Arts in the Crafts
Coreta Louise Kapoyos and other prominent society ladies join hands with local craftspeople through Pernik Nusantara, or Pesona Ragam Etnik Nusantara, to present Indonesia’s rich heritage to the world. Edith Emeralda writes
Pernik Nusantara takes Indonesia’s variety of arts and crafts to the global stage
to love means to know first, as the old Melayu adage goes, which is the vision that drives Pernik Nusantara—so people know, understand, love, and are proud of Indonesia’s diverse range of arts and crafts. The members often wear a few exquisite examples to official and formal functions, plus to Indonesia Tatler’s shoot one afternoon, such as Sumatra’s purple handwoven songket, pink Garut-style tenun, pink-detailed West Nusa Tenggara tenun sarong, and other regions’ textiles.
Besides textiles, Pernik also promotes handicrafts that derive from Indonesian traditions— Coreta Kapoyos as the chairman, for instance, has Clo Bags that incorporate Indonesian motifs and patterns made by local craftspeople. Cultural performances from dances to songs, stories, poetry, and more, are also included in the group’s agenda and performed during important events—the beautiful lenggang nyai dance that opened Pernik’s launch in 2015, for example.
Helping organise all these works in Pernik’s main team are Rosa Rai Djalal, Celly Hamid Awaludin, Donna Latief, Sendy Yusuf, Magda Hutagalung, Liestyana Rizal Gusman, and Mardalita Ricky. One such event was “Women in Culinary”, where Pernik invited celebrity chef Farah Quinn to explore the myriad tastes present throughout the archipelago. However, all these efforts to promote Indonesian products and to bridge craftspeople with direct buyers on the international stage will not succeed without a consistent quality, and a good marketing and distributing system.
Among other government institutions, Pernik has joined hands with Bekraf (Indonesia’s Creative Economy Council) to create a supportive climate for the creative economy and its participants in the nation. Some members also have other organisations that work with Pernik Nusantara in its mission to support local handicrafts, such as Sendy Yusuf ’s West Javanese Batik Foundation, all to preserve the cultures and traditions that are part of Indonesia’s unique identity.