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Sparkling creativity
ACTRESS-WRITER HAPPY SALMA AND SRI LUCE RUSNA, THE CREATIVE FORCES BEHIND CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY LABEL TULOLA, ARE PAYING HOMAGE TO INDONESIAâS CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE EXQUISITE PITA LOKA COLLECTION
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ACTRESS-WRITER HAPPY SALMA AND SRI LUCE RUSNA, THE CREATIVE FORCES BEHIND CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY LABEL TULOLA, ARE PAYING HOMAGE TO INDONESIA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE EXQUISITE PITA LOKA COLLECTION.
Friends and business partner Happy Salma and Sri Luce Rusna often fi nd the ideas for their collaborations for Tulola during chats over coffee.
'We have a lot of discussions and brainstorming and I let Sri knows my inspirations, which she transforms into her jewelry designs,' explains Happy.
'And I am always surprised with what Sri comes up with. Our collaboration is like school; we are both learning about new things and the forgotten history of Indonesia.'
It was during one recent coffee morning that Happy, who is deeply passionate about the country's rich and colorful past, recounted the tale of the Bubat War in 1367 and beautiful Sundanese princess Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi.
The story reveals the betrayal that befell Princess Pitaloka after accepting the offer of marriage from Hayam Wuruk, King of Majapahit. At the Bubat estate, the supposed wedding venue, the princess and her family were attacked and defeated by Hayam Wuruk's viceroy, Gajah Mada, and his army.
To defend her honor and the pride of her kingdom, Princess Pitaloka took her own life. 'What was intriguing about the story was how the Pitaloka character had transcended the ages as the myth of Nyi Roro Kidul or the goddess of the sea,' says Sri. 'It was her human experience of love, loss and death, as well as her emotional and spiritual
evolution of that ending in her reincarnation as the sea goddess, that inspired the collection.'
Happy and Sri traveled to Bandung and immersed themselves in Sundanese culture, poring over the extant historical fragments about Pitaloka prior to creating the collection.
'Happy was able to source an ancient poem written in Sundanese Sanskrit, which was composed as a song. She then recorded it as the theme song for the Pita Loka Exhibition,' says Sri.
Works of Art
Tulola elegantly revives the heartbreaking Pitaloka tale into a series of gorgeous jewelry pieces.
'The designs are very personal and they express a woman's feelings like strength, sadness and beauty,' says Happy. 'So anyone who wears the collection will feel different according to her personality.'
Without a doubt, compared to Tulola's previous collections, the Pita Loka series presents more highly complex design forms that not only showcase the label's sophisticated persona but also its brilliant innovative ability.
'We focused on developing unusual styles of the traditional subeng earrings. We worked with custom crafted crystals to create crystal spheres and spikes as the central components of the designs,' says Sri.
'We were also able to develop a very highly complex mechanism that allowed us to craft subeng using lattice lace and very fi ne motifs.'
As a literal representation of Pitaloka in her reincarnation as the sea goddess, lovely pearls and mother of pearls are used as the main materials of the series, which comprises pendants and necklaces, rings and eclectic subeng.
'I focused on the iridescent white color of the pearls as a symbol of Pitaloka's spiritual journey,' explains Sri. 'And we selected pearls and mother of pearls from the southern seas of Indonesia, specifi cally Sulawesi and Lombok.'
Stylish Tribute
The Tulola Pita Loka Exhibition was offi cially opened on Saturday at DIA.LO.GUE Art Space in Kemang, South Jakarta. From the breathtaking performance by a dancer wearing a costume exclusively made by Biasa clothing, an attractive video art presentation by artist Jasmine Suteja, the haunting Sundanese live music recital and of course the fabulous handcrafted jewelry pieces ' all would certainly make Princess Pitaloka proud.
'I hope many people come and can appreciate the hard work of Tulola, and are able learn to love and respect Indonesian jewelry motifs because Indonesia has millions of unique designs,' says Happy of the exhibition, held from Nov. 17-Nov. 25.
The one thing that separates Tulola from other similar jewelry labels is the unique blend of cultures and heritage that make up the founding members. 'Tulola is an Indonesian label but we are also international at the same time. Much like Happy and myself,' says Sri, who has an American father and Balinese mother.
Tulola's trademark design walks a fi ne line between ethnic traditional and modern, in which Sri explains.
'Our collections playfully cross these boundaries to explore something new. By focusing the collection in using sterling silver materials dipped in 18k Gold, Rose Gold and Platinum, Tulola is able to produce high quality yet affordable collections.
Happy and Sri are keen on developing Tulola jewelries as aesthetic objects that can be widely treasured.
'We have many ideas ready for 2014 and we certainly will continue to have fun and enjoy our journey in Tulola,' says Happy.
' Photos TULOLA
Tulola Pita Loka Exhibition
Nov. 17-Nov. 25, 2013
DIA.LO.GUE Art Space
Jl. Kemang Selatan 99a
South Jakarta
www.shoptulola.com
