Only two months ago, I was waxing poetic about the impressive invitations and glorious smaller projects I was involved with designing. Unbeknownst to me, I was just learning to pedal this brand new bike, and could not have imagined the adventure that was about to unfold, just around the very next corner. Last month, Regina Rubino and Robert Louey invited me to join them in visiting a new client… in Borneo.
Passport on the ready & luggage packed, I was ready to embrace this experience with diligence and enthusiasm. Like the first person to pry open an oyster in hopes for a morsel, only to discover the precious pearl within, I was awestruck. The relentless natural beauty of the resort and the way the architecture seemed to emerge from the earth was breathtaking.
Equally as impressive was the cultural sweetness and sincerity of the people. From drivers to hotel staff, and markets, everyone was friendly, hospitable, and assuredly genuine. I felt I was among family.
The discoveries I made, in terms of geography, culture and self will last a lifetime. The professional ground gained was rich and loamy and will serve my career and our clients well.
A heaving leap made was realizing the importance of being immersed in a culture and the environment, while endeavoring to communicate to the public it’s very fabric. To be able to feel it’s warp & weft, to hear the rustling of the trees and feel the resulting droplets on one’s skin, to drink in the aromatically infused air, and to hear whispers of the local language in hushed tones… this is what enables us to translate essence and experience to the visual page. From the cloth being sold on the streets in the marketplace, to the feeling of the sand beneath your feet, this is the language of being. Our charge is to interpret actually being here, to our collateral works.
This was a week of education and growth in the most extraordinary environment. I learned about service, preservation, architecture, to communicate the language of hospitality, and how our strategies and conceptual design sketches come to life… all within the confines of a heavenly rainforest by the tranquil sea.
The last evening we were there, the staff held a special dinner for us. Upon the table were placed a number of items, each referencing our visit and things we had discussed, some were simply words in passing, written on beautiful leaves gathered around the property. They quietly took great care in listening to our every utterance. This was a precious gift which I found to be transformative. In their listening to me, i think I actually hear differently.
In this week, I became an interpreter.
~ Janelle Toner
~ Janelle Toner
