Carved tree a record of cultural and social life

Suherdjoko, Semarang

Woodworking is a popular craft in Indonesia. But the carving of an entire living tree has only been done once in the country -- in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

The tree involved is a 200-year-old randu alas, or ceiba, tree on Jl. Diponegoro, some two kilometers away from the famous Simpang Lima intersection. The tree is 13 meters high, and is now decorated with colorful carvings along almost the entire length of its trunk.

The idea of decorating the tree, and thus strengthening its role as a city landmark, came from the management of the Vina House restaurant, which is located about 20 meters away from the tree. Sanggar Gedong Songo, an art club from the nearby town of Ungaran, emerged as the winner of a design competition, and was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put its mark on the tree.

The tree is now listed by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) as the first living tree to be carved in the country. The award was conferred last month in conjunction with the official inauguration of the carving by Semarang's deputy mayor, Muchatif Adi Subrata, at the Vina House restaurant.

Awards were also presented to the Vina House as the initiator of the project, PT Piranti Pro as the organizer of the project, and Sanggar Gedong Songo for doing the carving work.

According to MURI manager Paulus Pangka, the tree carving has been listed as the 1,146th record in the unique and rare category.

"This is the first carving of a living tree in the country. We consider it an environmental conservation effort and a work of art," Pangka explained.

The tree was cut back following a fatal accident last February, when another ceiba tree fell on a car during a storm. The driver of the car was killed in the accident. As a result, the local authority was afraid that other trees in the city could cause similar accidents.

The record-breaking tree no longer has leaves. As a result of being cut back, it is now only 13 meters in height. The Semarang authorities argued that the tree, whose trunk is 225 centimeters in diameter, had long been the pride of the residents of Siranda Hill, and so should be spared from being cut down.

The Vina House management realized that the decoration of the tree would serve to promote the city's identity. The management then invited PT Piranto Pro, a construction consultant, to organize a design competition.

Piranto Pro director Noesantoro told The Jakarta Post that 18 individuals and arts groups took part in the competition, with the Sanggar Gedong Songo art club emerging as the eventual winner.

"We required the artist to let the tree live and carve it in a way that would best illustrate the social and cultural life of Central Java people, especially the people of Semarang," Noesantoro explained, adding that the Sanggar Gedong Songo's design satisfied all these requirements.

There has, however, been controversy surrounding the project, with many fearing that the carving would kill the tree. Noesantoro reiterated that the organizer had made every effort to ensure that the tree survived. He noted that new leaves had began to sprout on many parts of the trunk, showing that the tree was none the worse for the project.

The carving took five days, and was undertaken by eight carvers, including Sutikno. The other local carvers involved were Kasdi, Haryadi, Joko, Budi, Yahya, Rudi and Purwadi.

"Lucky for us, the wood was soft, which made it easier and let us finish the carvings more quickly," Haryadi revealed.

The carvings illustrate the sources of livelihood of the Javanese in Semarang: farmers, fisherman, religious figures and artists. They are accompanied by carvings of places of worship: a mosque, church, temple and stupa.

There is also a depiction of farmers cultivating their rice fields and dancers performing the traditional Kuda Lumping dance.

Also carved on the tree is the face of the founder of the city, Kyai Pandanaran, and his wife. Pandanaran was the first Semarang regent, who commenced his rule in 1447. The coat of arms of the city also appears on the tree.