About
Established in 2016 by Australian and Indonesian museum professionals, Southeast Asia Museum Services (SEAMS) has extensive experience delivering a range of creative and innovative projects for our clients in the cultural sector.
MUSEUM
Provenance research Significance assessments Cataloguing Database and archives management Storyline and label development Exhibition design Detailed engineering design (DED) & budget planning Interactive displays & immersive experience
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Educational programs for teachers and students Educational packs E-learning modules Curatorial workshops Significance assessment workshops
STRATEGY AND OUTREACH
Brand identity development Audience research Website development Social media strategies
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Heritage interpretation Social history documentation Environmental design Community Engagement Programs Conservation Management Plans Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA)
Services
Co-founders
Dwirahmi Suryandari
Museum and Heritage Specialist
Dwirahmi Suryandari (Ami) is a museum and heritage specialist, currently a Predoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin. Her fellowship is part of the Berlin Center for the History of Knowledge, a collaboration between MPIWG and Berlin’s Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität, and Technische Universität. She holds a Master’s degree in World Heritage Studies from BTU Cottbus, Germany. Ami has contributed to heritage initiatives across Indonesia, including World Heritage site nominations and significance assessments of museum collections. As an independent curator, she has developed exhibitions such as Retrospective of Early 20th Century Semarang and The Work and Life of Thomas Karsten. She is also the author of Chinatown Semarang, a book exploring the Peranakan culture of her hometown.
Dyah Pandam Mitayani
Education and Design Specialist
Dyah Pandam Mitayani (Mita) is an education and design specialist with a Master of Arts in Education in Arts and Cultural Settings from King’s College London. She brings her expertise to the development of engaging exhibitions and educational programs, and has collaborated with institutions such as UNESCO, the Western Australian Museum, and the Indonesian Heritage Agency. Her notable projects include Tetangga: People, Places, and Objects Across Borders, the revitalization of the Taman Siswa Museum’s permanent exhibition, and most recently, serving as the lead exhibition designer for Furnitur Bertutur, a temporary exhibition that explores the multicultural history of Batavia through historical furniture collections. Passionate about fostering cultural understanding, Mita is committed to creating inclusive and meaningful learning experiences through museum design and education.
Andrew Henderson
Museum and Heritage Specialist
Andrew Henderson is a museum and heritage specialist with over a decade of experience working in museums, archives, and heritage projects across the Asia-Pacific. He holds a Master of Cultural Heritage from the Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific at Deakin University, Australia. Andrew has worked with UNESCO in its Jakarta, Bangkok, and Siem Reap offices, contributing to initiatives on museum development, archival preservation, and World Heritage site management. From 2014 to 2022, he served as Secretary-General of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia-Pacific (MOWCAP), leading regional efforts to safeguard and promote access to documentary heritage. He has also co-edited publications, including Memory of the World: 20 Years of MOWCAP. Currently a Museum and Heritage Specialist with Southeast Asia Museum Services (SEAMS), Andrew is a member of the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS).
Team
Retno Ayu Lestari
Research Coordinator
Retno Ayu Lestari (Retno) graduated in Archaeology from Universitas Indonesia in 2015 and has collaborated with museums across Indonesia to design and deliver educational programs for children and families, including work with the Museum Sarkofagus in Gianyar, Bali, and the Museum Sejarah Jakarta. She has served as assistant curator for several temporary exhibitions at the UP Museum Kesejarahan Jakarta, such as MH Thamrin dan Kisah Lain dari Senen, Gempita Layar Perak di Jakarta, and Furnitur Bertutur. She also has experience in conducting collection research and developing databases for both the UP Museum Kesejarahan Jakarta and the Museum BRI Purwokerto. With a strong interest in museums and cultural heritage preservation, she is committed to connecting diverse audiences with cultural heritage through engaging and meaningful approaches. Contact: retno@seams.id
Hafnidar
Senior Researcher
Hafnidar holds a Master's degree in Museology from the University of Indonesia. She previously served as the head of the Aceh Tsunami Museum and has been a curator since 2015 for various projects, including designing the permanent exhibition at the President Museum (Balai Kirti) and curating objects for a new museum in Aceh. During her time in this role, she has collaborated with UNDRR Kobe as a speaker for museum and disaster almost every World Tsunami Museum Conference. She is deeply interested in all aspects of museum exhibition design, including how to convey substantial meaning and make exhibitions inclusive.
Nur Kanah
Researcher
Nur Kanah (Kanah) is a Bachelor of Archaeology graduate from the University of Jambi (2021) and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Archaeology at Gadjah Mada University. With over three years of experience in cultural heritage preservation and interpretation, she has served as a field archaeologist, research assistant, and field facilitator, and has been involved in various national and international initiatives in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and UNESCO. Her expertise includes research, conservation, project coordination, and community empowerment, with a focus on developing sustainable culture-based programs that create meaningful impact for communities.
Hasna Alya
Researcher
Hasna is a Bachelor of Archaeology graduate from Universitas Indonesia (2024) with academic and professional experience in cultural heritage preservation. She was awarded the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards scholarship to study at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany, where she contributed to an English-language collection label project at the Museum in the Kulturbrauerei. She has also conducted socio-cultural research on the Karmawibhangga reliefs in collaboration with BRIN and participated in the Short Course Development of Indonesian Maritime Archaeology, organised by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia in partnership with the University of Sydney. Currently, she is involved in research of the Governor-General portrait collection at the Jakarta History Museum, and is involved in the temporary exhibition Furnitur Bertutur. With a passion for material culture, public history, and inclusive heritage practices, she is committed to connecting diverse audiences with cultural heritage through research-based and community-empowering programmes. Contact: hasna@seams.id
Adelia Rahma Pratiwi
Cataloguer
Adelia Rahma Pratiwi (Adel) is a final year Archaeology undergraduate student at Universitas Indonesia. During the last few semesters of her studies, she has been involved in museum projects including the creation of an exhibition, the creation of public programs, and the writing of a book at the Maritime Museum; visitor research at the Textile Museum; and the creation of a public program at the Jakarta History Museum. In addition, she has also been involved as a cataloging assistant in maritime archaeology research, which is conducted between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and Flinders University.
MUNICIPLITIES
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia
Indonesian Heritage Agency (IHA)
Embassy of the United States of America, Jakarta
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands
Office of Culture of Jakarta
Office of Culture of Sawahlunto City
Office of Culture of the Special Region of Yogyakarta
ORGANIZATION
Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Southeast Asia
EDUCATION
Cultural Heritage Asia-Pacific Group, Deakin University Australia
Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (SSEAC), The University of Sydney
Universitas Gadjah Mada
MUSEUMS & ARCHIVES
Western Australian Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum
Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum of Thailand
National Museum of Indonesia
National Gallery of Indonesia
Jakarta History Museum
Wayang Museum
Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum, Jakarta
Jakarta Textile Museum
Jakarta Maritime Museum
Betawi Museum
Benyamin Suaeb Museum
Sumpah Pemuda Museum
Jakarta Cultural Heritage Conservation Center
Sonobudoyo Museum, Yogyakarta
Dewantara Kirti Griya Tamansiswa Museum
Vredeburg Fort Museum, Yogyakarta
Huang (Oei) House Museum, Lasem
Borobudur Conservation Office
Old Banten Archaeological Site Museum
Multatuli Museum, Banten
Pedir Museum, Aceh
South Sulawesi Cultural Heritage Preservation Center, Makassar
Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum, Palembang
Samarinda City Museum, East Kalimantan
Mulawarman Museum, East Kalimantan
Marine Heritage Gallery