Light Installation, Cultural Interpretation & Creative Concept
Jakarta Light Festival 2025 transformed the historic streets of Kota Tua Jakarta into a vibrant nighttime experience through a collection of immersive light installations, illuminated structures, lanterns, and large-scale visual elements.
The project explores the relationship between Jakarta’s cultural heritage and its vision for the future, using light as a medium to reinterpret familiar Indonesian and Betawi cultural symbols through a contemporary design language.
A key part of the creative approach was to translate everyday cultural objects, traditions, and celebrations into large-scale illuminated installations.
One of the visual inspirations came from the traditional rice cracker tin jar—a familiar object found in many Indonesian households. Its distinctive form was reinterpreted into a contemporary illuminated structure, transforming an everyday object into a playful architectural element within the festival environment.
Another important cultural reference was the tumpeng, Indonesia’s traditional cone-shaped yellow rice dish. Often prepared for celebrations, ceremonies, and important occasions, the tumpeng symbolizes gratitude, prosperity, togetherness, and the connection between people and their surroundings. Its mountain-like form became an inspiration for the festival’s sculptural language, translating the familiar silhouette into a contemporary light installation.
The festival also drew heavily from Betawi cultural traditions, reflecting the local identity of Jakarta and the historic character of Kota Tua. Elements inspired by Betawi dance, traditional live performances, martial arts, and giant puppets were reinterpreted as visual motifs and large-scale illuminated objects.
These cultural references were not simply reproduced as decorations. They were abstracted, enlarged, and transformed through different materials and lighting techniques, including LED balloons, illuminated lanterns, light sculptures, and decorative structures. The result creates a contemporary interpretation of traditional forms while maintaining their cultural character.
The use of giant illuminated puppets and LED balloon structures, for example, brings the playful spirit of Betawi street performances into the nighttime environment. Meanwhile, lanterns and sculptural light elements create layers of atmosphere throughout the historic district, encouraging visitors to experience familiar cultural symbols in an unexpected way.
Through this approach, the designer sought to create a visual language where tradition meets technology—preserving recognizable cultural references while presenting them through contemporary forms, materials, and light.
Set within the heritage architecture of Kota Tua, the installations create a dialogue between Jakarta’s past, present, and future. The project demonstrates how local culture can become a source of contemporary design inspiration, transforming traditional symbols into immersive experiences for a new generation.
Client
PT Artha Inti Komunika – Jakarta Light Festival
Year
2025
Role
Event Creative Director & Installation designer
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