Kris Indonesia Traditional Weapon

The kris or keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger from Indonesia. Both a weapon and spiritual object, krises are often considered to possess magical powers. The earliest krises known were made around 1360 AD and most probably spread from the island of throughout Southeast Asia.

Kris blades are usually narrow with a wide, asymmetrical base. The different metals formed into the blade give the steel its distinctive ‘watered’ appearance called pamor. The sheath is often made from wood, though examples from ivory, even gold, abound. A kris' aesthetic value covers the dhapur (the form and design of the blade, with around 150 variants), the pamor (the pattern of metal alloy decoration on the blade, with around 60 variants), and tangguh referring to the age and origin of a kris. A blade smith, or empu, makes the blade in layers of different iron ores and meteorite nickel. Some blades can be made in a relatively short time, while more legendary weapons take years to complete. In high quality kris blades, the metal is folded dozens or hundreds of times and handled with the utmost precision. Empu are highly respected craftsmen with additional knowledge in literature, history, the occult, etc.

3D Fashion: Fashion as Art

 The Fashion industry across the world, including in Malaysia is drifting towards technology. Therefore, a new genre has been hatched . Is it fashion or is art. From the perspective of designers it is a a mosaic of both of Art and Fashion. The fabric is fashion but the visuals are art.

The question is whether the world would be more receptive to this kind of cuture at the current moment is debatable.
However, one thing is certain, life imitates art.
 

Borobudur Temple

The magnificent Borobudur temple is the world’s biggest Buddhist monument, an ancient site widely considered to be one of the world’s seven wonders. Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty, the temple’s design in Gupta architecture reflects India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian. This awe inspiring monument is truly a marvel. After a visit here you will understand why it is Indonesia’s most visited tourist attraction and a famous icon of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.

Located on the island of Java, the temple sits majestically on a hilltop overlooking lush green fields and distant hills. It covers an enormous area, measuring 123 x 123 meters. The monument is a marvel of design, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The architecture and stonework of this temple has no equal. And it was built without using any kind of cement or mortar! The structure is like a set of massive interlocking Lego blocks held together without any glue.

Retro Waste 1980s Art Fashion

1960s fashion was bi-polar in just about every way. The early sixties were more reminiscent of the 1950s — conservative and restrained; certainly more classic in style and design.

The late 1960s were the exact opposite. Bright, swirling colors. Psychedelic, tie-dye shirts and long hair and beards were commonplace. Woman wore unbelievably short skirts and men wore tunics and capes. The foray into fantasy would not have been believed by people just a decade earlier.

It’s almost like the 1950s bottled everyone up so much that the late 1960s exploded like an old pressure cooker. Women were showing more skin than ever before.

 For the first time in the 19th Century, London, not Paris, was the center of the fashion world. The British Invasion didn’t stop with The Beatles. It swept into all parts of life, especially clothing.

But actually, lost in the two extremes is the mid-60s, which I think actually had the coolest style, albeit more subtle. I love the long, slender shapes, the bright colors and the young, London look. I have always wished the Mod style stuck around a little longer.

The Art in Drawing

Drawing, is the first image that conjures up in ones mind when they think of art. In Malaysia, the art world is replete with many talented artists. However, Mr Prasad encompasses all the features of an artist. He is lay back and his office looks so untidy it would play a perfect scene in a CSI Miami episode.

I sad down with him and managed to interview him.

" What motives you sir? Why did you pick up a pencil rather than a paint brush" Shumina.
The 26 year old from Kuala Lumpur cleared his throat, and gazed in the roof before coming up with an answer.
" I am motivated by art, specifically drawing because it is the only thing I have ever been good at. I have painting, it is too messy" Mr Prasad.

The difference between painters and drawers is akin to the difference between chefs and bakers, you gravitate towards either skill depending on your environment and talent.

Value of Paintings

The art world: glamour, wealth, intrigue. Beneath the surface there is a darker place. A world of higher stakes and gambles. In the past we looked at pictures now we look through them.Every picture tells its own story.What would you buy if you had $100 million?

My fascination with art starts when I was 10 years old and my father Mr Chrispin Mwitila Shumina took me to Musee  du Louvre ( The Louvre Museum).  Since then, I have a profound knowledge on art valuations specifically in impressionism.  This refers to a 19th century movement that dates back to Paris based artists.  Impressionist paintings detail small thin, yet visible brush strokes.  What makes a painting worth 100 million and another worth $1? I have been to countless art auctions: from France, to Capetown, Africa. A painting is a duet between two people, the painter and the owner. Great emphasis is given to the person who owned it  and the painter. The world most expensive painting ever sold at 300 million dollars. That might sought ludicrous to someone who does not like art. I am going to share with you  some pictures of very, very close friends in high echelons of which I was asked to value. Caution, I do not work at the art auction.

This is a an impressionist picture I took in Kuala Lumpur and I was asked to value by a very, very close friend of mine.  From my experience as an art collector I would value this painting for a lot of money. My beading price would start at $100,000 for the first painting " Red man in the Gondola ".  As for the second painting I would value it at an an astronomical $1 million. I will explain. If you look closely enough, at this impression. The illuminating strokes he used on the trees and the back drop of the clouds means depict a warm picture.  One that one would hung likely anyway in the house, however such a painting would fit in the living room and bed room. It would would befitting to hung it next to the window where the sun rays would create profound vivid image.

