Larger-than-life statue brings a single message: Peace

Larger-than-life statue brings a single message: Peace

By Lela E. Madjiah

In commemoration of both the 20th anniversary of the
integration of East Timor, which falls on July 17, and 50 years
of Indonesian independence, a 25-ton statue called Kristus Raja
(Christ the King) is being erected in Fatukama Bay, Dili. The
Jakarta Post documents the project.

JAKARTA (JP): ...step by step/ You climb the Golgotha/ Your
steps halt, and finally You tumble)

Christ's painful trip up the hill where he was crucified is
being repeated -- this time on a hill in Fatukama Bay, Dili, as a
group of workers struggle against strong wind and crumbling earth
to erect a giant statue of Christ.

The driveway built especially for the project ends 100 meters
from the top. From there workers have to climb the soft earth to
haul the steel frame of the 25-ton statue to the summit because
the loose earth renders a crane useless. They must drag the
pieces -- the lightest one weighing one hundred kilograms -- up a
slope that reaches 60 degrees. One misstep means a plunge into
the gurgling waters below.

"A perfect site for such a monumental statue," exclaims Moch.
Syailillah, the artist who made it.

Why on that hill?

Hills occupy a significant place in the life of Jesus Christ.
He made his famous sermon, The Beatitudes, on a hill in Galilee
and it was from the hill of Golgotha that he offered his ultimate
gift -- his life -- to humankind and marked the reconciliation
and peace between God and his creatures.

What could be more fitting than a statue of Christ for mainly
Catholic East Timor on the 20th anniversary of its integration
with Indonesia and the country's celebration of 50 years of
independence?

The 17-meter tall statue depicts Christ stretching out his
hands in a gesture symbolizing his invitation for people to
follow him. It stands on a six-meter-high copper globe supported
by a 3.5-meter high concrete base. The copper statue, entitled
Kristus Raja (Christ the King), took the artist 17 months of
extensive research to produce. The project was carried out by
Garda J. O. Studio of Bandung which received the assignment from
the national flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia. Garda Studio, led
by Moch. Syailillah, received financial support from PT
Multipros, a consultant firm owned by businessman Nur Samsu.

Kristus Raja is not the largest nor most complicated statue
ever built in the country. The 30.6 meter copper Jalesveva
Jayamahe monument in Surabaya built by the Navy has set a new
trend in Indonesian sculpture.

It also employed a technique which is relatively new in the
world. Based on the model, the naval statue, which is scheduled
for inauguration next month, is divided into 1,440 pieces grouped
in 60 segments. Each segment is 1.44 meters tall and is made of 6
cm wide and 2.5 mm thick copper plates. The construction of the
pieces was very complicated and required high accuracy, for which
the artist, I Nyoman Nuarta, used a computer.

Still, the statue of Christ is a monumental piece of art that
amazes even the artist who designed it.

"It never occurred to me during my university years that one
day I would get the chance to make a statue this big," said M.
Syailillah, more popularly known as Bholil. "I told myself I
could not let this opportunity slip by and to think of the
technical problems afterwards."

Garuda's decision to give the challenging task to Bholil was
partly due to the artist's past works for the airline. Bholil has
been the designer of Garuda's entries to the annual float
festival in Jakarta since 1990. In 1992, when the float committee
started to present awards to the participants, Bholil's work for
Garuda won the first prize for best design and presentation. The
following year Garuda won again.

Bholil's excitement was partly due to the fact that as a
sculptor he hasn't had many opportunities to express himself due
to limited public appreciation for statues.

"Not everybody likes sculptures. For one thing, it requires
special space, unlike paintings which can be hung on the wall.
Sculptures also give the impression of something cold, unlike
paintings, whose colors are one source of enjoyment in
themselves. You don't have to understand a painting to buy one, "
explained Bholil, whose work won first prize at an annual
exhibition of the art and design department of the Bandung
Institute of Technology in 1987.

As a Moslem, Bholil had problems figuring out the kind of
Christ to depict. He was also at first hesitate before finally
deciding that he would approach it as no more than a statue.

"I told myself that for the Catholics, Christ exists and what
I'm trying to do is to interpret what he is to them. For me,
Christ is a religious symbol, the symbol of a holy man," said
Bholil, who likes statues because they carry a kind of mystery
and, unlike paintings, can be touched.

Work started in May last year and involves a total of 72
people, including artist Herastono, an ITB graduate who perfected
Bholil's design of the statue's hands.

