Sea To Sea

September 2011 Gallery

Our September gallery represents a collection of sea-inspired pieces spanning the island shores of the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north.

The two seas are connected by the Lombok Straits between Bali and Lombok.  This is part of the boundary referred to as the Wallace Line, named after the man who first noted the striking differences between species present in Indo-Malaysia and those found in Australia

The ancient Balinese believed the ocean represented the underworld and the source of their demons. Across the Wallace line, in Lombak, the ocean is home to a female immortal whose status is equal to sainthood.

Folklore has it that wars were waged to compete for this beauty’s hand when she was merely a princess. To end the dispute, she threw herself into the sea. Here, she earned her immortality when her hair spawned thousands of colorful sea worms.

Wayang Kulit

August 2011 Gallery

This month we are celebrating the Indonesian New Year and presenting our collection of Wayang Kulit puppets. Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in Indonesia. Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on sticks carved from animal bone or bamboo. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit in Central Java is probably one of the oldest continuous traditions of storytelling in the world, and certainly among the most highly developed. Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic epics, “The Mahabarata” and “The Ramayana”.  Some of the plays are also based on local happenings or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or “Tok Dalang” to decide his direction.

Textiles From Sumba

July 2011 Gallery

Sumba’s textiles are found in museums worldwide because they represent all that is collectable in the folk art realm. Woven to be ritually exchanged in life transforming ceremonies, each ikat is unique and contains blessings, and contributes to an oral tradition that spans generations. Only dyes that are naturally derived from local leaves, barks and roots are used, while all ikats are hand woven on a backstrap loom.

Sumba is home to one of the world’s last intact animistic cultures. The conquering Dutch, fearful of the unity among headhunting tribes, divided Sumba into districts. To this day, the old speak of the Tana Mema, the true land as existing before Dutch occupation, and the Tana Jawa, the foreign land as Sumba today. Sumba is one of the poorest islands in the archipelago because its only natural resource, sandalwood, was exploited due to trade.

Whidbey Guest Cottage Bath

Our customer created a wonderful asian-inspired guest cottage on Whidbey Island and used our Sliced Black Bali Pebble Tile for the bath floor. They had already chosen a sink elsewhere but this style is an item we can have produced to your specification. They trimmed the sink area with our Black Stick Tile framed with wood trim.

The bath which they custom fabricated is accented with a handcarved stone relief from Joglo complete with hole for the spigot. We are always on the look out for distinctive accents such as these to create that spa-like atmosphere indoors and out.

Thanks to our customer for sharing the entire photo gallery of their cottage project – available to see at the store.

“Road To Bali” Gallery Evening

June 12, 2011

Thanks to our good friends from The Savory Table catering in Everett we collectively sponsored a wonderful evening of Indonesian inspired cocktails, cuisine and culture at Joglo in support of the Port Townsend Film Festival. This auctioned event for a party of eight featured Lychee Martinis to start followed by traditional Balinese and Javanese dishes and the main event Road To Bali, the 1952 classic starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour shown in the teak comfort of our gallery. Special thanks to the generous auction patron for supporting PTFF and her fun group of invited girls for a unique night out.

Featured dishes included: Lemper Ayam (Rice Roll With Chicken Wrapped In Banana Leaf) • Sate Bebek (Lemongrass Duck Sate) • Asparagus Tumis Kepiting (Asparagus Crab Salad) • Babi Kecap (Braised Pork Belly With Balinese Spices) • Krupuk Udang (Shrimp Crackers) • Bubur Injin (Forbidden Black Rice Pudding With Mango) • Kue Lumpur (Small Coconut Cakes) • Kopi Bali (Balinese Coffee)

Java’s Chinese Kingdoms

June 2011 Gallery

Explore with us the craftsmanship of a select group of rural offerings from Java’s Chinese kingdoms. Trade routes in the 15th century, the Opium Wars, and the Chinese Civil War spurred three waves of Chinese immigration into Java. A reluctance to assimilate was aggravated by Java’s Dutch occupiers, who imposed a class system that placed Chinese immigrants at the bottom. To preserve their culture and status, the Chinese formed kingdoms along Java’s coast where their skills as craftsman and traders flourished. Here, we find those rare pieces that blend old world China with the simplistic aesthetic of rural Java.

Art of Batik

May 2011 Gallery

Traditional Javanese batik, especially from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, has notable meaning rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colors include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahmā, Visnu, and Śiva). Certain patterns can only be worn by nobility. Traditionally, wider stripes or wavy lines of greater width indicated higher rank. During Javanese ceremonies, one could determine the royal lineage of a person by the cloth he or she was wearing. Other regions of Indonesia have their own unique patterns that normally take themes from everyday lives, incorporating patterns such as flowers, nature, animals, folklore or people.

Batik designs are created by applying wax on a pre-woven fabric to create a pattern that will resist dye. Transfer of wax occurs in two ways: It can be painted onto the cloth using a Canting (a pen-like instrument made from copper and bamboo) or stamped with a Tjap (a block-stamp handcrafted from copper strips that are bent to create patterns). Application of wax, and dye submersion of cloth, may occur multiple times to create the desired color and design. 

Be sure to visit us during May to see our collection of batik textiles

Malang

April 2011

A rutted road that twists and drops to rice fields below. There are no guardrails. Our van teeters, brushed to the right by a truck traveling the opposite way, the wheels searching for stability in the shoulder. A motorcycle skitters along the gutter and passes us in the rain. 

In May 2006, mud flowed from a natural gas drilling site and has continued to flow, causing landslides and the closure of the Porong-Gempol road. The detour from Surabaya to Malang is arduous. 

Malang’s history dates back to the Mataram Kingdom. When the Dutch colonized Indonesia, it became a European tourist destination. Cool air greets us at the higher elevations where views of Mount Arhuna and Mount Bromo are spectacular. At sea level, the beaches benefit from a breeze off the Indian Ocean. 

Much of the Dutch colonial architecture remains intact in the heart of the city. By contrast, shantytowns line the rivers and railway tracks. In between, there is an affluent Chinese community. Homes are walled and very private. The Chinese are savvy collectors and deal in antiques that are pricey and rare. 

Leaving Malang, we stop at the compound of a hoarder. There is no other word for this man who collects anything and everything stacked in monumental piles that extend into rafters, nooks and crannies. Among the old Dutch furniture and pieces of art are animated carvings made-for-tourists prior to World War II. Comically grotesque, these fantastic creatures retell the Hindu myths with haunting clarity. Whimsical gods with gaping eyes and open mouths performing awkward activities sidetrack us from what we came to buy – old Dutch iron gates and windows. 

Dusk becomes dark and there are torrential rains. We wade in water to our ankles past the hoarder’s wife who sits on a stool and watches a wall-mounted TV. Rats run the inside perimeter. They screech in a chorus. I wonder, do rats sing? 

We purchase a sampling of iron with a promise we will return on our next Indonesian visit. It’s the rats that have inspired us to hit the road. We escape into the night through a maze of ruts and ditches.

Custom Reclaimed Teak Hutch

Our client purchased one of our unfinished reclaimed teak 2-drawer/2-door buffet cabinets and wanted a matching glass door hutch with a single shelf made of the same material to rest on top. They sketched their needs and we worked with our source in Java to find matching reclaimed teak material and create this complimentary design.

The pieces are fastened in back with a steel brace.

Garden Sanctuaries

March 2011 Gallery

Bali, so aptly called the island of the gods, is equally the island of gardens. In this month of March, we have gathered a host of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic creatures – stone carvings that animate the realm of quiet contemplation that is the Balinese garden experience.