Debus

Debus is a martial art from Banten. This art was created in the 16th century, in the reign of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin (1532-1570). Debus, an art which demonstrates the remarkable human ability, immune to sharp weapons, fire resistant, hard drinking water, insert objects into a whole coconut, fry an egg on the head and others.

 Islamic religion was introduced by Sunan Gunung Jati, one of the founders of the Sultanate of Cirebon in 1520, in conjunction with the conquest expedition peacefulness of Sunda Kelapa. Then, when the power held by the Sultan of Banten Ageng Tirtayasa (1651-1682), Debus focused as a tool to evoke the spirit of the warriors in the fight against Dutch colonial traders joined in Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC).

It is said that martial arts originated from the area Debus al Madad. The longer the martial arts is growing and growing in all societies as the art of entertainment offerings for the community. The show is still very strong core martial arts or martial arts movement and use of weapons. Debus art offerings, many uses and focus on one player immune to attacks by sharp items, and sort of sharp weapon is called with the whistle.

wayang kulit

 The ancient Indonesian art of shadow play or "Wayang Kulit" is a unique combination of ritual, lesson, and entertainment. Lacy shadow images are projected on a taught linen screen with a coconut oil lamp or electric light. The Dalang, or shadow artist, manipulates carved leather figures between the lamp and the screen to bring the shadows to life.

Most shadow play is based on two epic stories from India. The Mahabarata and it's sister work, the Ramayana, elegantly depict eastern philosophies which have inspired many cultures. The Balinese and Javanese have combined the Hindu stories with Buddhist and Muslim ideas and their own folk lore. Usually, these stories are divided into many different episodes. Some episodes are purely Indonesian creations based on the epics.
Other stories from Indonesian history and myth are occasionally performed. Some favorites include Kala Rau - the eclipse of the moon, Calonarang - a call to witches, and Panji -Javanese folk tales.
The Dalang chooses a story appropriate to the village or venue sponsoring the performance. This choice is made to illustrate a useful moral. Upon arriving to perform, the Dalang asks about current local events and uses the story to illustrate solutions.

Gambus Instrument

The gambus is the most common lute found in a variety of styles in Malay folk music as well as syncretic music such as ghazal. It is also used to accompany song and dance in Sabah, Malaysia. Originating from the Middle East, the Malaysian version uses 9 to 12 wire strings which are plucked. There are two types of gambus in use, the GambusHadramaut and Gambus Hijaz.

The overall length of the gambusMelayu of Johor is about 88 cm. At its greatest depth it is about 13 cm. Its width is 23.5 cm. The face of the neck is flat and the lower portion of the belly is covered with skin to the extent of 32 cm from where the edge of the belly meets the tail-piece downwards. Most gambusMelayu are made from the Chempedak, Cengal andNangka or jackfruit tree.

Bonang Instrument

The bonang is made up of a set of small knobbed gongs which are placed horizontally on a rack in two rows. They are a part of a family of rack gong sets, all of which are similar but different in the number and sizes of gongs used as well as in the number of rows. The names by which these sets are known depend on their construction and function in a given music ensemble. Besides the bonang, the horizontal rack gong sets are called kenong, canang,  caklempong, engkeromong and kulintangan.

Bonang may be made of forged bronze, welded and cold-hammered iron, or a combination of metals. In addition to the gong-shaped form of kettles, economical bonang made of hammered iron or brass plates with raised bosses are often found in village gamelan.

Breakdance

Break dancing was a style of dancing that grew up around hip hop music during it's eraly stages if development in the United States. 'Break dancing' stretched the human body to its limits.

Between 1970 and 1973, break dancing makes its first appearance in the clubs, Plaza Tunnel and the Puzzle. the earliest moves were the "Drop" and the "In-and-Out". One popular move in 'break dancing' was known as the 'Floor Lock'. In this move dancers would support themselves on one hand while spinning their bodies around while kicking out ther legs.

Art of Photography

The history of photography has roots in remote antiquity with discovery of the principle of the camera obscura and the observation that some substances are visibly altered by exposure to light. As far as is known, nobody thought of bringing these two phenomena together to capture camera images in permanent form until around 1800, when Thomas Wedgwood made the first reliably documented although unsuccessful attempt. in the mid-1820s, Nicephore Niepce succeeded, but several days of exposure in the camera were required and the earliest results were very crude. Niepce's associate Louis Daguerre went on the develop the daguerreotype process, the first publicly announced photographic process, which required only minutes of exposure in the camera and produced clear, finely detailed results. It was commercially introduced in 1839, a date generally accepted as the birth year of practical photography.

Saxophone

The Saxophone is known as a single-reed musical instrument that is staple in jazz bands. Considered to be newer than other musical instruments in terms of its music history, the saxophone was invented by Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax. Aldophe Sax was born on 6 November 1814 in Dinant, Belgium. His father, Charles, was a maker of musical instruments. During his youth, Adolphe studied the clarinet and flute at Brussel's Conservatory.

