Part 2
The Story of Pak Ismed and the Construction of Emme
Most important to him are the less measurable conditions that shape the quality of construction—the morale of the craftsmen, the rhythm of the work, and the atmosphere in which people spend their days.
Emme chose not simply to appoint a contractor and await the result. It was important for the team to remain close to the process of making. Instead, the team worked alongside Ismed and his team, engaging in detailed dialogue with the highly skilled craftsmen and giving form to the intentions of the two creators. In doing so, it remained closely involved in the project’s daily decisions, difficulties, and discoveries. This hands-on approach has been demanding. It has also been essential. The spirit of Emme could not be defined independently of the way Emme was built.
On site, Ismed’s priorities are clear, and of course technique and safety come first. But he understands that the quality of construction also depends on less measurable conditions—the morale of the craftsmen, the rhythm of the work, and the atmosphere in which people spend their days. His role is therefore not limited to coordinating labour or resolving details. He sustains the human structure that allows a hundred individuals to work with common purpose.
Twenty months have passed since construction began in February 2025. The decision to entrust the project to Ismed and his team now feels not simply vindicated, but foundational.
During this time, the site has become a place of learning as much as production. Techniques have been refined. The team has grown more assured and more closely attuned. Friendships have formed through the long, exacting process of making something together. These developments may be less immediately visible than the buildings themselves, but they are no less integral to Emme.
Architecture is often presented as the expression of a singular vision. In practice, it emerges through the accumulated judgement of many hands. At Emme, the craftsmen are not peripheral to the work; they are among its authors. Their knowledge, discipline, and care are embedded in every surface, junction, and proportion.
“With my long trust in Andra, and having found the purpose Emme stands for, here in the sacred nature of Tabanan, I’m glad to be part of something new.”
From an interview with Pak Ismed, Emme’s Head of Construction.
What Ismed and his team have built is therefore more than a group of structures. They have helped establish a culture of making—one grounded in trust, technical rigour, and collective pride. It is this culture that forms the deeper foundation of Emme, and from which its future growth must come.
“This project will change how we think about architecture and construction. Watching nature, design, craft, contemporary art, space, and local culture come together as one has been a constant source of wonder for me.”
Museum Information
Visits — By Invitation Only Beginning Late 2026
Opening Information: Receive the latest opening updates by email — Get Updates
About Emme
Emme is a museum born from the union of nature, art, and architecture. At its heart is a permanent exhibition space shaped through dialogue, complemented by educational programs and a restaurant. Emme is jointly operated by Yayasan Emmerald for Earth—a public foundation based in Bali, Indonesia—and PT Desa Emme Rald, with a portion of the museum’s proceeds directed toward environmental and educational initiatives in the region.
People with deep ties to Indonesia and the wider Asian region were central to the founding of Emme, carrying the hope that the extraordinary experience of art and creativity might continue to circulate across generations. To carry this place—once fallow farmland near Tanah Lot Temple—into the years ahead, Emme invited two creators and entrusted them with that vision.
Born of a cross-border dialogue between architect and artist, the space gives precedence to the land’s original vegetation, threading between the trees and taking shape, almost as a plant grows, in response to the orientation of the sun and the passage of the stars.
Exhibition spaces, large and small, welcome visitors. The character of each space resonates with elements this place has long held dear and that we, in turn, seek to honor: continual change, as though breathing with nature; the play of light and shadow; and a deep respect for nature.
Emme spans approximately 5,000 m² on a 1 ha site. Visitors move through its waterways and courtyards, coming upon works in dialogue with natural light. The light that shifts from morning through dusk into night becomes part of the act of viewing itself; that the works change expression with the weather and the hour is among their defining qualities. Special programs are also held after sundown. The permanent collection gathers golden rain, waves of light, a landscape of tens of thousands of fallen leaves, and a large, luminous painting—works built on light, air, wind, and nature.
Those creators, whose work had already deeply moved us, are both based in Asia and active internationally: Andra Matin (architecture) and Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO (artworks and spatial concept). Andra Matin works with materials that live in concert with nature, shaping architecture that weathers gracefully over time. Eugene Kangawa, whose work includes the series described above, has long created paintings and spaces that seem to speak to the strength to live and to human existence itself amid the ceaseless flow of time and an ever-changing world.
Andra Matin has said of the museum: “The space and the artworks—both grounded in a deep respect for nature—merge with the spirit of Bali.” Drawing on Natah, the traditional Balinese principle of dwelling, Emme leaves its center unbuilt, giving the space instead to a water garden. The architecture is composed chiefly of terracotta and volcanic stone produced in Bali.
Emme was created so that hope for a life lived within nature, and the felt reality of being present here, might be shared across generations. It is our sincere wish that the wonder and hope we ourselves once felt through their artworks, as well as through the architecture, will carry something forward to generations yet to come. May this remarkable experience—of art and creation—circulate through society.
Finally, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this museum possible: those involved in its architecture and construction, in the making and installation of the works, the artists, the surrounding communities, and the many others who offered their support and cooperation.
Operated by: Yayasan Emmerald for Earth / PT Desa Emme Rald