Bamboo has a special fiber which is different from wood fiber. The blend of the uniqueness of bamboo fiber and creativity result in a high sales value craft.
“I can sell every work for more than 500 thousand rupiahs,“ says Al Mustamil, the maker of bamboo calligraphy. For every work, he just only needs to spend 150 thousand rupiahs.
It is located in Jalan Kaliurang km 6, in Pandega Sakti area. Here, Mustamil makes his house into industry of bamboo calligraphy. It is not like calligraphy in general uses cloth or bark as the media, Mustamil’s calligraphy is made from bamboo. In addition, he also puts name in his work. He calls it “Calligraphy of Spear Bamboo“ because most of letters which are made from bamboo sharpen.
For him, name for his calligraphy is not just a name. There are some deep philosophies behind it. One of them is the struggle philosophy, “Our warriors chased the colonizer out only using spear bamboo, whereas, at that time, the colonizer had been completed with more modern weapons.” He combines it with spirituality in the form of verses of Al Quran.
Belonging to Gramineae, bamboo can grow in any places, from on the top of mountain to several humid places. Some of them are easy to be reached, some are not. “Seeing lots of bamboos grow in mountains makes me produce idea on how to make those bamboos that have high sales value. Then, they can be found in any kind of rooms e.g. in living room, and have been put into a nice frame,” says Mustamil revealing his idea.
About the place where bamboo grows, Prof. Tibertius Agus Prayitno PhD, a professor of Resources Technology, Faculty of Forestry Gadjah Mada University, gives explanation, “Bamboo doesn’t need certain places to grow. Well, the most important is bamboo needs a good range or ecosystem to grow. The climate must be appropriate as well so that the need of some nutrient such as water and minerals can be fulfilled.“ Bamboo can be categorized as pioneer plant because it can grow, even, in a dry place as long as someday there will be water in that place. In the dry season, bamboo will fall the leaves but it does not mean that it dies. In the rain season, the level of humidity will increase and this makes the leaves grow again.
Hundred of various kinds of bamboos grow in Indonesia. However, not all bamboos can be functioned as the craft material. It is because of the characteristics of bamboos which are different from one to another. “Usually for the craft, kind of yellow bamboo or Gigantochloa apus is used. The consideration is because when it is split into thin strips, it is easier. While for construction, bamboo with a large diameter is needed. The examples are kind of petung bamboo or Dendro callamus asper and kind of wulung bamboo or Gigantochloa verticillata,“ says Prayitno.
Not any kind of yellow bamboo can be used. In fact, Mustamil still has to select the bamboo. “Well, I don’t use all, only the old one. Meanwhile, whether it has to thick or not depends on the need. We also consider on the size of the letters. For example, we will make big calligraphy but the thickness of it is not perfect. The result will be bad as well. Need to be paid attention that one side to another side must be similar so that both side can meet and becomes a beautiful letter.”
We often find bamboo craft, especially, in a wet condition, moldy, and decaying. Of course, the problem of fungi will affect the level of quality or standard of bamboo craft. Therefore, besides selecting bamboo, technique of splitting and so on there are still many things to be paid attention in using bamboo as the material of craft.
According to Mustamil, bamboo must be sterilized first. The aim this process is to keep it preserved. “We give some chemical. Then, we soak it for two days or 48 hours. This process is done to anticipate the itchy in hands when it’s being made.”
For Prayitno, what he means by preservation is putting some chemical into bamboo. The aim is to keep the attack of destroyer organism, e.g. black fungi. “This kind of fungi usually attacks because there is an essence. That is why the essence has to be soaked first,” explains Prayitno.
After that, Mustamil has to be patient in making every detail Arabic letters because he applies manual way by using a saw. “The saw only has 45 degree, while what we need is 50 degree. We saw it as same as Arabic letter. If the measurement is wrong, the result will be inappropriate as it’s written in holly book,” said Mustamil.
In making the craft, he relies on imagination and feeling a lot. He has to pay attention on the circle of bamboo when cutting. The originality of the circle becomes the extraordinary things on his work. “The circle is already there. But sometimes we make mistakes in following the circle. We have to know how to follow the circle e.g. when cutting, it must be right.” Surprisingly, the piece of bamboo will create its shadow when being ordered.
Mustamil colors his craft with varnish so that it is more beautiful. “I don’t use paint. Combination of yellow and brown in varnish produce unique and classic color,” says the man whose 2 children.
The uniqueness of bamboo calligraphy then attracts Muhammad Sulasno to buy. At first, he knew it from his friend’s story. After that, he bought one of Mustamil’s work to decorate one of walls on his house. “I am interested in it because it is unique and rare. I can’t find like this in Jakarta. About the price, yeah, it depends on the size and form of the order.”
Most consumers get the information about the gallery through mouth to mouth. But some are interested in the gallery while passing in front of it. From one work, Mustamil can afford three times more than his first capital. He obtains bamboo for five thousand rupiahs until twenty thousand rupiahs, depends on the size. “I think the profit is very good. It’s enough to fulfill the daily needs.”
On the future, Mustamil will still use bamboo as the media of making calligraphy. However, he will create new calligraphy form so that it has high value.
Not only as the staple material of craft, bamboo has many functions. Young bamboo or rebung can be cooked. The stalk is used for making bridge, pillar, and wall partition and roof construction. It is also used to make tooth pick and chopstick. In medical field, certain bamboo leave is good to prevent the blood clot. It is also good to protect the liver and ease to sleep. []
Rosalia Fergie Stephanie
Published in Pasti Magazine
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