His father's passion for creating musical intruments influenced him greatly and he began plans of improving the tone of the bass clarinet. what he came up with was a single-reed instrument constructed from metal that has a conical bore and overblows at the octave.

Rumah Gadang

Each of culture of Indonesia has specific model of architecture, some are so different and the other could be little bit similar one and another. Minangkabau indigenous peoples in West Sumatera Province have a very beautiful house both the outside and inside, they named their traditional house as Rumah Gadang (big house) or Rumah Bagonjong (spired roof house), both local names refer to its form. The architecture, construction, internal - external position, form or decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. The similar model also can be found on Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.  Rumah Gadang, at first glance, also has similarities with traditionalToraja houses, Tongkonan.

Architecture

Rumah Gadang built as a stilts house, stilts house is a model of traditional house that commonly found around Indonesia, this model is a reflection of local genius. Rumah Gadang's roof is essentially made from very simple materials the palm fiber. the roof has a curved and tapered upwards called Gonjong. It is the reason why people there alson named Rumah Gadang as Bagonjong.

Rumah Gadang that resembles to the shape of boat hulls supposedly related to the shape of the boat Minangkabau ancestors in the past. The boat called Lancang (sassy) sail up to the upper of Batang Sampar river. Arriving on the ground, the boats then withdrawn and subsequently supported by the timber to stand strong also roofed and used as a temporary shleter. This is the forerunner to the Tower House.

Group Band Art

Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying widely between times and places. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently, music may have been in existence for at least 55,000 years and the first music may have been invented in Africa then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life.

A culture's music is influenced by all other aspects of that culture, including social and economic organization and experience, climate, and access to technology. The emotions and ideas that music expresses, the situations in which music is played and listened to, and the attitudes toward music players and composeres all vary between regions and periods. "Music History" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history which studies music (particularly Western art music) from a chronological perspective.

Salsa Dance

Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution. Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different from those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.

Serunai Malaysia Traditional Insturemnt

The Malay Serunai is a reed wind instrument, with a quadruple reed made from rice stalk. The body has 7 front finger holes and 1 at the back. Circular breathing technique is used so that once a melody is started it does not stop until the tune ends.

The "serunaidaunkelapa" is made from coconut leaves and is shaped like a horn. It was designed during the olden days by the Malay community, to communicate with its sound. The "serunaibatangpadi" is made from padi stems.

Rebab Instrument

The rebab is the most important bowed lute in Malays folk music. It is the main melodic instrument in the makyong and is used to accompany storytelling in Kelantan, Malaysia. It has 2 or 3 strings, running over a movable bridge. The rebab is held upright on a short spike and played using a wooden bow with nylon strings. The 2 stringed rebab is found only in the context of the shadow puppet theatre.

Zapin Dance

The influence of the Zapin dance on Malay culture and arts started alongside the spread of the Islamic religion, beginning in the early 15th Century. The Zapin dance and music were brought and introduced by the Arab traders and missionaries from Southern Yemen particularly from the Hadramaut region. From its original form of Arabic Zapin, the dance assimilated itself into the Malay culture and thus gave birth to a localised version known as ZapinMelayu.

Traditional Trengganu House

The Terengganu house originated from PulauRusa, Kuala Terengganu. The exact year it was built is not known, but it is believed to be over 100 years old when it was transferred to FRIM in 1987.

This Terenggaanu house belongs to the “RumahTiangDuaBelas” type, named after the 12 posts which extend from the foundation to the roof. The main house is reserved for social ceremonies and serves as a sleeping area for the unmarried members of the house. Guests are often entertained in an open verandah at the front of the house.

An elaborare process is needed to get suitable materials, especially timber, from the dense jungle during the old days. It is also difficult to transport timber. Thus a house may take up to five years to complete.

Sintren Dance

Sintren is the art of Javanese traditional dance, especially in the town of Pekalongan.Art is famous on the north coast of Central Java and West Java, among others in Pemalang, Pekalongan, Brebes, Banyumas, Kuningan, Cirebon, Indramayu, and Jatibarang. Sintren also known as lais. Arts Sintren known as the dance with the scent of mystical magic that comes from love story Sulasih with Sulandono.

Sintren is traditional dance from Cirebon and known arround that city like Indramayu, Majalengka, Kuningan, Brebes, and Tegal. This dance is a mistic dance which the dancer is a virgin girl. That girl bundled and then put inside to rooster cage with wraped by sarong. Then the matermind walk arround that cage while spell an abracadabra to call the soul of princess Dewi Lanjar. If this successfull, and the cage was opened by someone, the girl free of bundled and has a beauty make up, and dancing with sound of gending. When the music stop, the girl stop dancing and sleep. Remember, she is not dancing with her soul, but soul of princess Dewi Lanjar and her body was sleep until the performance done.

Sintren played by a girl who is still sacred, assisted by the handler to the accompaniment of gising 6 people. In the development of dance as an entertainment culture Sintren, then equipped with a dancer companion and bodor (comedy).