The Designer
The Designer
Jean-Pierre Bobbaers
The Designer Who Transforms Stories into Objects of Memory
Belgian designer Jean-Pierre Bobbaers, known affectionately as J.P. in Ubud, is the visionary behind Mythical Figures of Bali™. With a career spanning over four decades, he has consistently pushed the boundaries between technology and tradition, design and meaning, form and memory.
As the founder of IMAGINIF, a Brussels- and Bali-based design agency, Jean-Pierre has led projects in interior, retail, and industrial design. His work has shaped flagship stores, immersive experiences, and branded spaces across Europe and Asia — including the indoor 3,000 sqm Houbii Urban Adventure Park in Jakarta, where spatial storytelling and emotional engagement merged into one.
But Mythical Figures of Bali™ is different.
It’s not retail design.
It’s not fashion.
It’s a return to meaning — through a souvenir that lasts.
A Life Between Digital and Craft
Long before 3D modeling became mainstream, Jean-Pierre pioneered the use of CAD in architecture and digital design tools. Over the decades, he refined these skills into a craft that bridges innovation with heritage.
Today, he uses digital sketching, 3D modeling, and high-precision fabrication to create objects that don’t follow trends — they preserve memory. These are not decorative designs, but souvenirs of meaning, designed to last beyond a holiday.
Discovering the Soul of Bali
Jean-Pierre first set foot in Ubud in 2016. What started as a detour from a design project in Jakarta became a deep, lasting connection. He was drawn not just to the beauty of Bali, but to its rituals, mythology, and symbolism — and to how these elements live in everyday life, from temple gates to the daily offerings made in front of homes.
Figures like Barong, Hanoman, Dewi Sri, Dwarapala, and the Lion spoke to him not as folklore, but as values: protection, balance, courage, fertility, and grace.
They were never meant to be jewelry.
He saw them as souvenirs of the soul — wearable symbols that let you carry a piece of Bali with you.
Creating the Mythical Figures of Bali™ Collection
The collection began with hand-drawn sketches, digitally refined through CAD, and printed in high-definition brass using one of the world’s leading 3D printing studios. From there, the pieces were cast in silver by master artisans in Celuk, the heart of Bali’s silver heritage.
Each figure is then oxidized for depth, engraved, and mounted on recycled leather straps or packaged in presentation tubes — ready to be offered not as fashion, but as a keepsake, a reminder.
It’s a fusion of digital precision and ancestral craft — a process never seen before in Bali.
Why It Matters
Jean-Pierre never set out to make jewelry.
He created souvenirs in the original sense of the word — from the French “souvenir”, meaning “to remember.”
Objects that carry with them the stories of a culture, and the spirit of a place.
They’re not sold online.
They’re not mass-produced.
They’re only available in a curated selection of 4–5 star hotels in Ubud — places that, like the figures themselves, honor craft, culture, and care.
“Mythical Figures of Bali™ is not about decoration.
It’s about memory — of Bali, of stories, and of what truly matters.”
— Jean-Pierre Bobbaers