My Legendary Wonderland

Let’s get lost in another wonderland! Where we go? I bet it is the place that you’ve never been to. But I swear, this stuff may get you the clue. 

Still got no clue? You’ve got to visit Karimun Java Island!

Here is the wonderland in the end of Java Island: Jepara. It is the port of departure to the enchanting island, Karimun Java. For Indonesians, Jepara is best known for its superb craftsmanship in wood carvings and furniture crafts. But the lovely tale doesn’t end there, the folk art hides its legend. And this is what caught me in curiosity to have traveled this place.

When I firstly got here, I found typical place that just made me wondering why this place is flooded with skilled craftsmen in this kind of art that represents an empire state. Though I didn’t find the ambience of kingdom districts like Solo and Yogyakarta, but its folk stuffs take me to the kingdom atmosphere.  

Based upon the historical story of this place, the craftsmanship existed since the fall of Majapahit kingdom in 15^th century that forced many artisans and carpenters from East Java came to Jepara which was the most important trading port at the time and developed woodcarving skills here. Further, the art of woodcarving reached the fame since the reign of Queen Kalinyamat. It was because during her reign, the queen had a military commander named Ki Badarduwung who was a skilled craftsman that taught the locals his style of woodcarving. 

Aside from the history, there is a legend about this legendary craftsmanship. It is said that long ago lived a famous artist named Ki Sungging Adi. He was asked by the king to carve the statue of the empress. It was such a honour for Ki Sungging Adi to take on the job, but unfortunately his workmanship made the king angered since the king was fully aware of carving details on the body shape and face of the statue. The king then throwing away all of the woodcarving’s tools of Ki Sungging Adi fell in the area what is now known as Jepara. I think that is why Jepara’s woodcarvings are expertly detailed.

Above all, there is unique thing that is interesting to know. Unlike Balinese woodcarvings that portray god and goddess in form of human or animal, Jepara’s woodcarvings portray only flowers, leaves, and trees following teaching of Islam.

Balinese woodcarving portrays human form.

 

Jepara's woodcarving portrays leaves and trees.

But nowadays, Jepara produces many kinds of antique stuffs with versatile designs that have spread to international markets.

 

Have a peek for more of my woodcarving collection and get the catalog now!

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A Thousand Ways to The Wonderland

It's beautiful and I'm about to collect this! Yes, at first glance, this something cute has got me psyched to hunt for since it was launched. I have hunted for it for a long time, and I have finally found it! Well, I just do feel proud of having this on my hand. This limited edition logo is such a scarce thing to find just like an antique stuff. So that, it has got to be a special one for me to put it as part of my gallery as well.

I really do appreciate that Aqua take a bold step to awaken Indonesian cultural heritage through this awesome idea themed 'Temukan Indonesiamu' (Find out your Indonesia) that invites all young people to figure out cultural things of Indonesia they proud of. Love a lot how it takes the youths to its 'wonderland'. It nicely presents Indonesian cultural heritage like wayang, typical Indonesian people, and Indonesia's tribe symbols that are very cutely designed by a young graphic designer, Renata Owen. If you are lucky, you could only find this limited edition of Aqua logo in Java and Bali. And not in another district of Indonesia. I call it doing embracing in nice packaging. Thanks a ton to Aqua!

Now, it's time to ask ourselves. What we have to give to esteem cultural heritage? You don't need to wait for being a tourism ambassador or minister of culture and tourism to preserve cultural heritage. It's not that difficult to do. Just love it and you will go for it! Just meet it up with what pops in your mind. If you're a fashion lover, you can simply mix and match your outfits with something hilarious like Batik, just like what our celebs do, namely Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum. If you're a designer, you could do like Renata Owen with her cute graphic design. If you're a traveler, you could make your own travel tale with the amazing heritage site like a phenomenal site Majapahit in Java and whatever else you do, you definitely could take a part of cultural heritage preservation acts! And these are stunning things that may draw inspiration on what to do the acts.

