Used cans turned into artwork

Used cans turned into artwork

By R. Agus Bakti

MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): Used cans are usually considered
garbage that can harm the environment. Yet to Suharmanto, used
cans are raw material for his artwork.

Suharmanto, 39, has become successful with used cans. Not just
for himself but also for people around him. What is his trick?

A used can is first cut open into a sheet, which is then
twisted into various artistic shapes, such as those of birds,
horses or calligraphy, for wall or table decorations.

It was only by sheer chance that Suharmanto stumbled onto the
idea of turning used cans into artistic shapes. "I was looking
for a used can to cover a hole that a rat had made in my
cupboard," he says.

The rest of the can was not thrown away but was twisted into
the shape of a bird's feather. After some time, he made the shape
of a peacock from this can. It looked beautiful!

He then decided to take up this craft seriously and produced
various artistic shapes from used cans for home decorations.

He was fortunate in that he got guidance from the local
industrial affairs agency in Magelang, particularly about the
management of a home industry.

Thanks to this guidance, he was later able to produce a
greater variety of shapes, such as flora, fauna, statues,
calligraphy, from all sorts of tin cans. He also created hawks,
roosters, a 2.5 meter by three meter wall hanging of a horse in a
meadow.

Suharmanto has also tried to make a table from twisted used
cans. How long it takes to complete an item depends on its size,
but on average it takes him between 15 and 25 days.

At a glimpse, it is hard to guess that Suharmanto's artworks
are made from used cans. "Only when you look at them closely and
carefully will you believe that these items are made from used
cans," he says.

He says it takes patience to create something out of used
cans. First you have to determine the colors you want for a
particular creation. These colors must be the original colors of
the used cans. Then you twist each sheet of can into a desired
design.

The number of used cans needed also depends on what you want
to make. Usually, however, five used cans are needed to make an
item.

The prices of Suharmanto's artworks range from Rp 50,000 to
hundreds of thousands of rupiah.

Suharmanto has no difficulty in obtaining used cans for his
work because scavengers go directly to his house at the foot of
Mount Merbabu to sell cans to him. He buys a kilogram of used
cans for Rp 50,000. He also collects used lubricant cans from
motorcycle workshops around Magelang.

Suharmanto markets his work himself or leaves items on a
consignment basis at art shops around Borobudur Temple.

Thanks to the art shops, he says, his works are now
internationally known. Some tourists have bought his works as
souvenirs.

Suharmanto also actively takes part in exhibitions. In 1994,
he exhibited at the Jakarta Fair, where he represented Central
Java province. It was an impressive exhibition for him because he
was named national champion in a handicraft competition held by
the National Handicraft Council.

Because of this achievement and also owing to his pioneering
the utilization of used cans, he once earned a citation from the
Central Java governor.

"I don't care if someone else claims to be the pioneer in
creating artistic work from used cans because I myself have
earned a citation for this," he says at his house.

Suharmanto is yet to be satisfied with all he has done, which
is why he keeps searching for new creations and trying to improve
the quality of his work.

He now coats his art pieces with an antirust substance, and he
no longer uses scissors to cut the metal because he has created a
special device with which to cut the used cans.

"This cutting device is not available in any shop. I created
it myself after experimenting," he says a little proudly.

His seriousness in utilizing used cans has not only improved
his earnings but also has changed the mostly agricultural
Tirtosari village, where he lives and works in his Sarana Mulya
(Nobel Means), his house-cum-workshop, as 47 villagers, including
a number of housewives, help him. Some cut the tin while others
twist it into shape, and so forth.

Suharmanto, who received only a junior high school education,
makes the designs and does the finishing. One must be creative if
one wishes to make good use of used cans.

One thing is for sure, though, Suharmanto has given great
value to used cans and has also helped maintain the environment.

What makes him proud, he boasts, is that his works have been
collected by several former high-ranking officials in Jakarta and
a number of provincial officials in Central Java.