Amsterdam Worldwide unveiled the next instalment in a series of profile films for Intel. Its latest work, called Batik Fractal, showcases Indonesia - a country steeped in ancient customs but fast becoming an important emerging market for Intel.
Batik Fractal further enhances Intel's Visibly Smart campaign, designed to highlight the brand's 2nd Generation Intel Core Processor family. Amsterdam Worldwide's previous profile films - The Sartorialist and Kitty & Lala - have both received global critical acclaim and attracted more than 12 million views across 198 countries.
Batik Fractal is a glimpse into the renaissance of modern Indonesia through the eyes of a young designer and businesswoman, Nancy Margried. Viewers witness how traditional batik methods are being transformed by 3D modelling software, helping local designers and everyday people realise their creative ambitions. Batik is an important cultural symbol of Indonesia - a fabric dyeing and printing method shrouded in meaning and mythology.
Nancy's Bandung-based studio - also named Batik Fractal - specialises in creating batik fabric and clothing. While the traditional artisan methods of batik production prevail to ensure quality, new technology plays a central role in the design process. Using mathematical software, Nancy and her team are able to construct geometric 'fractal' diagrams to create intricate new batik patterns.
Amsterdam Worldwide's film opens with scenes of busy Indonesian city streets and verdant rural landscapes, portrayed to echo the geometric design cues found in Batik Fractal's work. The five-minute profile includes a tour of Indonesia's sights and sounds - including bustling city markets and the iconic gardens of Taman Sari castle, - close-ups of new patterns being rendered with Batik Fractal's software, and the process of creating batik prints. Viewers are given an insight into how Nancy recreates the patterns she finds in nature, architecture, art, and photography in her work.
The film also includes a showcase of some of Batik Fractal's latest creations, modelled by everyday people.
The cinematography portrays a sensitive, understated snapshot of a nation respectful of its unique culture, while searching for a way forward, incorporating technology into daily life. The overall effect is a stunning picture of a country at the crossroads of the ancient and modern.
"Batik Fractal's work epitomises the independent, creative spirit celebrated by our Visual Life films," said Brian Elliott, founder and chief executive of Amsterdam Worldwide. "Indonesia is adopting technology on its own terms - it has the second largest Facebook community with 40 million users. Nancy and her team are at the forefront of where culture, technology, and commerce meet - themes central to Intel's 'Visibly Smart' strategy."
Radical Media, Sydney, are the production team who worked with Amsterdam Worldwide on the 'Batik Fractal' film, directed by Australian director Hannah Hilliard.