"The cut of a garment speaks of the colour of artistic temperament." Her adaptation of that famous Thomas Carlyle quote probably best describes Maradilla Syachridar, whose outlook on life strives to expand everyone's perspective. This open-minded, eager observer has a voracious curiosity, especially when it comes to literature and left-field music. Maradilla published her debut novel "Ketika Daun Bercerita" in 2008, with the follow-up "Turiya" in 2011. In 2012, she has contributed a short story to the Seno Gumira Ajidarma tribute anthology "Perkara Mengirim Senja", and another anthology pieces, "Menujuh", "Memoritmo". Due to her love of music that is a constant companion during the creative process, Maradilla also lends her talents as a backing vocalist, synthesizer player and songwriter to the electronic pop collective Homogenic. As a result, music and literature becomes the embodiment of a modern and contemporary personality that channels the creative impulses that emanate directly from Maradilla's soul. She dreams of one day combining all those elements into a cohesive work of performance art. There's a lot on Maradilla's plate, then. But what else would you expect from someone whose personal mantra is "I'm against living in status quo"?

Rain Chudori is an award-winning author, curator, and life-long nomad. She is the founder of Moment Studio & curator of Comma Books Publishing. She has written Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories (2015), Imaginary City (2017), and Biru dan Kisah-Kisah Lainnya (2018). She is based in New Delhi, India but belongs everywhere. She is currently an artist in residence in New York.