Usually Bali's more elaborate arts—rich jewelry, sumptuous textiles,
engaging sculptures—grab the attention of the shopper. But among Bali's
least recognized, oldest, and most perishable artforms are the imaginative
and beautiful weaving and plaiting of natural fibers into utilitarian implements
and decorations.
To the Balinese, making these throwaway offerings
is a labor of love (bakti yoga), floral and pastry testaments to
their devotion to their temple. Over 10,000 varieties of offerings are
used in religious ceremonies. The whole culture seems to revolve around
the decorative arts. During festivals, the Balinese decorate columns, statues,
and shrines in checkered cloths, palm leaf flowers, and bright tasseled
umbrellas. The roads at festival time are graced with long lines of intricate
bunting, woven penjor poles, and open pavilions are festooned with
twirling busing (young palm).
Lamak
The purest example of Balinese art is the ancient mosaic-like lamak,
woven from strips of palm leaf, bamboo, or yellow blades of sugar or coconut
palm pinned together to form fancy borders, rosettes, and treelike or anthropomorphic
designs.
There are infinite varieties of lamak
patterns. Perhaps the most popular is the figure of a girl with an hourglass
figure, a central motif on many lamak, believed to predate the arrival
of Hinduism on Bali. These abstract figures (cili) with rounded
breasts and long thin arms appear in the rice fields when the rice seeds
first sprout. Scholars believe cili derive from the goddess of the
earth and fertility, Dewi Sri, the focal point of many rituals.
These dried palm-leaf decorative strips last
only for a day; after hanging on an altar or rice granary, they're wilted
by night. Lamak-making is one of the few arts that women are allowed
to do; it's not a woman's place to pursue gamelan, painting, or
carving.
Bamboo and Rattan
There are many different species of bamboo—from a dark brown to a spotted
variety. Bamboo furniture is lightweight and cheap, but it's a bulky hassle
to ship. The bamboo furniture center is Belega village (near Blahbatu,
Gianyar Regency) where tables, chairs, and other pieces are made out of
attractive spotted bamboo (tiing tutul). The dozen or so family-run
workshops here also carry bamboo hats, ceremonial umbrellas, mats, purses,
bags, and lamp shades.
Rattan wickerwork, made from an immense climbing
palm with stems 10 meters long, is more expensive. In southern Bali, an
outstanding shop for rattan and bamboo plaited articles is Rama Collection,
Jl. Legian Kelod 400, tel. (0361) 751570; nice belts Rp15,000, Javanese
sisal/palm purses Rp35,000.
Sukawati is the place for all-purpose
bamboo basketry. Prices (Rp3000-30,000) depend on the size (from 10 cm
up to almost a meter), strength, and closeness of the weave. Baskets with
lids make excellent, sturdy shipping containers for fabrics and other unbreakables.
The Sukawati basket retailers also carry a full range of the famous crushproof
ata baskets of E. Bali as well as captivating bamboo wind chimes.
Another outstanding wind chime shop, Kubu Ku Windchime, is in the
outskirts of Ubud just up the path from the Monkey Forest. The different
sections of Denpasar's Pasar Badung (Jl. Gajah Mada) have a great variety
and low prices for every type of woven article.