TEROB VOLUME XI NOMOR 2 APRIL 2021

KUNINGAN TYPICAL HANDICRAFT

(DESIGN VISUALIZATION ANDTHE FORM OF
PRESENT PERSPECTIVE)
Dr. Ijah Hadijah, M.Pd
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Bandung

ABSTRACT
Traditional handicraft is all of products from culture of traditional
material of society without significant changes in the present. Such as
ceremonial or religious equipment, puppet/wayang golek, various
jewelry, traditional weapons, a set of gamelan and others. Modern or
contemporary handicraft is a product that has new style in various
concepts of developing aspects of design. Production and shape
technique are still based on traditional elements. It means that the
product is the result of the development process of various old
technique with the shaperefer to traditional concept and it has past
philosophical contents. Handicraft is one of creative work, the
researcher applies it into a variety of traditional and modern or
contemporary handicraft product. The previous basis refers to the
concept of handicraft as an art work that has high flexibility and it is
in a position between the field of art and design. This is done by the
researcherin order to make the existence of handicraft not too
difference in a handicraft grouping and it is always based on which
area the craft is essentially made.

Keywords: Traditional handicraft, Modern handicraft, Kuningan,

West Java

PREFACE traditional and modern or

A. Handicraft as a Creative Work contemporary handicraft.
Basically, handicraft The development of
consists of art and design. Thus, the contemporary handicraft as a
term handicraft and design emerge. personal expression, the
Considering of production technique, researcheruses it in making process
cost and practical value tend to be of various products with decorative
classified as products of design element in design of Kuningan
handicraft. Developing contemporary relief and another various
handicraft concept cannot be handicraftsuch as creative mask,
separated from all aspects, both of miniature souvenir of Kuningan
horse head and stylizationshape of

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Dewa Fish (God Fish) which are The various modern or

based on aspect of product creation contemporary handicraftproducts that
but still has aesthetic essence, both are made by the researcher during the
as pure art and as applied art. period 2015 until now giving an
Some of handicraftare impact on the process of socio-
designed and processed by the cultural relations in society. In the
researcher so that creative economycontext, handicraft
producinghandicraft product with is a commodity that can be explored
exhibition area in Indonesia, continuously. Humans with their
namely: intellect and creativity who live in a
conducive environment will be able
to produce creative products that
have economic value likehandicraft.
Souveniris an important
thing in tourism industry. Because
souvenir has been oriented as the
commodity aspect of tourism
Exhibition data through 70th HARKOP JABAR
The creation of various types exhibition in 2017 in Kuningan
in traditional handicraft and modern district and some exhibitions in
or contemporary handicraftbased on Lombok, Jambi and Medan in
the researcher's creative ideas that 2017-2018. Handicraft product that
can be expressed visually because of are made temporarily by the
the researcherawareness that as an researcheralso sold in several cities
innovative and contemporary in Indonesia such as Bogor,
handicraft, it must always re ly on Pemalang, and Pekalongan.
things that have the concept of social Looking at the high
relations reciprocally between potential of handicraft in Indonesia
handicraft with current development. according to the researcher is very
important if local productis
B. Handicraft as a Product of developed and explored so that it
Creative Economy can become a major contributor in

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the current creative economy development of handicraft cannot

nowadays. Because all elements of be separated from various problems
the creative economy refer to related to product, marketing,
handicraft should not be combined human resource, and other sectors
with high-technology group. refer to manufacturing process. For
According to the researcher, instance, the handicraft that the
handicraft is suitable with the socio- researcher makes, they are fragile
cultural conditionin Indonesia and it when using gypsum as a base
can encourage an increase of material, it is contrast to wooden
society economy. Handicraft product. On the other hand, the
industry can be developed researcher handicraft is focused on
intensivelyso that it can provide job the elements of convenience, safety,
for the society, especially people aesthetic, and other things that can
who live in Kuningan district. increase the value of selling
The decrease of natural product. Thus, it can make the
resource (SDA) surely requires the researcherhandicraft products have
ability to manage nature and other the essence form and variety
ways to run Indonesian economy. decorations of local product,which
One of the way that can be done is have distinctiveness and
through the development of competitiveness with foreign
handicraft product as a source of products.
creative economy. The development
of handicraft products that is METHOD
produced by the researcher can use According to Sugiyono
as a fund for the creative economy (2017), basically, the research
in Indonesia nowadays. The product method is a scientific way to find
is processed from wood and data with specific purpose and use.
gypsum. The various explorations Therefore, the researcher chooses to
that isdone by the researcher, it is use qualitative research method to
developed using carving and high determine how to find, collect,
printing technique. process and analyze the research
However, nowadays, the data.