The process itself, however, began in September 1992, when a
still single Bholil was shown a picture of Christ with
outstretched hands. He then set to work, never thinking of
whether the project would fall into his own hands. He drew sketch
after sketch, until finally Bholil, by then married and a father
of a baby daughter, was informed last year that he had got the
project.

Interview

Bholil initially planned to create a crowned Christ because he
is also a king to his followers. He interviewed people and went
to Bogor and Madiun to find out the proper crown for Christ.

"But they told me Jesus was never depicted with a crown except
the crown of thorns he wore during his crucifixion and one made
of palm leaves. I consulted the Bishop (Bello) and he said to not
use the crown," Bholil recalled.

To find the right facial expression, Bholil, who studied at
the Bandung institute's art and design department from 1978 to
1986, interviewed people, including priests, and came to the
conclusion that Catholics see Jesus as a holy and loving man.

"That's why I came up with a serene profile and gentle eyes
that could evoke love in those who see the statue and Bishop
Bello approved of it," said Bholil.

The statue was built in Garda Studio's workshop in Bandung.
The main problem was to design it so the statue could be easily
put together on the hill in Fatukama Bay, six kilometers from
Dili. Although only 100 meters high, the hill is quite steep.

Bholil, who is greatly influenced by noted sculptor Rita
Widagdo, his mentor at school, concluded that he had to slice the
statue into segments to make transportation and reconstruction
easier.

"But after each cut we lost nearly one millimeter, which we
had to recover otherwise the statue would be 1.5 meters smaller
than its actual size," said Bholil.

The statue was cut into 13 sections of five segments each.
Each work group was assigned to one section. Group A, for
example, was responsible for the leg, from the sole of the foot
to the knee, which, once connected and mounted on the frame, was
measured and coated with copper.

Bholil had two technical consultants, Erwin Wazar, an interior
designer, and Agung Sabur, a civil engineer. Erwin and Agung were
responsible for the main steel frame of the statue and the frames
for the components to be attached to it.

"It's a very complicated project that required a combination
of standard calculations and artistic creativity," said Erwin.

The width between the robe and the hands, for example, is
impossible to calculate using standard computation. Another
complicated computation was called for in the gap between the
diameter of the body, which is only 4.5 meters, and the span
between each hand which is 12 meters. Even the statue of Christ
in Sao Paolo, Brazil is not as complicated as this one, Erwin
claimed.

"Sometimes we could not figure out the right calculation on
paper, so we just did it in the workshop, drew the picture on
paper after it was done and made sure that it met the normal
standard," he explained.

Bholil had to hire a rock climber, Ruhibidudin, to test the
ground and lead the workers who carried the numbered components
and parts up the treacherous hill.

"Without Didin, it would have been impossible to carry all
those heavy materials up the steep and brittle hill," said Erwin.

The statue is so complex that East Timor Governor Abilio J.
Osorio Soares felt the need to check it for himself.

"He climbed to the top of the frame to convince himself that
it will stand against the wind. Apparently he was satisfied,"
Erwin said.

An early test came when two earthquakes hit eastern Flores in
East Nusa Tenggara last month.

"The frame remained intact although the tremors reached Dili.
There was no crack," said a relieved Erwin.

According to Erwin, the statue will stand the test of time if
it is maintained properly.

"It is made of 1-mm thick copper which will get thicker when
oxidized," he explained. "The most crucial part is the steel
frame, which can corrode."

To facilitate maintenance, all the limbs of the statue can be
entered for cleaning.

"There is a ladder inside and a worker can enter the statue
and reach even its smallest part, like the wrists," said Erwin.

To ensure a long life, the steel frames need to be cleaned and
repainted periodically, particularly at the joints where they are
connected with the copper parts.

"Once a joint is corroded, the part will fall apart and will
affect other parts. Such a problem happened with the statue of
Liberty," Erwin related.

Paul Retika, director of Jakarta-based Ketira Engineering
Consultants, underlined the importance of proper maintenance.

According to Retika, both Kristus Raja and Jalesveva Jayamahe
have grand, outstanding structures.

"But without proper maintenance, the life of the Christ statue
will be shorter than that of the Jalesveva Jayamahe monument
because Kristus Raja has to brave stronger wind forces and quake
jolts," Retika warned.

Work is nearing completion as the workers put together the
hands, the most difficult part of the statue.

Next month, when the statue is ready, Fatukama Bay will be a
breathtaking sight. A long-haired Christ standing on a globe,
with both hands outstretched, is surely a welcoming and peaceful
sight.