SOLO, Arts and Crafts

Pandawa Water World  Solo-Baru

        For several hundred years Solo has been known as the heart of Javanese culture and classical arts. It is the court city, the heart of the kingdom. Formerly, the royal families were the patrons of music, dance, weapon forging, gamelan (the instruments of the Javanese classsical orchestra) production, batik, weaving, and literature. Now, Solo is still the center of the preservation and development of Javanese arts and culture.



JAVANESE CLASSICAL MUSIC AND DANCE
       

The Gamelan Performing

       The performing arts of Central Java are rich and varied. All classical dance and theater is accompanied by the gamelan orchestra, consisting of xylophones, gongs, drums, zithers, rebabs (a string instrument), and bamboo flute. The musicians sit cross-legged on the floor to play what many Westerners find to be very strange, atonal music because it is based on a five-note scale. Those who become acquainted with it soon appreciate its heavenly beauty and harmony.

Gamelan

The Bedhoyo Ketawang Dance

At one time, Javanese classical dance was exclusively performed at court for the royal families. Nowadays, most children from Solo have had classical dance lessons at one time or another. Almost all of the dancers wear elegant batik costumes and often use exotic headpieces. Some of the most famous dances are the Bedhoyo Ketawang, the Gambyong, and the Srimpi. The Bedhoyo Ketawang performed by nine girls only once a year on the anniversary of the reigning king`s ascension to the throne, is a sacred court dance of the Solo Palace known since in the early 17 th century.

The Srimpi Dance

The Gambyong is a lively dance for welcoming guests while the Srimpi is a slow, controlled, elegant dance of graceful movement, especially of the arms, hands, fingers, and head, inspired by the quiet flow of peaceful water. The magical subtlety of these three regal dances, and many more, which are now open to the public, can be witnessed at palace performances, set in the original, mystical atmosphere.


WAYANG PERFORMANCES

Wayang Orang

       Wayang, a term denoting any of several types of plays or performances which are specifically Javanese but derived from the classical Hindu epics of the Mahabarata and Ramayana, contains the true essence of Javanese philosophy and metaphysics. Many people in Java are named after wayang characters in the hope that they will attain to the greatness of the legendary character whose name has been bestowed upon them; customs and traditions, attitudes and body language, ideals and the moral code are all influenced by the complex symbolic representation of life pictured in the wayang tales and myths. Wayang orang, the live "human" wayang performance, is sung and danced with dialogues and scenes of comic relief interspersed. The actors, wearing superb batik costumes, elaborate jewelry, and intricate headpieces, relate episodes of  myth and magic accompanied by a full gamelan orchestra. A complete performance, held every night at the Sriwedari Park in Solo lasts for four hours. For the most popular wayang performance, wayang kulit or the shadow puppet play, a puppeteer called the dalang sits cross-legged in front of a screen from 9 o`clock in the evening until dawn of the following day. A lamp shining above the dalang`s head not only lights up his elaborate manipulation of the flat, leather puppets, but also created the shadows of the puppets that can be watched from the other side of the screen. Actually, the shadow side of the screen faces the audience with the dalang working back-stage. The skill, dexterity, stamina, and artistry of the dalang is beyond belief : sitting cross-legged for eight hours, improvising the words of each character, male, female, young and old, in speech and in song, altering his voice to suite the different characters, moving the puppets, sometimes several at one time, with agility and precision; and directing the gamelan orchestra in time to the action and the story, the dalang not only relates a story, but creates a live world of mystical philosophy, of noble and evil characters, of artistic drama so real that the puppets seem to be alive.

Wayang Kulit

 LEATHER PUPPETS

The delicate artistry put into the crafting of the colourful leather puppets is also remarkable. Made from a rather thick, parchment-like piece of leather which is chiselled and then punched out so that light can shine through, producing the exquisitely delicate shadows on the screen, each character is carefully gilded and painted and then attached to ahorn stick which the dalang uses to hold and move the puppets. All shadow play puppets are individual works of art, produced one by one by leather works artists who are also skilled painters.

 BATIK

      One of the most striking "sights" in Central Java, so unlike the extraordinary palaces, temples, and other ancient sites of classical interest, can be enjoyed daily by merely walking down the streets of Solo. Apart from the warmth and friend liness of the Solonese, an unforgetable color can be observed the bright colors of the batiks worn by a significant percentage of the population. Batik cloth and shirts are now used in the formal national dress of Indonesia. The batik processing is an intricate, classical art form that has had along and important role in Javanese tradition. There are scores of different motifs, each of which has special meaning, often symbolic, and are only used for certain formal occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, funerals or anniversaries. Batik is a dye-resistant process. Patterns are drawn on cloth with molten wax. When the wax hardens, it is dye-resistant, so, the unwaxed parts of the cloth can be dyed, while the waxed  part is not affected. This process is repeated over and over again, depending on the pattern and the number of colors desired, by boiling the hardened wax off the cloth and applying a new wax pattern.

There are three basic ways to apply the wax : by hand, using a special copper tool for drawing; with a copper stamp; or a combination of hand and stamp. All three methods are fascinating art forms. Many hand drawn batiks, called batik tulis, take 2-3 months to make : that is, one piece of cloth 2 1/4 by 1 1/4 meters takes 60-90 days to create. For the production of the stamp batiks, callec cap, first a copper stamp must be made. This stamp is then used for the waxing process. The stamp is made by hand and so is the waxing process. The stamp which can be used for more than one piece of cloth, is more economical and less time consuming to use, but the outcome; is just as beautiful. It is often very difficult to distinguish between a hand drawn, a hand stamped, and a combination batik. The stamp them selves are oftem displayed as works of art. Batik production is one of Solo`s main industries and arts. Batik are produced for all purposes : for informal wear (colorful shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, and even hats or shorts); for formal wear (the traditional kain, a piece of cloth wrapped around the body like skirt); and for home use (brilliant table cloths, table sets, napkins; as wall-hangings, ranging from traditional scenes to modern, abstract designs; and sheets, pillow cases and numerous accessories, from handbags to fans to slippers).

KERIS

      The Keris, or dagger, is another magical, mysterious product of ancient Java. As an integral part of Javanese ceremony and ritual, it is worn by men for important occasions and for traditional rites. The artistry of forging the Javenese dagger dates back to ancient times, even before the Majapahit Kingdom (13 th century). The blade is made of a mixture of steel and meteorite, while the handle is usually made of teak or ather rare and valuable woods. Often gems, usually diamonds, rubies or sappphires, are inlaid near the base of the hilt. The sheathes are also works of art, frequently made of gold and inlaid with gems. Tradition has it that the artisans of the kerises, called empuh, were able to shape the blades with their bare hands, a power gained from spiritual and ascetic exercises. The kerises, too, are said to be magical : kerises are known to suddenly disappear into the blue;fly through the air; make noises when disturbed; appear in a dream only to be found a few days later; stand on the blade tip; or cause prosperity or disaster according to their suitability to their owners. The most precious kerises can be seen in museums throughout the country or on display in private collections.