Music-Playing Ants

Music-playing ants sculptures at Pesona Bambu Hotel in Lembang, a resort area in the northern hills of Bandung. I can only guess that the hotel's management has chosen these sculptures because ants are known as a social insects whose complex labor division and ability to solve problems have long become our inspiration. Ants are a symbol of hard and smart communal working ethic.

Flying Bicycles

Flying bicycles at Alun-alun Cimahi (Cimahi City Square) park.

Cimahi is a municipality of about 600,000 population located about 12 kilometers to the west of the city of Bandung. It is one of the independent administrative areas that form the Greater Bandung Area(Bandung Raya) -- Other areas being Kota Bandung (Bandung Municipality), Kabupaten Bandung (Bandung Regency), and Kabupaten Bandung Barat (West Bandung Regency).

Strangled Skateboarder

Oh, oh ... what happened to this skateboarder? He didn't see a cable in front of him and was strangled in his action.

Fortunately he's not a real living skateboarder. He's just a statue. I don't know if its placement near the electric cable was deliberate. It might be. As far as I know, the electric cable had already been there before the statue was put in the front yard of the building next to the one where the cable was. Perhaps the maker of the statue was very much aware of it and deliberately put his/her work there. It might also be possible that he/she was not aware of it. Either ways, it creates a funny scene.

Hideous Grotesquerie

Is this a Hollywood horror movie character?

Perhaps! But this hideous character was found nowhere near Hollywood. It is in fact just a wax (or polymer?) figure put at a store front of a clothing shop (or 'distro'/distribution outlet as it is called here) at Cihampelas Street.

Scary, isn't it? But in spite of its appearance, this figure and a couple of other have attracted passers by to the store.

Here is another one:

NATO - Nature's Artistic Revelation

Neptune, the Roman mythological god of water and the sea, had hidden himself in the root of a huge teak tree. When the tree was cut down, he rose from under the ground, outraged and swearing, "Are you out of your mind!? What right have you got to uproot me like that and woke me up from my centuries of sleep?"

Now, that's the story I had in mind when I saw this sculpture that was minimally sculpted from a piece of the dead root of a teak tree.

NATO Art - the 'birthplace' this marvelous piece of sculpture - is an art workshop and museum that specilizes in creating, nay, revealing a piece of art that nature has intended to create. They sculpt figures and shapes following the contours and shapes that the original material - teak tree roots - inspires them to make. The one above is one of the many marvelous pieces they exhibited at Pasar Seni ITB last weekend.

Colorful Glass Lanterns

A section of Paris Van Java has just been renovated recently. At the roof of this newly renovated section, they have put these colorful and beautifully designed glass lanterns. They are locally made and have probably been put there as a kind of support the mall's is giving to the local craftsmen and women who produce them.

Making Batik

These students of the Faculty of Language and Arts Education of the Indonesia University of Education (UPI) are learning to make batik. The tool they are holding in their hands is called canting.

Canting is an Indonesian batik-making traditional tool that is used to apply wax in fine dots and lines on a cloth. It has a brass wax container head with needle spout and a bamboo or wooden handle (see picture).

If you are interested in learning how to make batik, here is an excellent illustrated step by step article that you may want to read.

Indonesian batik was designated by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009.

Finding Opportunities

I did not post yesterday because I had to go to Depok to attend a one-day workshop on the teaching of translation at the University of Indonesia.

The University of Indonesia campus at Depok is a lush, green, and forested campus with a man-made lake at the center. It also has many well-landscaped tropical gardens dotted with interesting sculptures like this one that I found in front of the building where we had the workshop.

The plaque at the base of this sculpture says that the title of this mixed-media sculpture is "Mencari Peluang ..." (Finding Opportunities). It was crafted by Iriantine Karnaya, one of Indonesia's top sculpturer, in 2007.

Old-style Weighing Scale

These old balance-type scales are the weighing scales I used to see (and use at my mom's small grocery store) when I was a child. They are still very much in use in most traditional markets here, but I don't see them much anywhere else. Modern markets and supermarkets prefer to use electronic strain gauge scales because they are considered more accurate although, scientifically speaking, balance-type scales are actually more accurate because they are not affected by local gravitational force and/or temperature which can affect the spring type of scale, of which strain gauce scales are part. The cylindrical brass in the foreground of the picture, by the way, is called the masses. Here, their measurement is marked in kilogram scales: half an ounce (50 grams), an ounce (100 grams), a quarter of a kilogram (250 grams), a half a kilogram (500 grams), and a kilogram (1000 grams).

