Composer seeks tranquility in home studio

Composer seeks tranquility in home studio

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A high, exposed brick wall and tall bamboo plants almost
completely shield the small studio of composer Tony Prabowo from
outside view.

Located on narrow Jl. Tridarma in Cilandak, South Jakarta, the
two-story studio has the typical ambience of a Javanese-style
home, in which tranquility reigns. Designed by architect Suwarmo
Supeno of PT Paramaloka Consultant, the atmosphere inside belies
the forbidding outlook created by the brick wall and the bamboo
plants, set up to seclude the studio from the high-density
neighborhood.

A minimalist front garden, covered by loose natural stones and
embellished with leafy plants in terracota pots, greets guests on
their way to the terrace. Once there, visitors can catch a
glimpse of a relaxing view from a rear garden that is packed with
tropical plants like philodendron, syngonium, heliconia, and
epipremnum.

The artistic terrace has wooden furniture such as gebyog
(Javanese partition), a Chinese table at one corner, a round
table in the center with a bale-bale (traditional long chair) and
woven rattan chairs. Several posters hang on the wall.

In this very terrace, the composer keeps some of his favorite
collections: clay pots, traditional masks, ethnic statues and
old, antique dishes.

All of these items radiate palpable Javanese nuances, which
Tony firmly denied. "I'm a Javanese but it's not my aim to create
a Javanese atmosphere. I'm very modern," said the composer, who
uses his studio as his home as well.

The studio's ground floor has a small living room furnished
with interesting antique items like a huge cistern made of timber
and a set of antique woven rattan chairs with a round table at
the center. There is also a neatly cluttered table in the corner
and a whiteboard on the wall, recording his busy schedule.

Tony also displays some posters and paintings by Tisna Sanjaya
and young painter Shawnee Puti, as well as hundreds of items from
his beautiful ethnic cloth collection, hung loosely along the
railing of the second floor.

"I love (traditional) cloth -- I have hundreds; some are
antique and the rest are just beautiful cloth from Sumba, Cirebon
and other parts of Java. I also want to collect Madura cloth.
What does cloth have to do with music? I don't know," he said,
while showing some of the antique ones.

"I love to collect leather objects and carpets, but carpets
are too expensive. I also have dozens of uniquely shaped kemoceng
(dusters)," he laughed, adding that he couldn't stand dust.

The extensive ground floor of his studio is used for
practicing and recording. "I need a multipurpose area to
accommodate all my activities," the composer said.

On the second floor is a multifunction area where he works,
unwinds and sleeps. The small area is divided into a study and
work section. There is a bed on one side and a set of furniture
with a marble coffee table and a water dispenser on the other.

The room is packed (yet still organized) with books, compact
discs and papers. "I find the smaller the room, the more I can
concentrate on my job," he explained.

As for his love of musical instruments, pots, cloth and
leather goods that adorn the interior of his studio, Tony just
said, "I love hunting for those items, I forget everything else
when buying those things. It's crazy and dangerous. Fortunately,
I'm single, otherwise ... ," he did not finish his sentence.

As if trying to apologize for the overcrowded space, the
designer said, "This is the home of a single man. I practically
living in this studio now. I sleep on that bed. When I wake up, a
cup of coffee, bread and newspaper are ready on this table. After
that, I play with my dogs (Bowie and Ciaro) and go to the garden
to remove dead leaves. Then I go upstairs to work and make some
phone calls, but later return to the garden to join my servant to
take care of the plants," he said.

Just a house away from his studio is his home, built under the
same roof as that of his neighbor Desy Harahap. The small, yet
artistic house has a beautiful old carved, wooden door.

Inside is an extensive room divided into a living area,
pantry, bathroom and garden. The living room is furnished with
furniture he bought mainly from Yogyakarta and two shelves to
display some of his musical instruments, mostly tambourines from
different countries.

Just like his studio, the house also has a rear garden,
containing a koi fish pond.

Tony has used a beautiful gebyog as a partition, leading to
his bedroom on the second story.

The bedroom is equipped with a huge, rustic bench made from
rough-hewn timber, some antique cabinets, a four-poster bed and a
low, round table. It is also equipped with a small study. "I
haven't slept in this room for ages. I find it easier to wake up
at the same place as I work," he said, referring to his studio.

"But that doesn't mean I don't like this house. I'm lucky to
have a home but I need a larger one, large enough to accommodate
music and dance performance with a larger garden, in Yogyakarta,
where the atmosphere for arts, culture and music is still
encouraging," he said.

That is a dream home, which he plans to put together after he
has completed his performance in Berlin next year.