World's finest handicrafts found in Tembi

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.