Sunday, August 20, 2017

Jakarta

Jaran Kepang in the Kampung


I was just walking through the kampung behind my apartment, looking for somewhere shady to read my book, and came across a small gemalan orchestra accompanying the famous Jaran Kepang, the traditional Javanese dance portraying soldiers riding horses made from highly decorated bamboo. Just just my luck: they were doing the less common version where each dancer enters into a trance and then walks through fire, eats glass and endures a good flogging (the man doing the flogging went into a trance himself and was possessed by a demon much to the delight of onlooking children). Just a regular Sunday afternoon in the kampung. I didn't have a camera but this picture from http://vinoimagination.blogspot.co.id looks just like it...

Friday, August 18, 2017

Jakarta

Gerbaha kulit telur at Ayaka Suites, Kuningan City, Jakarta

Gerabah Kulit Telur


Indonesian gerabah kulit telur, eggshell mosaic used on ceramics. The egg shells are applied to the clay, then covered in a farinaceous paste and fired. After firing the paste is sanded off to reveal the glazed mosaic. There are plenty of examples of poor quality in the tourist shops but I just noticed these fine amphorae next to the elevator here....

Les Parents Terribles at Quad Cinema

I did not set out to go to Les Parents Terribles at the Quad Cinema . I was on my way to Strand Books and as I walked past the Quad I s...