Pagerjurang craftsmen put their mark<\/p>\n
Joko Sadewo, Contributor, Klaten, Central Java<\/p>\n
An abundance of clay pottery, distinct techniques as well as the
\npresence of hundreds of ceramic craftsmen gives Pagerjurang
\nhamlet in Melikan village, Klaten the image of a bustling ceramic
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
Ceramic has become the heart of the hamlet's activity with
\nover 170 out of 215 families relying on the business to earn a
\nliving.<\/p>\n
"Ceramic making is like an inheritance for us, something that
\nhas been passed on from generation to generation," said craftsman
\nSukonto, who also chairs the Anugrah Keramik, an association of
\nPagerjurang ceramic craftsmen.<\/p>\n
In production, the craftsmen use a unique device. Unlike other
\nceramic craftsmen which use a flat potter's wheel, the hamlet's
\ncraftsmen use a slanted one, especially to produce crafts with
\nmaximum height of 30 centimeters. The wheel also rotates five
\ntimes faster than ordinary pottery wheels.<\/p>\n
"The wheel we use here can produce a ceramic piece as thin as
\n0.3 centimeters while the ordinary ones can produce a centimeter
\nthick, at the thinnest," said Sukonto.<\/p>\n
The downside is, the unique wheel cannot be used to create
\nlarge objects, he said.<\/p>\n
The technique, according to another craftsman, Sihono, arrived
\nin the area with the influence of Muslim cleric Sunan Pandanaran,
\nwho once spread Islamic teachings in the area during the early
\n16th century. According to local belief, it was Sunan who
\nrequested local craftsmen to develop a device which enabled
\ncraftswomen to sit in a modest way while creating ceramics,
\nwithout having to sit with their legs spread apart.<\/p>\n
"But I don't know for sure whether it was Sunan Pandanaran who
\ncreated the device or the local craftsmen," Sihono said.<\/p>\n
The hamlet is known for producing two kinds of ceramics,
\ntraditional ones like water jugs and other household appliances
\n-- mostly to meet daily needs of traditional earthenware house
\nappliances in the hamlet and to serve local markets; and the so-
\ncalled terracotta ceramics. The terracotta pieces are mostly
\ndecorative items like teapots, bowls, plates, vases and other
\ninterior decorations.<\/p>\n
The move towards modern, decorative ceramics took place in
\n1985 to meet customer demand and to compete in wider markets in
\nbig cities and even abroad. Since then, buyers are no longer
\nsolely from the hamlet or nearby towns like Surakarta and
\nYogyakarta, but also from as far as Jakarta and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
"It's true our products are less popular than Klampok (Central
\nJava) or Kasongan (Yogyakarta) ceramics, but we have already
\nentered Australia, Japan and the United States' markets," Sukonto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The problem is, he said, Pagerjurang ceramics have to be
\nexported by second or even third parties, who take most of the
\nprofit at the expense of local craftsmen.<\/p>\n
"We have limited access to foreign markets," he said, citing a
\nlack of infrastructure, like proper roads, as one of the main
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Another problem, he said, was no fixed telephone lines, which
\ncould help immensely in further developing business.<\/p>\n
"We've tried over and over to have fixed telephone lines laid
\nbut to no avail," Sukonto said. He added that for rich craftsmen,
\na fixed line was not big problem since they had cellular phones,
\nwhich were too expensive for small time craftsmen to buy.<\/p>\n
With the absence of infrastructure like roads and telephone
\nlines, he said, it would be hard for the hamlet's craft business
\nto further develop or even compete with their counterparts in
\nKlampok and Kasongan.<\/p>",
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