Many craftsmen increasingly innovate so that their products always survive. One of them is keben crafter from Kukuh village, Marga, Tabanan. We can find its innovative products in the 41st Bali Arts Festival (BAF) at the Bali Art Center. The keben exhibited is decorated with glass and shells.
The keben business pioneered by Made Wintara originated from an economic downturn due to the Bali Bombing I in 2002. Today, for almost 16 years, the business of making glass and shelf keben remains to exist and is not affected by fluctuating economic conditions. Currently, the market is not only in Bali but also outside Bali.
According to Gita Suandewi, the daughter of Made Wintara, when met at the booth of Bali Arts Festival (BAF) on Tuesday (Jun. 18), the keben craft business pioneered by her father since 2003 is named the Mozaik Hindu Bali. At that time, Wintara was forced to change profession because the business of the company where he worked was sluggish due to the Bali Bombing I. “Initially, my father made mannequins and jars decorated with glass mosaic. But the order was canceled. To prevent from losing money, my father then decorated the keben with glass mosaic,” explained Gita.
Unexpectedly, in fact, the innovation of keben decorated with glass mosaic is much in demand. In 2015, her keben ornaments also used shells. In the BAF arena, her keben products are sold for around IDR 100,000 to IDR 250,000. Gita added the keben ornaments are brought in from Java. “We usually order 10 to 20 kilograms of shell per month in Java,” he said.
Source&image: Bali Travel News
Add a comment