of Balinese tradition and the pink from the INTUR key visulas lends itself to an additional festive touch that is still very much aligned with the branding concept of the event. Gema also noted the marriage of pink and traditional materials. “The combination of pink and thatching left a distinct impression on us, especially when seeing how it blended on-site with the landscape and sky of Bali, making it look even more appealing.”

The spatial and environmental design of an event at Indonesia Bertutur’s scale is no easy feat. FFFAAARRR, as the spatial design team, is the last division that must accommodate for and coordinate with all other divisions. From coordinating things backstage, directing the flow of electrical cables, to facilitating all divisions. A true challenge in master planning. Meanwhile, for the gemasemesta.co team, the main challenge came with handling things on the ground, with the geographic conditions of the venue resulting in changes of the directory totem placements. “Fortunately, we had already faced similar challenges at Indonesia Bertutur 2022, so this year we made the arrow and wayfinding system more modular, allowing it to easily adapt to changes in placement on the field.” Gema remarked.

The work done by FFFAAARRR and gemasemesta.co for Indonesia Bertutur 2024 goes to show just how crucial spatial and environmental design is. The spatial design did not fall into the pitfall of being overly festive or overdone but the brilliant use of natural materials like thatching and gedek bambu allows the festival to blend in with nature with each installation supporting this notion and the particular shade of pink from the INTUR’s key visuals leaves a very welcoming impression to all visitors. The spatial and environmental design successfully imbues the themes of the event without being pretentious.

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About the Author

Kireina Masri

Kireina Masri has had her nose stuck in a book since she could remember. Majoring in Illustration, she now writes, in both English and Indonesian, of all things visual—pouring her love of the arts into the written word. She aspires to be her neighborhood's quirky cat lady in her later years.