budiman ong of ong cen kuang bali talks beyond material exploration: nature or culture? #storyofdesign

material exploration is always an exciting topic to discuss. why? because it is the key to understand what lays behind designers and architects’ minds, to understand their background, their inspiration, and their thought process.

the realization of any product always depends on how each of these professionals appropriately manipulates their material. some designers see it as a freedom of exploration. hence, one cannot make a story to tell of what they are creating, if they are lack in exploration of the material. and this story that is left untold will fade away by time.

in this sharing session, the design story team held an exclusive interview with budiman ong, the creator of ong cen kuang designs and the designer of kelopak — a handmade pendant that won design anthology awards 2019 for lighting category. it was another insightful discussion of how he successfully crafted his studio identity upon the idea of material exploration.

how did it all start? was there a specific moment in your life? that made you curious about material manipulation?

“i’m a person with a lot of curiosity, and i’m easily bored. that’s the two things that define me. ever since i was small, i always looked forward to doing…