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.