Jakarta, Indonesia

I’ve recently become acquainted with a remarkable fellow: Bambang P. Eryanto (thanks to the vagaries of the Internet). Artist, engineer, entrepreneur, visionary… Bambang graduated with a degree in Science in 1998, at which time he left his hometown for the capital of Indonesia… “supposedly promising jobs and an exciting career,” some 500km from his home village, armed with a mere Rp 50.000  (less than USD $6), given to him by his parents.

In Bambang’s own delightful ESL parlance: “In my heart I promise I will not go home until I was quite successful. Long story short I experienced a lot of work, until finally I stood alone and own a business in the field of electrical and construction, has been almost 10 years I wrestle this field there is a feeling saturated, but I can not leave this business, because many are related, such as employees, family and many who rely on this business, also the suppliers who have to sell the goods to us. At the moment getting fed up that I began to delegate to others who can help my leadership, step by step moving towards success.”

“From here I went back to my hobby rather (than) lie fallow, that is painting. Actually painting hobby I’ve lived since the year 1976, when it I was only 16 years old.  Although it was a hobby but I do professionally, and several times exhibitions, including solo exhibition, this achievement that makes me happy, because I was self-taught painter. But I knew painted does not involve a lot of people, all I can do myself, I realize living in developing countries, I met a lot of unemployed, homeless, beggars, people who are not school. If I just paint, I’m very selfish, and there is a feeling of sin is still a lot to see my people suffer. My Country which is too limited, there is no unemployment benefits, no medical benefits and education fee is very expensive for the average person. On the other hand I also can not build a new company and hold them to pay, because companies need time to build, capital and skills that are not small. While they need to eat right away.”

“Apparently God Allmighty—knowing will be his people who want to help others, not much in the environment and power grid construction projects in my company. There are many things I find stuff like the rest of the project, iron pipes, Polycarbonate, PVC pipe, various bottles, wire, etc. Year 2005, from here I began encouraging because things I found was actually new, though it rest. And the most appalling is the number of pvc pipes are sometimes thrown away, and we know plastic decompose in the ground it took more than 100 years. Wire, bottles and crumpled Polycarbonate also granted, sometimes just thrown in the trash.”

You likely get the picture. Bambang re-purposes discarded materials to create employment for others as well as delightful one-of-a-kind artifacts that are useful, emotionally engaging, and in an odd sense… redemptive. Visit his website to learn more, here.

Images: A selection of the delightfully functional assemblages that Bambang et al put together… rock on, Bambang!