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From Java to the world
Up close: Detailed look of a gunungan is seen in its natural color
Up close: Detailed look of a gunungan is seen in its natural color.
Wayang puppet maker Mulyono of Gunungan art workshop has expanded his mastery in the Javanese-style art by creating gunungan, or mountain symbols seen in wayang shows, with batik-style carvings from Pekalongan, Central Java.
'I call this creation gunungan simply because it is actually gunungan as you commonly see in Javanese puppetry shows, but with some modifications in the carved motifs and color,' Mulyono said.
The gunungan are interesting pieces, especially for those who are fond of Javanese puppetry. The gunungan are suitable for wall decoration as well as tabletop finery.
Mulyono said the idea of modifying the gunungan came about 10 months ago when he met one of Pekalongan's batik masters, Dudung Alie Syahbana.
'Initially, Dudung and I worked together to create batik motifs for fabric. But then we had the idea to apply the motifs to gunungan,' said Mulyono, who comes from Purbalingga, Central Java.
'So, Dudung and I started to design motifs for each gunungan. Each design is for a single gunungan,' he added. 'I can say that all of these pieces of art are the product of collaboration between Purbalingga and Pekalongan artists.'
For the first batch of the modified gunungan creations, Mulyono, who took part in the recent 16th Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair or
Inacraft, chose the parang motif for the main carving as it symbolizes the strong leadership of Javanese kings.
At the fair, he displayed three large colored gunungan ' each measuring 3 meters in height ' as well as several smaller ones, which were 70 centimeters tall.
'I put some puppetry tales in the big ones. Those two, for example, portray a spiritual journey by Brotoseno. Meanwhile, another one depicts the popular Ramayana,' he said.
For the smaller ones, said Mulyono, they generally maintained their natural color.
'All of these gunungan works are made of buffalo skin. I add colors to the big ones, to catch visitors' attention and keep it natural for the smaller gunungan to maintain a slight authentic feel.'
Mulyono said that he used the same method to produce the modified gunungan as he usually did for classic ones.
'The basic carving technique is all the same. What makes it different is the brilliant batik motif, which is designed by Dudung.'
The puppet maker said the gunungan are priced between Rp 5 million (US$433.59) and Rp 75 million.
Besides gunungan, Mulyono also applies batik motifs to wooden boards, measuring some 150 cm in height.
'The engraved wooden boards are great decoration items for corners,' he said, adding that the boards are priced from Rp 7.5 million.
Another craftsman, Herlambang Rianto of Aura Batik, applies the basic technique of batik to fabrics before turning them into beautiful door adornments.
'What I have here is basically a simple door curtain, which is adopted from Japanese home décor,' said Herlambang, who has designed, produced and sold the items since 2006.
'I apply the all the steps of the batik-making process for this type of piece, however I design my own motifs ' basically, they are contemporary batik pieces,' said Herlambang,
After years of introducing the work, his style began to garner buyers' attention. Each door curtain set measures 80 cm in width and 150 cm in length. They are sold at Rp 450,000 per set.
'I draw anything that crosses my mind, which I think has an interesting value, for the curtain motifs,' said the man, whose workshops are located in Bandung and Pekalongan.
'This year, for example, I'm focusing on images that resemble unique professions in Indonesia like a traditional satay seller. Some years ago, I created jamu [herbal medicine] lady imagery for my motifs. In addition, I also expose our cultural activities, such as cockfighting.'
With growing demand from Malaysia and Japan, Herlambang said he also had to continue applying standard motifs, like flora and fauna.
'Japanese buyers love curtains with banana tree motifs, as well as leaves and flowers with brown, red and blue. Meanwhile, Malaysians like floral motifs but not those with fauna or motifs with images of people.'
' Photos by Niken Prathivi
