Yohanes Arya Duta is a trained industrial designer and independent researcher. He is an active contributor to community development projects in a number of rural areas of Indonesia. Arya’s design work is inspired by his research into local crafts traditions and implemented through many creative outlets and collaborative works. He designed a tableware set to present Indonesian craftsmanship through food diplomacy for the 2022 G20 sumit held in Bali, Indonesia.

Arya’s research into the material-culture of rattan in Jagoi Babang West Borneo was displayed at Borneo Cultures Museum Kuching, Malaysia. Currently, he is continuing his research archiving endangered rattan material species in relation to the practical knowledge of the Dayak Bidayuh tribe to conserve the community’s land tenure. Data from this research will be preserved at the British Museum open access repository under creative common license.