The Innovation Exhibition and Pop Art Market was held as part of Gema Kampus 2025 (Golden Generation National Festival). The exhibition took place on the jogging track at the Hasanuddin University (Unhas) football field, right next to the music concert venue, on Saturday, 24 May 2025.
The Unhas Director of Innovation and Intellectual Property, Asmi Citra Malina, S.Pi, M.Agr., Ph.D, explained how the exhibition came about. The directorate communicated intensively with the Akar Indonesia team, the initiator and organizer of the event.
Unhas and Akar Indonesia prepared a total of 33 exhibition booths. Five booths were dedicated to the event’s sponsors. Another six booths were provided for several higher education institutions outside Unhas, namely Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Politeknik Negeri Ujung Pandang, Politeknik Pertanian Pangkep, Universitas Bosowa and Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar.
The remaining 22 booths were filled with a variety of innovative products created by the Unhas academic community. The dozens of works on display were wide-ranging, from engineering products, agricultural technology and agricultural produce to animal husbandry, forestry, health, culinary and creative products.
“This proves that Unhas is not a campus that is only busy with theory. Lecturers, researchers and students have taken concrete steps to realize the vision of an Impactful Campus (Kampus Berdampak),” said Citra.
One of the creative innovations on display was woven cloth produced using the Lontara Shibori technique. Woven Shibori was created by Catharine Ellis (a weaving artist from the United States) in the early 1990s.
Three Unhas inventors, Dr. Irma Andriyani, Dr. Zulfitriyani Dwiyanti Mustaka and Dr. Asmi Citra Malina, infused the Shibori technique with the character of Lontara, the distinctive script of Bugis-Makassar culture.
“The product has been used by the Takalar Regency Government, which is a partner in its development. The motifs of the Lontara Shibori woven cloth are currently going through the patent registration process,” said Citra.
On a separate occasion, Unhas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc, explained that the innovative products created by Unhas lecturers, researchers and students are a tangible manifestation of the university’s role in development.
“Unhas came down from the ivory tower long ago. We are here, at one with the community, delving into the real problems they face and offering solutions through research and innovation,” said Prof. JJ.
The Innovation Exhibition and Pop Art Market at the Gema Kampus 2025 national festival drew thousands of visitors, who were also there to watch the national music concert.(*/ir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.