"Nyiru" and "Leunca"

Yes, I'm still at the traditional market where these vegies are sold.

You may be familiar with some of the things in the picture as they are quite universal: tomatoes, carrots, shallots, cauliflower, red chilly, and red beans are "world class" vegetables. But some of the things in the picture are local and may not be familiar to you.

Yes, the first one are those large bamboo trays. I think they may only be found in east or southeast Asia. We - Sundanese - call it "nyiru". Javanese and Indonesian would call it "tampah". There is no English translation for it, I don't think so.

Before the age of plastics, we had a lot of tools, baskets, containers, and vessels made of bamboo, which are availble in abundance here. Now some of those things have been replaced by environmentally-hostile plastics. Sigh.

Next are those green, bean-like vegetable in the front center "nyiru". Many of us love it and call it "leunca". Some reliable internet sources say that its Latin name is solanum nigrum L.

However, Solanum nigrum L is considered poisonous in North America and some other places. On the contrary, "leunca" is considered (and has been proven by some research at some Indonesian universities) to have some medicinal properties, including that of aphrodisiac.

Regardless of what science says, we have eaten it for ages. Not only is it delicious (if you know how to cook it like we do), but also good for our health.

Creativity

Creative minds have no limits. Somebody with creative ideas and nimble hands has carved the remain of this fallen coconut tree into an interesting piece of sculpture.

White Rhinoceros

This white single-horn rhinoceros sculpture is placed at the fountain pond located at the southern part of the Bandung City Hall Park.

Badak (the Sundanese word for rhinoceros) is an important animal in the Sundanese culture. A native animal of the land where the Sundanese people live, badak has long held a strong cultural significance in their lives. The word badak and its synomyms are used to name a lot of things, literally and figuratively. Here are some examples:

ngabadak (v) - to open a field
heuay badak (n) - a kitchen chimney
badak heuay (n) - (literally: yawning rhino) a traditional Sundanese house architectural style in which the roof is open like that of a yawning rhino
babadak (n) - a bamboo structure that is used to dam a river or put at a river bank to prevent landslide.
ngaladog (v) - (ladog = badak = rhino) to roam far
Etc.

Many places in West Java (the Sundanese land) are also named after this animal, for example cibadak (rhino water), rancabadak or rawabadak (rhino swamp), paguyangan badak (rhino bathing place), etc.

The single-horn Sundanese or Javan rhino (rhinoceros sondaicus) has mostly vanished in most part of the Sundanese land. Currently only about 50 are left in the wild. They are protected at the Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java Island. Not long ago, however, this animal used to roam free in many parts of the island. According to the surviving notes of Europeans visiting the area, for example, this animal could still be found in what now becomes the city of Bandung up until the end of the 18th century CE.

Topeng Cirebon

This is a pair of Topeng Cirebon (Cirebonese Masks).

Topeng Cirebon is the masks and the name of a traditional dance (called Tari Topeng Cirebon) from the West Javanese area of Cirebon of which these masks are the essential attire.

At this time, I do not yet have the photos and videos of the dance. I'll post them when I do.

The Safest Street in the World?

Imagine a street that's home to many of the world's superheroes. It must be the safest place in the world!

This is the thought that often plays in my mind whenever I pass Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Street). I'm not seriously thinking about this, of course. I mean, these superheroes only exist in fictions, and on this street particularly, they are just part of the decorations of the fashion stores lining it. Still, the thought amuses me, not to mention how extraordinary it is to think that so many superheroes "live" in a relatively small place like this.

All that said, this post is the second installment of my coverage of one of Bandung's most famous and fascinating streets. Please check my post yesterday for the first installment of the Cihampelas story.

My World: Spiderman on Cihampelas

Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Street), Bandung, is very well known for its apparel and fashion shops, but above all, jeans! That's how it got its nick name: Jeans Street. What's unique about the shops on this street is that they are decorated in such a way that they become an attraction of their own. It's probably the only street outside Hollywood where Rambo in action is positioned next to Aladdin and his flying carpet and other fictional heroes like Superman and, as I framed in this photo, Spiderman.

The fictional character spiderman (also spelled spider-man), by the way, was first introduced to the public in August 1962 in a Marvel Comics published comics book "Amazing Fantasy". His real name in the story is Peter Benjamin Parker. The superhero was created by Stan Lee (the scripter and editor) and Steve Ditko (the plotter artist).

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in My World Tuesday meme. Too see other posts of the participating blogs of My World meme, please follow the link.