1. Jessica Alba wore batik parang dress. Looks amazingly beautiful on her!

2. Heidi Klum layered her top with batik pesisir. Sophisticated!

3. Renata Owen's graphic design for Aqua limited edition logo. I'm falling hard for her illustration designs. Absolutely!

4. This cultured sports car definitely sweep away everyone's attention on the road!

5. This car has got the cutest of batik!

6. Who wouldn't refuse to ride this kind of cool thing? Sure. I can't help my self!

7. This is just the cutest train I've ever seen. Meet Sancaka and take your trip with Gatotkaca!

8. Beautiful batik wallpaper inside compartment of the train. Doesn't matter it takes a long long trip, it definitely would be a nice trip!

9. Hollywood movie takes historic site of Candi Borobudur as a movie set. This adorable heritage site is described as 'a land of beauty'.

And oh, what about my self? Whatever I do, I love traveling and it always copes with my passion on job I get fired from. This hobby takes me to wonder by wonder visiting places that get me closer to everything relates to cultural heritage. And it's absolutely something I'm overwhelmingly crazy about!

Wherever I travel, as long as it's kind of historic place, I would belong there. I always adore to visit museums, heritage sites, places where folktales come from, colonial Dutch buildings, and anything else like that.

Traveling is something always makes me tracing. Places and things I meet during my trip just make me curious to trace stories behind them. Thus on end, this makes me deal with the ancients and leads me adventuring old building, museum, heritage site, in which every story begins. Well, I just find everything has its own history. So that, the more I travel, the more I learn history of things. It's surely worth the while by coincidence! (I'm not even an archaeolog, historian, or that kind of someone). There is just something accidentally lands me there: my hobby, traveling!)

Diversity of My Wonderland

Indonesia is rich in culture, tribe, natural resources, languages that create different kinds of folk masterpieces. Everytime I travel, I always find out anything marvellous to learn. I got plenty of different things of the same stuffs from different places of my country. Every single one of them draws its own history depends on its cultures.

Honestly, I’m not a maven, but I always put myself on being an observer for anything I catch in. As I learn the phenomenon inside things of what I suppose, I’d love to trace something back and forth through its history. Curiosity of the provenance always descends upon my mind everytime I find things contain historical value.

Putting my two cents into cultural diversity of my country, I'm trying to look into it from simple things, as an example, wayang. I simply think,wayang from Java is sharp-pointed carving, it is always shaped as thin posture with cool face and looks a lot more classic. It is most likely influenced by its folk cultures. We could trace it all by looking back to the ancient Javanese. It relates to its own cultures of the past centuries that the ancients have an ossified character and behavior of doing penance. 

Classic Javanese puppet, sketched by KletingKuning Folk Art

(Javanese puppet on shadow play in World Wayang Summit 2012)

More classic yet so charming. Makes me feel like flying away with my Arjuna to Astinapura:)

(Javanese puppet on shadow play in World Wayang Summit 2012)

Before I tell you a lot more about Wayang, you better get to know what exactly it is. If you go on Wiki and searched for 'wayang', you will find it easily. It’s because this one of Indonesian cultural heritage has been granted for World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, along with another Indonesian heritage stuffs such as Batik, Keris, and Angklung.

 

Wayang is Javanese name of puppet made from water buffalo hide with its three sticks made from water buffalo horn. This 4th century Javanese heritage is well preserved. It can be admirably watched in Javanese shadow play theather which is commonly performed in East Java and Central  Java. It is all about cultural wisdoms, instead of an entertainment. But you would enjoy it really as well:)

Javanese puppet: carved sharply, thin posture, cool expression

While Balinese wayang puppet is carved circularly, shaped as gallant posture with smiling face and mostly looks more colorful. The character of Balinese which is calm but heroic and cheerful compared to the Javanese which is quiet but ossified and daring makes the bold line between these two cultures. Seems closely yet far away.

Balinese puppet: carved circularly, gallant posture, kind expression

Balinese puppet looks more colorful

Vocal point of difference of Javanese puppet and Balinese puppet: cool face vs smiling face:)