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Qualitative research is a a. Typical Relief of

type of research that explore and Kuningan
understand the meaning in a number Visually, the carving in the
of individual or group of people form of visualization of typical relief
come from a social problem. These of Kuningan is found in the
various kinds of cases, such as an stylization form ofKuningan
event, activity, process, and Bokor,Kuningan horse, and God Fish
program, which is used as an object as symbolism which the researcher
of research (Creswell, 2016). changes and stylizes on the form
without losing values and meaning.
In this research, it is used The values in the handicraft
qualitative research method as a concerning the aspect of use is fit to
research step. Besides, the researcher practical and aesthetic need. These
comes to craftman directly in order values can be divided based on basic
to get research data. By using the foundation such as religious,
interview technique, the data can be spiritual, moral, ethical, aesthetic,
grouped from the sourcedirectly. and practical value.
Stylization forms
RESULT AND DISCUSSION visualized in relief are the concept
Basic Criteria in Making of processing unlimited material
Handicraft Product complexity (either wood or
A. Society Values gypsum). According to the
The society values of researcher, the media role in the
handicraft is doubtless because use of handicraft works are no
handicraft is created as a form and longer to be an issue that needs to
method for society to fulfill their be argued. Because the most
daily need, both physically and important thing is the idea in the
spiritually. Basically, handicraft is a creation of a handicraft. Namely
part of fine art that is considered ideas that are creative and
very relevant as a medium to innovative, which continues to
achieve purpose and educational raise up to date issues so that the
goal. essence of handicraft can develop

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through the time. representations. The

Modern exploration can elementcombination is more
also be realized in various forms of dominant than symbolic value.
contemporary visualization of Characteristicas a symbol is created
current handicraft works. A through the diversity of socio-
specialidea or inspiration that can cultural creation in Kuningan
be actualized in the handicraft District, West Java.
must have extraordinary artistic The writer awareness in
elements and it can be appreciated creating the shape of creation mask
as a new development in the art handicraft refers to the conceptual
generally. note and process that can be
responsible. In order to create
contemporary works that have a
competitive advantage as its main
asset, a comprehensive
understanding of various aspects is
needed that can support the
creation of the bestartwork. This
thing is done by the researcher
through developing work ideas,
work concept, and work ideals. All
of these are summarized through
the actualization of handicraft that
Picture1. Modern Exploration has uniquenessand distinctiveness
b. Typical Creation Mask of levelof contemporary handicraft
Kuningan product such as creation mask. The
Typical Creation Mask of handicraft productmade by the
Kuninganthat is made by the researcherhas a distinctive image
researcher, it is not based on a and it has been proved as the
standard orientation, but it focuses product that has an identity.
on creative expression as a visual
symbol of human form in various

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Picture 2. Mask
Picture 3. Mask Creation
B. Typical various souvenirs of
Kuningan (miniature horse
head of Kuningan and God
Fish stylization)
The understanding
handicraft as a form of fine art
TEROB VOLUME XI NOMOR 2 APRIL 2021
product that is pure art, which has
purpose to fulfill aesthetic need and
it is as an applied art (it has a
functional use value) inseparable
from decorative elements and
tradition values that is unique. This
understanding certainly gives an
overview tothe researcher and at the
same time to continue to develop
the expression of idea in the form of
Kuningan typical handicraft.
The uniqueness in
handicraft works that the
researcheractualizesin the form of
typicalsouvenir of Kuningan is
based on the reason that the
existence of handicraft can be
understood wider including not
only elements related to applied art
but also other aspects relating to
the fulfillment of the aesthetic.
Thus, it is expected in the scope of
the handicraft that the researcher
produces having a complete and
not a formal scope but
comprehensive scope. The
uniqueness visuallyappears in the
design to produce a dynamic
impression of ornamentation on
each souvenir character (a horse
of head miniature ofKuningan and a
God Fish stylization). The
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aesthetic aspect is visualized in of the researcherartwork.

