Showcasing a traditional craft<\/p>\n
Although the origins of kerawang are vague to most of its current
\npractitioners, Johnny Koraag is a name they all recognize.<\/p>\n
He is, after all, the man whose designs can be found on almost
\nevery piece of the threadwork produced in the last 25 years.<\/p>\n
\"In about 1982, I started to think about how to design for
\nkerawang because nobody was collecting the patterns and motifs,\"
\nexplained Johnny at his home in eastern Gorontalo City.<\/p>\n
An artist by training, he considered new ways to use the
\ntraditional motifs -- flowers, leaves, corn, fish, geometric
\nshapes -- including adapting them into more abstract or stylized
\ndesigns.<\/p>\n
Johnny has gone it alone ever since, producing the designs
\nthat are used by craftswomen across the province.<\/p>\n
The common assumption is that kerawang is a Dutch colonial
\nlegacy, yet the needlework may have arrived in the 17th century
\nwith Spanish travelers from the Philippines, where they also
\nintroduced embroidery (the Spaniards are also credited with
\nbringing corn and tomatoes, as well as the practice of the
\nsiesta, which still survives today).<\/p>\n
Johnny acknowledged there was greater development of the craft
\nduring the Dutch colonial period in the 19th century, with the
\nneedlework showing influences from particular types of whitework
\n-- the use of white thread on white fabric -- popular in Europe
\nduring that period.<\/p>\n
On its website, the Gorontalo regency government notes
\nkerawang's similarities with Schwalm embroidery, a form of
\nwhitework from Germany using designs of flowers, fruit and
\nleaves, and Hardangersom, also called Hardanger, from Norway,
\nwhich uses more geometric figures.<\/p>\n
The uniqueness of kerawang, along with the fact that there is
\nno hierarchical tradition about who can wear it and for what
\noccasion, would seem to make it a prime commodity to be showcased
\nby the young province.<\/p>\n
There are plans to bring the threadwork to a wider audience,
\nincluding by recruiting Jakarta-based fashion designer Samuel
\nWattimena to help in the development of designs.<\/p>\n
\"There has to be a greater concept, a master plan, covering
\nthings like the supply of fabric, distribution to other
\nprovinces, especially Jakarta,\" said Samuel, who said he visited
\nGorontalo three times at his own expense before agreeing to
\ncooperate with the local government.<\/p>\n
\"We have to have new samples, embark on research and
\ndevelopment for new designs, but if there are mistakes in the
\nprocess, who will pay for it to be redone? Well, I can't do
\nthat.\"<\/p>\n
He added that while it was good for officials to move forward
\nwith plans to promote kerawang, it could only be done in tandem
\nwith improving the welfare of kerawang workers, most of them
\nwomen in small villages across the province.<\/p>\n
Logistics, especially Gorontalo's distance from Jakarta,
\npresents another problem.<\/p>\n
\"I've talked to different businesspeople here, and it's always
\na matter of cost. So why bother to bring the product here when
\nyou can get embroidery from Tasikmalaya (West Java), even though
\nthey are in fact very different crafts. To do it right, you'd
\nhave to have twice the drive (as craftspeople based in Java).\"<\/p>\n
There is also the need to define prospective markets. Many
\nexamples of kerawang, for example, use gold thread in the motifs
\nor as trimming on brightly colored synthetics, which might be too
\ngarish for some tastes but to the liking of consumers in the
\nMiddle East or Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the more traditional and quite exquisite whitework
\nfound on tablecloths could also be used on napkins and other
\nhousehold linen for European consumers.<\/p>\n
Samuel acknowledged the potential for the threadwork's use in
\nMuslim fashion, but reiterated that he could not work miracles on
\nhis own.<\/p>\n
\"It's a problem if there is exploitation without improving the
\nquality of the designs,\" he said. \"It will take time, as well as
\nexpertise and power .... You can't just fly in the designer in
\nfrom the capital and everything changes .... \"<\/p>\n
Batik designer Iwan Tirta believes any effort to bring greater
\nexposure to traditional textiles must be done with the assistance
\nof an expert in textiles.<\/p>\n
\"I knew of a Malaysian designer who went to a textile village
\nin Makassar and spent a whole year there in the 1970s, in the
\nmiddle of nowhere, teaching them what she knew,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Today, I'll be at an exhibition and see a piece, and I can
\ntell immediately that her influence is still there.\"<\/p>\n
He noted that improving the quality of the finished product
\nand aiming for high-end consumers were vital for any export
\nplans, and local governments could learn from the example of
\nThailand in promoting its textiles.<\/p>\n
Despite the ambitious plans for kerawang, including bringing a
\nbig-name fashion designer on board, Johnny Koraag is uneasy about
\nthe future.<\/p>\n
While he has been criticized by some for failing to transfer
\nhis knowledge, he counters that he has heard all the promises
\nbefore.<\/p>\n
\"Well, nobody's really serious about it,\" he said. \"You get
\ninvited to the governor's mansion, but then nothing happens, even
\nthough I've told them, 'Send me someone who's interested in
\nlearning about the designs and I'll teach them for free.'<\/p>\n
\"My only worry is when I'm gone, there'll be nobody else to
\ncarry it on.\"<\/p>\n
-- Bruce Emond<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/showcasing-a-traditional-craft-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }