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A different side of Bali
made with materials sourced
from both Sulawesi and Bali,
combine the seemingly innate
creative flair of his adoptive
island with a typically Japanese
meticulousness. “It takes around
three to four months to produce
an artwork made from glass,”
Torige says.
It wasn’t until his mid-50s that
the artist turned his back on the
frenetic city life of Tokyo. “When
I first visited Bali, I was truly
impressed by [its] mild nature.
That visit sparked my interest to
live and work in Bali,” he recalls.
As if to emphasize his passion for
his surrounds, Torige cites as his
favorite works two of the most
striking in the entire property:
Rimba’s lobby wall and the Rock
Bar’s glass-top bar, in which
thousands of layers of recycled
glass canes sparkle under the
sun. “I wanted to create a delicate
work to be placed among this
wild, beautiful scene,” he says.
“My fervent wish is that the glass
canes — the fruit of our effort
— unite with nature and shine
brightly all the time.”
Surrounded by such contented,
bucolic calm, it’s easy to forget the
troubles that beset the modern
world. And though you’d never
guess it from seeing the area
now, a decade ago this village was
the target of militant extremists
who launched a simultaneous
attack that also rocked Kuta.
One man who’s experienced
Jimbaran’s highs and lows at first
hand is lifelong resident Wayan
Suarnaya (aka Linud), 44, who
coined the Sanskrit name for
Ayana at the time of the resort’s
rebranding in 2009. “It means ‘a
place where gods seek refuge’,”
he says. “I came across this word
while reading
Purana
, a popular
Sanskrit story. I had this image of
‘ayana’ as a utopia for everyone.”
Linud now serves as the resort’s
cultural ambassador, taking
curious guests out on expeditions
by bicycle and on foot, and
helping them “see, feel and
experience life as a Balinese”.
Clockwise from
top left: a colorful
ramp of upcycled
shipyard timber
leads to Rimba’s
reception space;
the hipster-magnet
Rock Bar at Ayana
Resort and Spa;
unconventional
artworks adorn
Rimba’s interior
