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Gamelan Sets Made in Bantul Reach International Markets

Gamelan Sets Made in Bantul Reach International Markets
A buyer checks out the gamelan sets at the workshop © JP/Aditya Sagita

The loud sounds of gamelan welcome visitors to the traditional gamelan workshop called Daliyono Legiono in Baturetno village in Banguntapan district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta. Each visitor gets a pair of cotton balls to plug ears before entering the house.

Three men cut and forge metal plates in the Daliyono Legiono workshop. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita
Three men cut and forge metal plates in the Daliyono Legiono workshop. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita

 

The Daliyono Legiono workshop, established in 1954, has exported its gamelan abroad. The founder was Daliyono and now his son, Legiono, continues the legacy.

 

Legiono checks the tune of a gong using a master gong, called the “baboon”, as the benchmark. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita
Legiono checks the tune of a gong using a master gong, called the “baboon”, as the benchmark. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita

 

Making gamelan sets requires rigorous craftsmanship and patience. To make a gong, for example, the workshop needs two to four days. Legiono said his market in the beginning was only Yogyakarta and neighboring areas, but later in the 1980s the family began to sell gamelan in Malaysia and Singapore.

A worker makes the wooden racks for gamelan sets. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita
A worker makes the wooden racks for gamelan sets. Image: JP/Aditya Sagita

 

The workshop sells a set made of brass for Rp 220 million [US$16,330] while ones using bronze cost Rp 370 million. The cheapest sets are made of iron and are sold for Rp 50 million. Brass ones will make a lighter sound while bronze ones will produce more rounded sounds. 


Source : Jakarta Post

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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