Tulungagung marble craftsmen: The search for survival

Tulungagung marble craftsmen: The search for survival

By Gin Kurniawan & Christanto W

TULUNGAGUNG, East Java (JP): The heat and aridity of Besole
and Gamping forced local residents to abandon these small
villages in Campurdarat district, Tulungagung, East Java, over 10
years ago to seek a living in urban areas.

Later, however, the situation changed within a very short
time. The deserted hamlets soon became a powerful marble business
center, where many of people rushed to earn a living.

Both villages have now achieved domestic and international
fame, thanks to their abundance of marble. Besole and Gamping are
well known to importers in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, which are
major markets of Tulungagung's marble industry. At home, their
products decorate houses, hotels and offices.

Marble and onyx have transformed the working status of local
villagers from farm laborers to craftsmen. Those who used to go
to cities as part-time workers in the planting season now choose
to remain in their village homes. Seventy percent of the 3,400
people living in Besole and Gamping today rely on their
cratfsmanship.

There are usually two to three polishers in each company,
while the remaining workers serve as craftsmen. In total, there
are no less than 9,500 villagers employed in Besole's marble
manufacturing. The workers also come from Trenggalek, Blitar,
Pacitan and their environs.

Gamping people began to emerge as craftsmen in 1989. In this
parched village, only 52 hectares of its 236-hectare area could
be cultivated, with 23 hectares of the cultivated land deprived
of access to irrigation and relying on rainfall.

In view of the extreme conditions, the regional administration
of Tulungagung held a workshop in Gamping to train local farmers
in industrial skills to promote a change in their vocation.
Through this program, its marble and onyx handicraft business has
been making headway.

For almost 15 years now, Tulungagung's craftsmen have
continued to meet orders, manufacture and create new items. The
high demand has been accompanied by an increase in marble
exploration and the increased exploitation of this stone has
caused scarcity.

Fortunately, marble supplies from other regions, such as
Bawean Island, East Java, have been available for quite some
time. According to craftsmen, marble from Bawean is of higher
quality and more expensive than local supplies.

The growing demand for handicraft products has also raised
material prices considerably, especially after the monetary
crisis in 1997. Bawean marble now costs between Rp 2 million and
Rp 2.5 million per ton as compared to the original price of Rp
160,000 per ton, while the price of local marble has risen from
only Rp 100,000 to between Rp 400,000 and Rp 700,000 per ton.

Low priced products

The price increase for raw marble, however, has not been
accompanied by higher handicraft prices. Gamping handicrafts in
egg shapes, already exported, sell for only Rp 500. Every month,
a craftsman turns out various items worth at least Rp 1 million,
with monthly income sometimes reaching as high as Rp 10 million.

Marble polishing costs depend on the item's size and degree of
complexity, reaching about Rp 2,500 per piece for a standard
item, while a skilled worker earns Rp 15,000 daily.

Other low prices offered for marble or onyx products are Rp
85,000 for a small two-tier table, Rp 150,000 for a 50cm x 200cm
table, Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000 for a round or oval dining table
without chairs, Rp 750,000 for a rotating dining table with
chairs, and Rp 10 million for a statue, depending on its shape.

Consumers prefer onyx goods because this stone can be
transparent, yellowish, light yellow or decorated with wood grain
designs. It has the antique appearance of natural rock untainted
by technology.

The local people also produce block marble, milled marble or
terazzo, which is mixed with cement to make floor tiles.

"A family earns at least Rp 100,000 daily from this
processing," said Parto, 45, a local marble seller.

The protracted economic crisis has definitely impacted on the
trade. As the high material prices have not coincided with an
increase in the price of handicraft items, hundreds of small-
scale manufacturers have been relegated to the role of skilled
workers, joining larger firms with stronger capital.

Nevertheless, bankruptcy has not dampened their spirits.
Expecting their businesses to revive when the crisis is over,
they continue producing and creating to maintain their consumers
by observing current trends and seeking inspiration.

One of their sources of their inspiration that offers models
for the craftsmen to imitate is television.

"We're fond of watching TV, especially telenovela (Latin soap
operas), as they display goods we can reproduce," admitted
Purnomo, 40, a craftsman.

Anjarwati, another marble artist, said that, as soon as
novelty objects are seen on TV, craftsmen "promptly copy their
patterns because the wealthy are very interested in such
imitations". Greater product variety draws many more buyers,
while "unique and antique-looking items unequaled by others,
become targeted by the upper class," she added.

As demanded by the progress of modern times, Gamping craftsmen
are now capable of making nearly all kinds of goods, ranging from
spoons, dishes, tables to statues.

"More intricate work will result in more expensive rarities,"
Purnomo said.

Basole currently has hundreds of stone crushers, marble-block
machines and mills. Large factories can produce 2m x 3m blocks,
local villagers only turn out smaller sizes, particularly 40cm x
40cm sheets with a 2cm thickness costing between Rp 7,000 and Rp
8,000.

The survival of the Tulungagung marble business under present
conditions remains a question mark. Meanwhile, the heated
domestic political atmosphere resulting from the conflict between
political groups impacts on the number of visitors to this marble
handicraft center, thus reducing the producers' incomes.

Optimism is the craftsmen's only asset amid the prevailing
difficulties. When the economic crisis and political rivalry is
over some day, they will again enter their heyday. Then how long
will it take to await the dawn of revival?