Cultures come together in Cirebon ceramics

Cultures come together in Cirebon ceramics

Cirebon ceramics, examples of which are currently on display
at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Central Jakarta, are most often
associated with Sitiwinangun village in Klangenan subdistrict.
The pottery, like other folk art forms from the area, attests to
the unique cultural syncretism of the region. Bentara Budaya
curator Ipong Purnama Sidhi examines the tradition, and the
thoroughly modern boost the art has received in recent years.

JAKARTA (JP): Cirebon straddles two dominant major cultural
streams -- those of Sunda and Central Java -- creating a
syncretic blend found nowhere else on the island of Java. The two
major influences have led to a process of acculturation
responsible for the emergence of an art which can rightfully be
called peculiarly Cirebonese.

As Cirebon proper is located in the borderlands of the Jawi-
Pasundan traditional spheres, it has absorbed cultural elements
pertaining to the two major communities. Only Cirebon is
considered as manifesting the power of the syncretism between the
Central Javanese and Sundanese cultures in its development.

This cultural syncretism is also evident in gamelan music, the
performing arts, particularly topeng (mask dances), batik with
motifs distinct from those of Central Java and shadow puppetry.

Although the pottery-making tradition here dates back
hundreds of years, it is undergoing a resurgence thanks to the
assistance of Madiun-born Bonzan R. Setyo, a 49-year-old graduate
of the School of Fine Arts of the Bandung Institute of
Technology.

Since moving to the area, he has proved an inexhaustible
source of energy and inspiration for the development of pottery
in the village. He has made himself part of village life, and
constructed a kiln, introduced a glazing technique and brought
fresh ideas for designs.

Bonzan said different terms were used for ceramics around the
country. They are generally known as gerabah or tembikar, to be
precise earthenware vessels or pottery, but in Sitiwinangun they
are called getak. Gerabah, however, are also known by another
term, keramik (ceramics), a word derived from the Greek keramos,
which means clay which is shaped, fired and hardened.

Sitiwinangun pottery displays particular ornamental motifs:
jasmine, lompongan (a type of leaf), as well as tumpal, ruwen
and cecekan. These motifs are used in traditional ceramics and
the earthenware vessels designed for household use.

The most distinctive form to the area is the Singabarong,
taking the form of a lion with a gaping mouth, menacingly wide-
open eyes and a hole in its back. The hole is used to store
padasan, the water for cleaning before Muslim prayers.

"Singabarong is the hallmark of Sitiwinangun ceramics because
this form is not found elsewhere. It was first created by
Miskatna, a local ceramicist. The tradition was continued by his
children, Minen, Taniba and Nama, and is still extant today,"
said ceramics maker Utama.

Upon close observation, Sitiwinangun reveals influences such
as Hinduism (the tumpal and ruwen motifs), Buddhism (the lotus
motif), Islam (the leaf motif) and Chinese culture (rain clouds,
from the megamendung motif also found in batik).

Most of the ceramics are used for household purposes, such as
the gentong (a large earthenware water vessel), paso karon
(traditional rice cooker), pendaringan (traditional rice
receptacle), pengempalan (large earthenware bowl for keeping
spiced beef), petapean (for holding tape uli, a traditional snack
of cooked glutinous rice, sugar and coconut and eaten with an
alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.

There is also the kuali jangan (a container where vegetable
soup is kept), klowo(an earthenware bowl for washing the hands),
pendil and Klowo (earthenware vessels used by the Javanese for
buring the placenta), and many others.

"In Cirebon the clay is superior in terms of plasticity to the
types found elsewhere. The clay is known as monmorolinite," said
Bonzan.

It is usually mixed with other kinds of clay to improve its
malleability; a better kind of clay with greater elasticity is
bentonite, which is mostly found in Pacitan, East Java.

The open-air firing technique is also unique to the area, even
though many ceramics experts find it difficult to believe the
firing is conducted in an open space and that only simple
implements are used. The technique has been practiced in
Sitiwinangun for years.

Bricks are arranged as a furnace to supply the heat for the
firing. On top of the bricks, the ceramics are fired, tens or
even hundreds at a time. They are covered with dried rice stalks
and then the burning or baking process commences. No kerosene or
gas is used as the fuel, only discarded items like old tires.

The firing is quick at only 45 minutes. Bonzan said the open-
air firing was fast because the water content in the earthenware
vessels rapidly evaporated. In a closed baking process inside a
kiln, evaporation takes place slowly. This cheap, fast and
efficient technique has been acclaimed by ceramics experts like
Japan's Prof. Chitaru Kawasaki, who has conducted research on the
development of ceramics in all the ceramic-producing centers
around the country.

The exhibition is at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Jl. Palmerah Sel.
17 until Feb. 24. Viewing hours are from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.