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.