Rini: An extraordinary craftswoman<\/p>\n
By Ananda Moersid<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It all started in 1979 when the fingers of a
\nsmall, gifted woman couldn't stop turning out beautiful bamboo
\nbasketry following classic lines while incorporating strange new
\nshapes.<\/p>\n
Rini Yoeda is no ordinary craftswoman. Her interest was
\nsparked in 1979 when she participated in a project initiated by
\nthe Department of Fine Arts of the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology and the National Export Promotion Board. The bamboo
\nsection of the project was headed by her husband, interior
\ndesigner Ahadiat Yoedawinata, who made design prototypes in
\nvarious media for the local craftsmen to copy.<\/p>\n
Bamboo basketry was one of the media covered. Designers,
\ncraftsmen and artists pooled their talents for several months to
\ncreate prototypes that they hoped would revitalize Indonesia's
\nhandicrafts industry. The team disbanded when the project ended,
\nbut some of the village basket weavers continued asking for more
\nwork.<\/p>\n
The village weavers were inspired by the project's innovation
\nand creativity but were unable to do anything in their villages.
\nLooking for someone to back them, and a way to make a living,
\nthey turned to Rini. With very little capital she established
\nCraft Works, a small workshop in her husband's studio and set the
\nbasket weavers to work. For a long while, the only buyers were
\nfriends who happened also to be designers.<\/p>\n
The first outlet was Bob Sadino's Kem Chicks in Kemang,
\nJakarta, then the big department stores like Sarinah and Pasaraya
\nfollowed. But success breeds imitators. Almost all the basket
\nweaving villages in Tasikmalaya, West Java, copied Rini's designs
\n-- poorly.<\/p>\n
When she complained about this, Bob Sadino, himself a noted
\nentrepreneur, told Rini not to worry.<\/p>\n
\"As a designer, you will always be ahead of everyone as long
\nas you maintain the quality,\" he assured.<\/p>\n
This mother of three didn't give up. Problems like quality
\ncontrol, using glue instead of nails and heating the strips of
\nbamboo to bend were easier to tackle than the human factor.<\/p>\n
\"Once, basket weaving was an essential part of village life,
\nlike potting. A basket maker was a respected member of the
\ncommunity. Today they have to compete with plastics and other
\nmodern materials. Their loss is not just financial, their entire
\nbeing is shattered,\" Rini explained.<\/p>\n
Motivator<\/p>\n
Rini therefore played the part of designer and motivator. She
\nsat down with the weavers to help solve problems that cropped up
\nas they weaved a new design she had sketched on a piece of paper.
\nDesign solutions surfaced as they shared their experience.<\/p>\n
Both Rini and the weavers discovered that the design process
\nwas beneficial for all parties. The craftsmen learned about the
\nlanguage of design, like good proportion, color and texture while
\nshe found out about things she couldn't have learned in school,
\nlike basket structure related to the tensile strength of bamboo.<\/p>\n
\"The basic skill was already there and needed only minimal
\nawareness (she doesn't like to use the word education) to make it
\nwork,\" Rini explained.<\/p>\n
To ensure that the weavers felt they had earned their skills,
\nRini never paid them a salary. Instead, she bought everything
\nthey produced. The price was based on workmanship, so quality
\ncontrol was introduced without really trying. At first, the
\nweavers naturally overpriced their work, but they soon had their
\nown friends as their competitors and quickly learned about the
\nfree market.<\/p>\n
Then Craft Works began to participate in exhibitions and sell
\ntheir wares in shops on commission. Orders began to come in from
\nas far away as Japan, Finland and America.<\/p>\n
After 12 years, Rini was exhausted by the financial and
\nbureaucratic hassles she faced as a businesswoman. She longed to
\nbe an artist again. She collaborated with her husband to create
\nsome beautiful aesthetic elements at the Preanger and the
\nPanghegar hotels in Bandung, and the office of the Indonesian
\nEmissary for the Common Market in Brussels, to name a few.<\/p>\n
Green<\/p>\n
Bamboo termites are a big problem. They can ruin entire
\nshipments of bamboo goods. Some companies use mild insecticides
\nto kill the insects that are attracted to the glucose in the
\nwood, but Rini is against the use of harmful chemicals. All her
\nfinishes and paint are non-toxic.<\/p>\n
Rini believes that by employing the time tested method of
\nharvesting bamboo only during the dry season, when there is less
\nmoisture in the wood, and good planning can limit the damage done
\nby termites.<\/p>\n
She gets her suppliers to harvest the bamboo during the dry
\nseason and stands it upright while it dries. The basket weavers
\ncan then obtain the bamboo directly from the airy storage areas.
\nShe also hopes that the government will follow Thailand's and the
\nPhilippines' lead in aggressively marketing the finished bamboo
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
\"There is a general trend in Southeast Asia to go Green, to
\nrespect mother earth. I hope this goes along with promoting the
\nhandicrafts industry a Green way. I also hope that revitalizing
\nthe industry leads to jobs and boosts income, not only for the
\nvillage weavers but for everybody concerned,\" she asserted.<\/p>\n
Tailor made<\/p>\n
Today, baskets bearing the Craft Works trademark are only sold
\nat her studio and at Kem Chick's. But you can find her newest
\ndesigns in some of most the exclusive restaurants and hotels in
\nJava. Buyers are willing to pay high prices for new designs,
\nalthough some are done poorly.<\/p>\n
Close examination shows why Craft Works products are different
\nfrom the rest. They are sturdy and last more than five years. Yet
\nthey are gracefully airy and follow classic basketry lines while
\nremaining modern. They therefore blend easily into any modern
\nhousehold. More importantly, they are very useful.<\/p>\n
All her baskets are very detailed, every handle and rim are
\nfinished in bamboo or rattan binding sometimes as thin as two
\nmillimeters. That is something that has almost vanished in
\ntraditional basketry because nowadays they are using more yellow
\nplastic string.<\/p>\n
Rini also derive some of her inspiration outside of Java. She
\nhas been influenced by the traditional backpacks worn by the
\nDayaks in Kalimantan and the ceremonial rice baskets of North
\nSumatra. You can also find Japanese sushi tray influences
\nalongside the humble besek from the crowded and noisy markets of
\nJava.<\/p>",
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