World's finest handicrafts found in Tembi

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Thanks to Warwick Rodney Purser, it will soon be possible to buy here that container made out of leather by people in a Central Java kampong, or a basket shaped from yesterday's newspapers that were first twisted into rope.

In the past, some of the most attractive pieces of homeware, such as candle holders and picture frames, were sent directly from the kampong to international outlets around the world to be sold by Polo Ralph Laurent, Harrod's or The Body Shop. Those lucky enough to travel abroad bought them at exclusive boutiques on the streets of European capitals, such as London, Paris or Rome or even further, perhaps at a corner in New York famous for selling knickknacks proclaiming the new age.

Marveling all the time at the irony of their purchase during various trips abroad, on returning home Jakarta residents Anna Bambang Suryo Sunindar and Kusmiati Indra Kartasasmita one day traced the origin of the goods to Tembi, a little village on the outskirts of Yogyakarta.

Once there, they found themselves entertained by Warwick himself in a 200-year-old house which the innovative designer renovated, and suggested to him that an outlet for his contemporary, minimalist homeware was desperately needed within the country as well.

It did not need much convincing to get Warwick to agree to the proposal and he is in Jakarta to see the first national outlet for his collections open its doors to the public on Jl. Gunawarman 26, South Jakarta, on Nov. 23. Vogue magazine describes Warwick as a well-known Australian designer with an ability to adapt his living environment to whatever is appropriate to the country he lives in, taking the best of each place and incorporating it into his lifestyle.

Born in Sydney, Warwick first came to Bali on a week-long honeymoon in 1968. He was on his way to London to start work in marketing. That was in the month of January but when he was exposed to the charms of Bali there was no way, he thought, that he could make a home in amid all the fog, fine drizzle and cold in England. So he continued to bask in the warmth of Bali, running a little hotel called Tanjung Sari at first, and later starting a tourist guide service, Pacto Travel, that grew to become the country's largest tour and travel company.

Since then, Warwick has also worked as tourism consultant to UNDP, eventually getting deeply involved in handicrafts. In 1993, Habitat, the European chain of stores specializing in beautifying homes, persuaded Warwick to return to Indonesia from Thailand to develop products for them. In the same year, Out of Asia was established and realizing that 80 percent of his work was concentrated in central Java, Warwick moved to Yogyakarta where he saw yet another passion of his blossom: to see old Javanese homes renovated. The trend seems to have caught on as inspired by the way Warwick has converted his home into a piece of architectural treasure. More and more friends are moving into the neighborhood from Irwan Tirta, Rima Melati to Timothy Streetpotter, the internationally renowned photographer and author of Tropical Houses.

However, the greatest beneficiary of Warwick's love for preserving the best from a world that is fast disappearing remain the 800 villagers living in and around Tembi. This is one rustic area in Java which has not been abandoned by its residents in favor of work in Jakarta. The peasants are happy to be able to live in their ancestral village, working on the land seasonally but also able to compliment their income keeping alive the age- old tradition of creating the most beautiful artifacts seen anywhere in the world.

"I have worked with craftsmen from many other countries. But Indonesians are exceptional. They seem to have magic in their hands," said Warwick, who feels at home and happy here and completely secure living among peasants in the very heart of this country. He wonders why some Javanese in other parts of the island should feel so antagonistic toward foreigners.

"It is not my safety that I fear but such unpleasant incidents do keep buyers away and when nobody buys our products then it is the economy of the village and its residents that is the first to be affected," says Warwick who has inspired many a development agency, including the United Nations, to make a study of Tembi to find out how the residents of this little village have remained economically self-sufficient throughout the economic crisis.