Scented statues, unique but hard to sell<\/p>\n
Singgir Kartana, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Statues made out of wood, stones or iron are common. But statues
\ncreated entirely from roots of fragrant plants may sound unusual.<\/p>\n
Such statues are neither produced through carving nor by an
\ninlay method, but by weaving and gluing.<\/p>\n
This is a specialty of 45-year-old Hadiwiyono. A craftsman
\nfrom Kepek village, Wonosari district of Gunungkidul regency, he
\nproduces animal statues from the roots of akar wangi (fragrant
\nplants)<\/p>\n
Akar wangi is the root of a sort of shrub that usually grows
\nmountainous areas. The plant is used to scent clothes by putting
\nit in one's wardrobe. The natural scent also seeps out of the
\nstatues.<\/p>\n
It is quite difficult to imagine how painstaking and
\ncomplicated it is to put together the root fibers, which are
\nsimilar to sugar-palm fibers, in the process of creating a
\nstatue. What is more, Hadiwiyono does not make miniatures of
\nanimals -- the statues are life size.<\/p>\n
The work certainly requires patience and meticulousness.
\nSpecial skills are also needed to make the frame and to weave and
\nattach the root hairs for the animal shape, especially to create
\na proportional one.<\/p>\n
"The most difficult thing is to make the head. For example,
\nmaking the head of a horse or a buffalo, especially with it
\ntilted or looking to one side. Almost all people who place the
\norders ask that the animals are made with the position of turning
\ntheir head. Perhaps to make them more life-like," said Partiman,
\nthe 24-year-old son of Hadiwiyono who helps his father in the
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
Hadiwiyono makes various kinds of animal statues. From the
\nsmall ones like bats, rabbits, turtles, goats, monkeys and
\norangutan to the large ones such as buffaloes and horses.<\/p>\n
To create one of the large life-size animal statues, he needs
\nabout 100 kilograms of the fragrant plants.<\/p>\n
"We normally take about a week to make a horse. It takes four
\npeople; me, my son and my two employees. For a smaller one like a
\nrabbit or a monkey, I can make three or four in one day,"
\nHadiwiyono said.<\/p>\n
The process begins with the frame, which is usually woven. The
\ninner part of the frame is filled with coconut fibers or paddy
\nstalks to save the use of the fragrant roots.<\/p>\n
In addition it makes the final product lighter and stronger.
\nThen, the outer part is covered with the root fibers in such a
\nway as to create a realistic-looking animal.<\/p>\n
In order to make attach the fiber so they remain strong, they
\nare woven with normal thread, then glued together so as to
\nsmoothen the end product.<\/p>\n
After that, the accessories, such as the bell for the cow, are
\nput on. The accessories are also made in harmony with the
\nanimals, and are also made from the roots. The statues are not
\ncolored so that they look natural like the color of the fragrant
\nroots.<\/p>\n
The fragrant roots are bought in the area of Karanganyar and
\nKulonprogo for Rp 12,500 (US$1.5) per kilograms. To make the big
\nstatues, the roots should be of a good quality -- old and long.
\nThe short ones are used to make smaller statues.<\/p>\n
Hadiwiyono sells a big statue for between Rp 1.5 million and
\nRp 2 million, while the small ones cost between Rp 20,000 and Rp
\n50,000 each. The big statues are made to order.<\/p>\n
He said he accepts all orders to make any kind of animal. Most
\nof his customers are businesspeople. They put the orders in by
\nshowing a picture of their preferred animal.<\/p>\n
Hadiwiyono needs the picture so that he can make the statue in
\na certain position as is depicted a customer's picture. If he
\nmakes the order in accordance with the picture, he said, the
\ncustomer will not have any reason to complain about the position
\nof the statue and how it looks. Hadiwiyono said he was currently
\nworking on an order for the Hotel Ciputra in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Four months ago I got an order to make the statues of a pair
\nof buffaloes as well as a cart from a businessman in Purworejo
\n(Central Java). I also made the cart from akar wangi. It was used
\nas a decoration at a wedding party for the businessman's child,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Hadiwiyono also makes various kinds of handicrafts from the
\nsame plant, in addition to woven textile and bamboo. He makes
\naround 25 kinds of handicrafts. Among them are tissue paper
\nboxes, pillow sheets, sajjada (prayer mats) and table cloths that
\nare made of woven textile and the akar wangi, bamboo hats, flutes
\nand mail boxes.<\/p>\n
The prices vary from Rp 1,500 for a bamboo bird flute to Rp 2
\nmillion for an animal statue.<\/p>\n
Some of the products are exported to Singapore and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
"Before the Bali bombing, we exported (the products) to
\nAmerica and Australia. In one week, before the bombing, we used
\nto sell 500 statues of various sizes," Hadiwiyono said.<\/p>\n
He started his business five years ago, inspired by a visit to
\na handicraft exhibition in Yogyakarta. He later took part in a
\nworkshop for cottage industries that was organized by the
\nYogyakarta small business association.<\/p>\n
Within just four months, his business developed well. In 2001,
\nhe received some assistance from the Yogyakarta National
\nHandicraft Council in the form of a telephone line and a weaving
\ntool.<\/p>\n
One of the weaknesses of the statues made from fragrant roots,
\naccording to Hadiwiyono, is that they are not waterproof. If they
\nare exposed to water, they will be easily damaged. Therefore,
\nthey should be kept in a room with no water at all.<\/p>\n
He said that he is trying to find a way to make the products
\nwaterproof.<\/p>\n
"I am trying to make a formula to preserve akar wangi so that
\nthey are not so easily damaged and still smell nice after getting
\nwet," he said.<\/p>\n
Despite that shortcoming, his products are unique and many
\npeople love them. But the business has not developed to its
\nmaximum capacity, due to infrastructure issues and a lack of any
\nproper marketing strategy as he promotes the products in a
\ntraditional way -- word of mouth. He also depends on his major
\nmarket, Bali. Therefore, after the Bali attacks occurred and
\ntourists stopped coming, he suffered.<\/p>\n
Some of his pieces are exported, but he does not do it
\ndirectly. He sells to middlemen, who buy the products and then
\nsell them abroad.<\/p>",
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