Matthew Borden, MPP '16, is a native of nowhere in particular. He has carried “home” with him from the San Francisco Bay Area to Durham, from Mexico to Borneo and several scattered places in between. His sketchpad travels with him, and in its pages you'll find windows into daily life in Singapore, Jakarta and cities all over the world.
"[Sketching] encourages me to go outside and capture all the interesting people, shapes, and colors that make up my studio for the day."
Now based in Indonesia—a transcontinental country made up of Java, Sumatra, Bali, most of Borneo, half of New Guinea, and more or less 17,000 other islands scattered across Southeast Asia—Borden works at a poverty action lab called J-PAL. His goal is to translate scientific research into effective policies that will reduce the burden of poverty in the region.
To better understand the city where he lives and works, Borden captures his observations through art: watercolor paintings or drawings of town squares or famous landmarks.
"Sketching has been one way for me to get to know the many faces of this town, and I’ve enjoyed learning some of its history along the way," he said. "Sketches with pens and watercolor always catch my attention. It’s a casual, unfussy medium that encourages me to go outside and capture all the interesting people, shapes, and colors that make up my studio for the day."
Indonesia isn't new to Borden, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in East Java from 2012 to 2014 and focused his master's project on protecting the forests of Kalimantan, Borneo. But he is always learning something new, sharing his discoveries with friends and family online.
"I recently started posting [my sketches] on Instagram, where I can share some history or interesting facts about a place."
As Borden travels through Indonesia, Southeast Asia and beyond, his sketchbook grows, the pages filling up with color.
"There's so much to see here," he said. Next up on his wish-list: the highland forests of Papua and the coral reefs of South Sulawesi.
For now, as Borden makes Jakarta his headquarters, he offers a few thoughts on what it means to be "home:"
"A friend once told me that home is where you hang your hat. Another friend told me that as we grow older and move to new places, we’re simply adding to the number of homes we have."
"A friend once told me that home is where you hang your hat. Another friend told me that as we grow older and move to new places, we’re simply adding to the number of homes we have. I love to travel and I like both of these perspectives. I think of 'home' as a connection to a place, people, and feeling a sense of purpose."
As his purpose in life flows, so too do his paintbrushes. Visit Matt in Indo for more on his work.
