Sculpt artisans musch needed but underpaid<\/p>\n
Sugeng Budiarto, Contributor, Magelang, Central Java<\/p>\n
The Muntilan streets that link Yogyakarta and Magelang are
\nfamous for their bustling sculpture businesses.<\/p>\n
This art very much helps make Muntilan, some 11 kilometers to
\nthe west of the famed Borobudur temple, alive. Dozens of
\nworkshops with stone carvings offer sculptures with a broad
\nvariety of makes, sizes and shapes.<\/p>\n
The best-known model is probably miniature of famous temples
\nin Central Java. They are made on order from major cities, such
\nas Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They sometimes receive orders for large-sized temple replicas,
\nmeasuring over 5-by-5 meters, towering some 6 meters high.<\/p>\n
For the production of larger, miniature temples, complete with
\nstatues, the help of stone carving workers is usually needed.<\/p>\n
According to Widi, 21, of Jambean village in Menayu, Muntilan,
\nwho works in Jayaprana workshop, the production of a temple
\nminiature involves at least 10 artisans.<\/p>\n
Presently, Jayaprana is doing a miniature temple at the
\nrequest of someone in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We have worked on it for months, and this could take up to
\none year to complete,\" said Widi; he was assisting a sculpture
\nartist making a duplicate of the Pringapus Temple, an ancient
\nshrine in Ngadirejo, Temanggung regency, Central Java.<\/p>\n
\"Stone carvers have been working for six months to finish the
\npetal of this miniature, and will then turn to building and
\ncarving its upper parts,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Temple miniatures are not cheap. The highest price can be Rp
\n150 million per unit. Artisans involved in this work, however,
\nreceive only between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 per person per day,
\naccording to Afid, 22, an artisan from Jambean village in Menayu,
\nMuntilan.<\/p>\n
Artisans in Muntilan generally come from poor farm families.
\nThis explains why they accept such low wages.<\/p>\n
Their educational backgrounds are generally at junior high
\nschool or even elementary school level.<\/p>\n
\"After finishing junior high school, I learned stone carving
\nby assisting a sculptor who made me what I am now,\" Widi said.<\/p>\n
The artisans largely hail from nearby areas, such as Menayu
\nand Keji villages. \"Some 30 of those workers come from my
\nvillage, Jambean,\" said Afid.<\/p>\n
At the beginning, they watched and followed instructions
\ninstead of studying in a more formal environment.<\/p>\n
Only a few are born artisans.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sculpt-artisans-musch-needed-but-underpaid-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }