JP/20/WEBER

JP/20/WEBER

Collecting artifacts for sake of posterity

Emmy Fitri The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

It was in 1969 that a young, high-spirited Austrian chef, keen to explore a country emerging from bloody political turmoil, first set foot in Denpasar, Bali.

The beauty of the island not only stole his heart but gave him a home for his growing passion for antique artifacts and anything "artsy."

"Bali is extraordinarily rich in handicrafts. Most important are their awesome togog (sculptures). Balinese sculptures and masks were first things in my collection," said Gunter Weber, who today divides his time between Bali and Jakarta running his catering business.

Turning 63 on June 19, Weber now owns hundreds, perhaps thousands, of "old, vintage handicraft" from throughout the country, a result of his extensive travels to various places since he decided to live in Indonesia.

Earlier, he had to really hunt for artifacts, but later on artifacts found him, with ever more people coming to know that he was a collector.

However, he is reluctant to reveal the size of his collection, kept in his Kesiman home, which, he says, "is more like a museum than a house."

Invited by the organizers of Pesta Tenun 2005 (that closed on March 31), Weber showcased his collection of old textiles, outfits, and other handicrafts from Aceh, a place he used to call home, too, for he spent at least a decade living there.

One interesting piece was an ancient Indian cloth with abstract motifs and magnificent gold thread embroidery. Weber obtained the cloth in Aceh's Gayo highlands. The cloth became known worldwide, with international textile expert Jasleen Dhamija selecting the rare cloth for a textile exhibition in Jakarta and also giving it a special mention in her book, Woven Magic (The Affinity between Indian and Indonesian Textiles).

His collection ranges from a variety of betel leaf containers, known locally as cumboi, karah, ceurapa or keuranda, ija seumah (a bridegroom's scarf), ayum beungkah (a bride's handkerchief), kupiah Meukeutob (headdress for male royalty), 100-year-old swords, traditional outfits for special functions, handmade mattresses, and even a handwritten Arabic grammar book.

Without proper knowledge on the background of the old collection, it was, of course, difficult to determine the age of his collection, but Weber has a sharp eye to distinguish items that are really old and rare from those that are simply worn out.

"I love to read books about anything. You don't have to study specifically, master archeology or study about antiquities, but a study of history and general knowledge will help you know more about these things," said Weber in flawless Indonesian.

Collecting antique items, however, is not only costly in terms of money, but also in terms of the time and patience required to maintain them in good condition. That is why a collector must be both patient and careful.

But Weber is not alone in this activity. "My wife, Rosana, and children help me take care of the collection. Some need special care, like the gold or silverware and also keris, but others, like textiles, are just stored in a well-lit room."

So, love for antique artifacts grew with the Webers, with all of his six children sharing the same interest as their father.

"We are all like collecting, but bapak's collection is still the best," said Weber's second daughter Elizabeth.

Although living inside a "museum" full of artifacts -- including aged keris and royal spears, which to Javanese and others believe possess supernatural powers -- no-one in the family has ever experienced any strange occurrences.

"We are non-believers, so nothing happens to us and we never experienced any sightings. Our main concern is just to take care of them and preserve them to remind us all about the culture of mankind," said Weber.

"What I have learned from my collection is that it is obvious that people in the past had more time and patience to create these beautiful items, meaning they produced high-quality products that stood the test of time," he said.

This was in contrast to the instant, mass-produced items nowadays, that are of poor quality and do not endure.

The earthquakes and tsunami that devastated Aceh are still fresh in people's minds, and we can thank people like Weber that relics from the past are being preserved for posterity.