Chicken egg shells take on new life

Chicken egg shells take on new life

By Roland M. Sutrisno

JAKARTA (JP): The protracted economic crisis has given birth
to an art form which requires a high level of meticulousness --
the art of decorating with eggshells. Usually tossed out as
worthless, these eggshells may be used by creative craftsmen to
turn ordinary objects into things of outstanding beauty.

Ordinary household appliances are transformed into eye-
catching discussion pieces after being decorated with these egg
shells. The person behind this new art form is 43-year-old
Dwiyono.

Dwiyono, or Yono, was inspired to create this art form after
he found himself unemployed because of the economic crisis.

Why eggshells? He reasoned that eggshells were abundant and he
could involve many people in collecting the shells for him. After
experimenting with the shells for some time, in 1998 he began to
concentrate on commercially producing the eggshells in his studio
in East Jakarta.

Dwiyono began this business undertaking with 11 partners. He
intentionally avoids calling them his employees because he does
not want to create a gap between himself and the others who work
at his company. He has made partnership the principle of his
business. In this way his partners are motivated to work harder
and they have a sense of belonging to the business, making them
eager to assume greater responsibilities.

He presently has 27 partners, all of whom came to his company
after being laid off from their previous places of employment.
Most of the partners are between 20 and 25 years of age and have
on average senior high school educations. Dwiyono, a very patient
instructor, trains each new partner for three months in the
difficult art of assembling and applying eggshells to various
surfaces.

The eggshells can be stuck to different materials, including
wood, glass, iron, plastic, canvas, ceramic and earth. These
eggshells can be stuck on coarse or smooth surfaces and be shaped
as well as colored according to the wishes of the customer.
Dwiyono uses a special glue which gives the eggshells a very
strong to the surfaces of objects. Even if these objects were for
some reason to find themselves underwater, for example, the
eggshells would not come off.

You will be amazed by the transformation of household waste
which is usually thrown away as worthless into something
beautiful and artistic.

Dwiyono gets eggshells from his partners assigned to go gather
the shells every night. One of the biggest sources of the shells
are the vendors of martabak telur, a thick crepe filled with
spices and minced meat, along Kali Malang street in East Jakarta.
These eggshells are washed and sold to Dwiyono at Rp 2,500 per
kilogram. Quail eggshells cost Rp 10,000 per kilogram. Dwiyono's
partners can generally collect three to four kgs of eggshells
every night. The condition of the shells, intact, broken or a bit
of both, does not matter.

Eggshell artwork can be made to cater to the particular tastes
of each customer.

Becoming involved in creating this particular kind of artwork
requires a high degree of meticulousness. One must also remain
patient and calm during the creative process.

The process of eggshell artwork begins with the washing and
cleaning of the shells. The eggshells are then dried in the sun
for three days, after which a special glue is applied to the
inside of the shells. The eggshells are then applied to an object
in a pattern requested by the customer. After the shells have
been applied to the object in question, the small spaces between
the eggshells are covered with cement or some similar material.

Afterward, the surface of the eggshells are sandpapered,
producing an artistic pattern. The shells are then washed with
water or cleaned with a wet towel, giving them the clean and
beautiful appearance befitting a work of art. If a customer
wishes, the eggshells can be colored.

Some of Dwiyono's works have been exported to Singapore,
although they are small orders, such as 20 picture frames.
Dwiyono said he could not handle large orders because of a lack
of capital.