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?