Ja-kotuwa

We collaborated with our carpenter to source rare and wild timbers and sculpted them into a dramatic fence-like structure that wraps around behind the bedhead and then forms the partition wall for the vanity area in order to bring ‘Ja Kotuwa‘ to life. It represents the lagoon fishermen’s Ja Kotuwa traps, which are bamboo poles lashed together in a long row and strung across the lake like a necklace. The ‘trap’ is built at the deepest point along the structure, allowing prawns, crabs, and fish to enter but not leave. When it gets dark, they paddle out to their traps, hang kerosene lanterns over the water and wait for the prawns to be drawn to the surface by the light.