JINGKI/JEUNGKI (RICE POUNDER)

JINGKI is an  Acehnese traditional rice pounder. In the past, it can be found under the house, especially in the village. It can be used for pound the grain to be rice, or rice to be flour. Nowadays, the existence of this traditional machine is quite rare. In the name of practicality, modern people do not use this machine anymore, everything can be found in the rack of grocery. So it is no need to spend more time and effort to make your own rice or flour. As you know, it is tiring to do so. 

A couple recent years, there is something that attracts my attention about people’s behavior in party. In the buffet scheme party, some people take so much food, but they do not finish it. The full plate will be end under the seat before it thrown away to the rubbish can. Or something more ridiculous which is to remain some food on the plate (Little bit rice, little bit another stuff). Does it mean something? I don’t know. But why is so easy to do so? Why we don’t take food as we need?

When I was a child, my mother always said to finish my meal, she said, if I don’t do so, the farmer will cry, because it is a hard work that farmer did to produce the food and it is very sad when I don’t appreciate it. We tend to forget to appreciate something because we got it easily and instantly. We do not experience the process.

Pounding Rice with JINGKI is one of full commitment activity in the long process of rice making. I think in the past people more value and appreciate the food. It is not necessarily because of the high price of food or other economic factor, but because they experience its making process and they know that it is not easy.  

 
So make sure, next time we go to the party or whatever, take food as much we are sure to be able to be finished.

NOKEN (PAPUA TRADITIONAL WOVEN BAG)

I always want to be able to get inspiration from natures. I remember, when I studied landscape architecture in the past, there was a book talking about taking nature as a design drivers. Pattern of the tree bark was transformed to the complete pavement design. Pattern of crack of the ground was transformed to be swimming pool design. That is incredible.

I am envy with someone who can pick up something from nature to generate design, because until now, I am still learning how to do it, and it seems quite hard to me. I think, may be it needs some degree of intimacy with nature to achieve this skill. It need process of understand each other, abundance of physical contact, and enthusiasm. I realize I don’t have this kind of relationship with nature. I am quite urban species, who lost some sense and opportunity to the wild green. I am just used to grey.

On the other hand, there are many indigenous tribes in Indonesia which has completely contrast lifestyle. They live and grow with and within nature. They got everything they need from nature, they know each other well. From those facts, they cultivate not only tangible product of nature but also the intangible, such as inspiration and creativity.

NOKEN is one of the examples of how nature can generate idea. NOKEN is Papua traditional woven bag that is made from tree’s bark, branch, or stem. This bag helped Papuans to carry stuffs, sometimes are heavy, in mostly difficult Papua geographical terrain, where no plastic bag is needed. The raw materials are from nature, and I think the way they appropriate this material as a functional good is also nurtured and developed from their close relationship from nature. And it is great.

As an urban species, this is quite hard to achieve this degree of relationship, because the different contact experiences. But somehow I still learn on it, because I thought it is essential creativity and basic skill. The nature is supposed to be the closest affiliation for human being. We shouldn’t need to watch TV, reading design books to get inspired. Just look around, finding something in the shape of leaves, in the breeze of wind, and the system of the nature to create something. It was really cool if we can get to this level and I hope, someday I will. You too.

Drawings idea from http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkas:Noken.jpg

More drawing and project  at http://pujodroe.blogspot.com.au/

LORO BLONYO (JAVANESE COUPLE FIGURES)

I remembered when I was in campus couple years ago, I walked and passed one of campus staff office. This staff displayed many LORO BLONYO sculptures at her window. Seemingly, she has collected these items for long time ago. I stared for a while to this collection. Each collection items was made from different material and style. The facial expression of each couple also varied one and another; smile, plain, silly and probably sad (I interpreted). And that was my contact to this cultural object.

LORO BLONYO is a couple figure of man and woman in JAVANESE tradition. Historically, this sculpture depicted DEWI SRI (Fertility Goddess) and his partner. In Javanese LORO means two and BLONYO means make up (correct me if I am wrong), But interestingly, while I did a little research about this subject, I found that there is another interpretation of LORO BLONYO meaning, it is ‘Inseparable Couple’. It is a symbol of perfect couple.

In the past, this couple figure could only be found in noblemen's houses. In contrast, as I know, many king or noblemen in the past has more than one wife. So it is still mystery why was the perfect couple depicted with only one man and one woman? It may be controversial issue while I don’t have many experiences for this matter, ha…

But just came back to my campus staff LORO BLONYO collections. It is random LORO BLONYO figures, but in this randomness, I can see very much variety of expression of those couple. Sometimes they are happy, they are sad, they are plain, they are silly and fun. May be this LORO BLONYO collection is picture of real life. They want to remind us that perfect couple will go through hard and good time, but still, they are a couple, love each other, and inseparable. Perhaps.

TUK TUK KOPI

 TUK TUK KOPI (GRINDING COFFEE ACTIVITIES)

A few days ago, I watched a program about a traditional village in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province. The village called Wae Rebo and it is one of coffee production area in Indonesia. When it came to a scene when women in this village was working together to grind the coffee at open space near their house, I just remember a photos that my lecture showed when I was in my landscape architecture class a couple years ago. That photo showed BALINESS women gather, chat and laugh in tiny back yard porch while preparing the offering for ritual ceremony. At that time, the lecture talked about the meaning of public space. It is about a space where all people can appropriate and use. No matter if it is a tiny or vast. The soul of the space comes from the positive activities that are created by its existence. I think, this concept is pretty much similar with this TUK TUK KOPI scene.

I just imagine that women can share their feeling while grinding the coffee. It may their complaints about the increasing grocery price in market, or their happiness because their kids just got married, their worried of relatives in foreign lands, or their anger about this morning quarrel with their husband (I bet the coffee will be grinded perfectly because they will express their anger by strengthen the beating power, ha..). It is vibrant and dynamic community space, a therapeutic social arena where community can accommodate their social needs while doing productive activities. 

Then, when we look in to today context, this kind of space may rapidly extinct, especially in Indonesia urban area. People become more individual, tend to buried their own problem and sadness inside (the house and heart) and it is very sad fact. I hope this kind of space will get more attention in the future and we brave enough to say more than ‘hi!’ words to our neighbor.

BA' (DAYAK BABY CARRIER)

 

Ba’ is traditional baby carriers from Dayak tribe, Borneo. It is made from rattan with wood base. It is covered with decorated beads that show a motif of sacred figures. This motif has function as amulets to guard the baby from the evil spirit.

But above that, I am just amused with the idea of keep the baby or the kids attached to their mom. Mother will carry the baby wherever she goes even when she is working. I thought it has built a strong and special connection between them. A simple love, a simple care, as the mother will be the most faithful guardian and amulet for the baby.

Recently, I listen to a parenting talk about quality vs quantity of time in building relationship with the kids. The busy modern people always said that it is not really important the amounts of time that they spend with their children. The quality of those ‘limited’ time they have is far more essential. But the speaker argued that it is a misconception. Achieving good quality needs time and quality comes with the process. It doesn’t come instantly. 

I am not saying that parents should hold or carry the kids all the time like what this Dayak mom did. But may be spending more little time in daily basis with the kids would be nice. Time won’t back, and kids will keep the best and the worst childhood memory through their whole life.