Hardship, Humor, and Mural

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When life is hard and chaotic, make humor out of it!

I think that's what this mural is trying to do.

This mural on Jalan Stasion Timur near Bandung Train Station depicts the chaotic realities on board Bandung commuter train in humorous and exaggerated way. Such a depiction is probably meant to raise the public awareness of how dangerous it is the things that they do and take for granted as a day to day normal and expected experience.

And here is what Wikipedia says about how humor occurs:

• An alternative (or surprising) shift in perception or answer is given that still shows relevance and can explain a situation.

• Sudden relief occurs from a tense situation. "Humourific," as formerly applied in comedy, referred to the interpretation of the sublime and the ridiculous, a relation also known as bathos. In this context, humour is often a subjective experience, as it depends on a special mood or perspective from its audience to be effective.

• Two ideas or things that are very distant in meaning emotionally or conceptually (i.e., having a significant incongruity) are juxtaposed.

• One laughs at something that points out another's errors, lack of intelligence, or unfortunate circumstances, thereby granting a sense of superiority.

Which one do you think relates to the humor in the above mural?

Museum Piece Tricycles

I don't know how old these children tricycles are. My wildest guess is that they are from the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Considering their age, I could not help but marveled at their condition. Except for the missing rubber tires, everything else seems to be intact and in their original condition, including the paint.

These tricycles could very well be museum pieces, but they are not. They are part of a private collection of old bicycles and tricycles owned by a member of Bandung's Paguyuban Sepeda Baheula (old bicycle community). These old tricycles together with quite a number of old bicycles are part of the exhibits that Paguyuban Sepeda Baheula displayed at Braga Fest last December.

It was already dark when I discovered these tricycles, so I had to use flash light to photograph them - something that I usually avoid in my photographic practice unless it is necessary and unavoidable.

"Komunitas Kalangan Atas" Art Community

This sculpture is one of the art works exhibited at Braga Festival last December. It is crafted from the whole root of bamboo by Tedy K., the artist and craftsman and the copyrights holder of this piece of art work. Tedy K. is a naturally talented artist and a member of the "Komunitas Kalangan Atas" Art Community.

The "Komunitas Kalangan Atas" Art Community works and permanent exhibits can be found at their workshop at Dago Tea House on Jalan Dago Selatan 53A, Bandung.

Pattern and Colors of Batik Cirebon (Cirebonese Batik)

Here is a close up look at Batik Cirebon's patterns and colors. These batik clothes and sarongs are displayed at the Cirebon Municipality stand at the Braga Festival last week.

I have previously posted the history of the Indonesian batik and the characteristics of Batik Cirebon (Cirebonese Batik) here.

Cirebon , by the way, is a city and regency in the northern coast of Java, about 135 kilometers to the north east of Bandung. As a coastal trading city, Cirebon has received various influences from its visitors throughout its long history (the city was officially established in 1369). These influences have created an interesting cultural melting pot, which, among others, are reflected in the designs of its batik. Its bright colors, for example, are said to have come from the Chinese influence.

Batik Cirebon is mostly produced by home industries in Trusmi, a village some 7 kilometers from its city center. That is why sometimes batik Cirebon is also called batik Trusmi.

In addition to Trusmi, there are actually two other villages that also become the centers of batik production in Cirebon. They are Karang Tengah and Kunduran. The latter has a predominantly Chinese population and, therefore, produces mostly Chinese-Indonesian style batik.

Bandung Emerging Creative City

Bandung may not be perfect as a city. Despite its many flaws, however, it is a vibrant and lovable city; and one of the many things that its residents as well as visitors love about it is its creative atmosphere.

Bandung is home to some of Indonesia's top art and design schools, e.g. Bandung Institute of Technology's School of Art and Design, STSI (Indonesia's Academy of Art), to name but a few. Many of Indoesia's top artists, actors, actresses, and singers and music groups are also from this city. In addition to this, Bandung is also considered by many as Indonesia's fashion capital and trend-setter. What happens in this city in the ways of art, culture, design, fashion, and lifestyle is fast spreading to other parts of Indonesia and beyond.

As a recognition for its contribution to Indonesia's and the region's development of creative industry, Bandung was recently named as one of the two pilot project cities for the development of creative-industry-based economy in East Asia by an international conference of cities with creative-industry economy. This sculpture on the junction of Jalan Dipati Ukur (Dipati Ukur Street) and Jalan Ir. H. Juanda at Dago is one of the markers installed throughout the city to celebrate Bandung as an emerging creative city.