Artisans compete at handicrafts festival

Irawaty Wardany ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 06/30/2008 10:49 AM  |  Bali

The sounds produced by dozens of wooden hammers hitting iron chisels filled the Werdhi Budaya Art Center on Friday, during a handicraft competition between 48 of Bali's finest wood-carvers.

Bali has long been known not only for its beautiful scenery but also its equally stunning handicrafts.

The handicraft competition, as part of the ongoing monthlong 30th Bali Art festival, was testimony to the high level of creativity of the island's artists.

The woodcarving competition was divided into two categories, souvenirs and wall decorations, each with 24 participants.

Contestants brought a finished work and a raw, uncarved piece of wood. They then were told to carve the material and produce the exact replica of their existing finished work -- all to be completed in four hours.

Despite the local and foreign spectators who flocked to the competition, when the master of ceremony announced the start of the competition, participants immediately immersed themselves in their works. Oblivious to the scrutinizing eyes of the judges and the noisy spectators, the artisans took their raw materials and began shaping the wood.

A participant, I Made Ardana of Penatih District, Denpasar, said it was his first competition.

"I usually carve door frames, not wall decorations, but I thought I had nothing to lose by trying something new. So, I joined the wall decoration category," he told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.

He prepared the design of his work, Tewasnya Marica (The Death of Marica), three weeks before the competition.

The work depicts a scene from Hindu's great epic of Ramayana. Using the sun, moon, earth and other planets, he also portrays the balance between macrocosmic and microcosmic worlds.

Separately I Putu Sedana Yoga, a staffer at Buleleng Trade and Industry Agency, said the competition's committee told each regency to send three artists for each category of the competition.

"We selected the best artists in our region. We prioritized the artists who always develop new designs," he said.

However, he said he did not expect Buleleng's artists to win the competition because all artists in Bali were very good.

"They are all masters in their business," he said.

I Nyoman Ardana, one of the judges, said the theme for the competition followed that of the 30th Bali Art Festival's main theme of Citta Wretti Nirodha (self-control to reach balance and harmony).

"We are looking for works that best represent the theme and met three criteria: creativity, aesthetic and finishing," he said.

At the end of competition, the judges announced the winners. In the souvenir category, artists from Buleleng, Gianyar and Denpasar came first, second and third respectively.

In the wall decoration category Gianyar's artisans took first and second places while an artist from Badung took third place.

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