Beneath Fingers: Echoing Through the Shadow of a Still House

ARTJOG 2025 – Motif: Amalan

This study stems from a year-long investigation into a large building in Bali where nearly all of the two hundred residents work as home- based workers, many of whom are employed by foreign entrepreneurs. It builds upon previous research on home-based workers, focusing on the rise of fashion and lifestyle businesses led by foreign entrepreneurs who often market their products as ‘ethical’, ‘local’, and ‘sustainable’. Terms like ‘artisan’, ‘collaboration’, and ‘empowerment’ are used as tools to convey stories of empowered housewives, engaged local communities, and products rich in meaning and value.

This work encourages us to explore a space with blurred boundaries; between the bodies that create, the finished products, and the walls that encapsulate the lives of home-based workers. It urges us to listen, reflect, and perhaps question. To listen to voices that are seldom heard and observe work that often goes unnoticed. It prompts us to ponder uncomfortable yet vital questions: What lies beneath these narratives? Do these words truly reflect reality? How does the concept of ‘empowerment’ shift when voiced by a foreign entity? Why do foreign employers opt for home-based workers in Indonesia? How do we navigate the fine line between enticing rhetoric and hidden realities? Because behind every label and slogan, there exists a tangible body, time, and life.