Cepogo offers alluring copper handicrafts

Cepogo offers alluring copper handicrafts

By R. Agus Bakti

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Attractive handicrafts always boost the
popularity of the places where they are produced. Tumang village
in the Cepogo area, 15 km west of Boyolali regency in Central
Java, is one of them. The place is known for its copper
handicrafts and most of the village's residents work as craftsmen
in this industry.

According to one of the craftsmen, Supri Haryanto, the copper
industry in the village has been going for hundreds of years.

"The craft has been inherited and preserved from one
generation to the next generation," the 49-year-old man said.

The existence of copper handicrafts cannot be separated from
the Islamic Mataram kingdom. The ancestors of Cepogo's villagers
were Yogyakarta's residents, descendants of Mataram people.

Since the villagers were originally from Mataram, the articles
being produced are mostly in the form of rings and arm bands.
They also create traditional handmade home appliances, such as
kettles, cooking pots and steamers.

Supri, a junior high school graduate, first learned the skills
to create copper handicrafts from his grandfather. At that time,
he had no choice but to work as a copper craftsman given that it
was so difficult for his parents to finance his education.

With Rp 10,000 as his initial capital, he bought some copper
plates. However, he only had the skills to produce several
traditional appliances.

After getting married, he became more creative as he had to
earn more money to support his family. Then, in the early 1980s,
he started creating artistic handicrafts, such as household
ornaments.

While developing his products, Supri managed to learn from
Yogyakarta's craftsman Saptohudaya. He also studied designs and
motifs at the Center for Arts Teachers Development. He even went
to Jakarta before returning to his village in 1984 to develop his
copper handicraft business.

The artistic copper work turned out to be a successful venture
and even survived amid the difficult economic climate. The
business now enables Supri to support his family.

In addition to the usual household appliances, there are also
copper umbrella stands, flower vases, calligraphy works, lamp
stands and other wall decorations.

Motifs

Motifs of copper handicrafts are not that different from batik
or wooden craft motifs. Most of them depict flora and fauna. But
the motifs can also be made based on customers' tastes.

The specific characteristics which make copper handicrafts
different come from the production process.

"Most of the works are handmade and created using simple
equipment such as hammers and pliers," Supri explained.

Cepogo's specific techniques of producing copper handicrafts
are babaran and kenteng. In these techniques, the copper plates
are knocked to produce the desired motifs.

A craftsman can usually complete a medium-sized piece in three
days, while bigger pieces take longer to make.

The copper used to create the pieces is available in big
cities, such as Semarang, Surabaya and Surakarta.

The economic crisis, however, increased the price of copper by
up to four times the original price, with a kilogram of copper
now costing between Rp 40,000 and Rp 50,000.

Despite the price hike, there have been few problems with
orders from such places as Australia, Japan and the United States
continuing to rush in.

"Right now, I have an order from the United States for various
commodities with Asmat motifs," Supri said.

He explained that his overseas consumers like handmade
products featuring copper's natural color, although they can get
painted ones if they want to.

With the prices of finished products ranging from Rp 25,000 to
Rp 100,000 each, his monthly turn-over can reach up to Rp 40
million.

In running his business, Supri displays his finished products
on the second floor of his house for interested visitors and
prospective buyers to look at, or they can also watch the
production process which is done by his 10 workers.

Supri said that he works together with around 100 craftsmen in
Cepogo. "In all, there are more than 1,400 craftsmen here," he
said.

Despite the flourishing business of copper decoration, it does
not mean the craftsmen are no longer producing house appliances.
It is the production of house appliances, such as cooking pots
and kettles, which help Cepogo's survival.

The presence of copper craftsmen in the village makes it
attractive to the tourist eye.

"I really want to make this area a tourist village. This place
is no less attractive than a big city," Supri said, adding that
visitors will find no problem getting to the village either by
public transportation or privately from Semarang, Surakarta or
Yogyakarta.