three-dimensional form in order to
produce aesthetic effect.
The making of creation
mask handicraft, Typical various
souvenirs of Kuningan, and
Kuningan relief is directed to the
basis development of modern
works, namely:
1. Innovative effortaims to
individual work
2. The Effort refers to the
past elements thatapply to design Picture 4. Decorative motif
of contemporary handicraft Namely in the form of Kuningan
product. The various efforts has relief using the modern category
done by the researcherin order to (practical, economical and
create various products that have efficient). The reason is relief
local content or regional image artwork used as oneform of
that have a characteristic of fulfillment of human need. Various
Kuningan culture. decorative motifs and patterns apply
in relief handicraft so that aesthetic
C. Aesthetic of Decorative Motif ideas can be used by referring to
Handicraft is inseparable local culture. The aesthetic of the
from the elements of motif and decorative motif that the researcher
pattern as basic element in the uses in each of handicrafts work
making ornament or decoration, have the following philosophical
placement and suitability in the values, those are:
field or spaceis taken into 1. Kuningan Horse
consideration in order to create Icon of Kuningan horse
aspect form of harmony. If it is namely Si Windu is a horse
seen chronologically the aesthetic belonging to Adipati Ewangga (The
activity of decorative motif in one Commander of Kuningan). Si Windu

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always takes part in every battle. Galuh, Wiralodra (Indramayu), and

Even though Si Winduhas small even to Sundakalapa to conquer
body, it is an active and strong horse Portuguese. The agility of si
so that in every battle Adipati Windustallion was seen when
Kuningan can defeat his enemies. AdipatiKuningan fought with King
Since then, the term of "small Wiralodra, which defeated the
Kuningan horse" has emerged, elephant. Becxause of the toughness
itmeans that even its body is small and agility of si Windu horse,
but Kuningan horse has finally, the battle was won by
extraordinary strength. AdipatiKuningan. The story
Philosopically,Si Windu, describes the term of Kuningan
stallion is currently used asdistrict horse. It can be explained as even it
symbol of Kuningan. It has the has small body but it can not
following meaning: underestimate. Because Kuningan
"It symbolizes the people horsecan defeat bigger horses.
character in Kuningan 2. God Fish
districtthat is dynamic, God fish, which is
constructive, creative, found in Kuningan of West Java is
sportive, the spirit of another historical icon that has a
justice and against crime. deep meaning related to people
Based on the history of lifein Kuningan district. God fishor
Kuningan ancestor in kancra bodasfish,it is often called
struggling and in the as Tor Douronensishaving a large
guerrilla era of Kuningan body with a length around 60 cm
district, the stallion of Si and big scales. The head part looks
Windu was used as a like the head of a goldfish, but the
means of transportation body shapesimiliar to an Arowana
and it was also used as a fish. God fish is a sacred fish
means of battle. " because these fish are soldiers who
Si Winduhad also used in disobeyor disloyal during the reign
the battle of AdipatiKuningan to of King Siliwangi. Then the
help Cirebon in order to conquer soldiers are cursed to become God

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fish. Kuningan batikhandicraftemerges

3. Yellow Bokor as a new form of creative
Yellow bokoricon in expression in the decorative motif
Kuningan district symbolizes the art. The researcher says thatNisya
history of the birth of Batik has courage to express
AdipatiKuningan who becomes different forms of decorative motif
the major of Kuningan on April 1, in batik handicraft in order to
1498. Yellow bokor can also be explore and develop technology,
interpreted as a symbol of the especially in the aspect of
birth of Kuningan district production process, shape, and
Government on September 1, symbols visualized in various
1498. typicalbatik of Kuningan.

D. Partnership with Nisya Batik

(TypicalBatik of Kuningan)
The effort in exploration of
various contemporary handicraft
that have typical of area, the
researcher collaborates with the
typical of Kuningan batik craftsman
"Nisya Batik", namely Mr. Sutisna Picture 5. The Researcher and
and Mrs. Emay Marsiti in Owner of Nisa Batik
Cikubangsari Village, The change in expression
Kramatmulya sub-district, does not give impact directly to the
Kuningan district. The degradation of other aspects,
researcherhas a job as one of the especially which related to values,
subjects that publishes the existence but it can give a new phenomenon
of Nisya Batik both in writing and in the context of exploring
product promotion. The social traditional culture of this nation.
values in Nisya Batik are The expression of various
visualized from traditional visualizations of various decorative
decorative forms basically so that motifs in the typicalbatik of

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Kuningan (Nisya Batik) is a main 1. 315 students of SMPN 1

inspiration actualized in the Luragung Kuningan District.
handicraft that have aesthetic 2. 270 students of SMPN 7
elements and it can be appreciated Kuningan District.
as a new development in 3. 27 students of SMU
batikhandicraft. ITUS JalaksanaKuningan District.
Nisya Batik is a center of 4. 68 students of SMUN
typicalbatik of Kuningan Depok Bogor
handicraft that has participated in 5. 30 Korean undergraduate
various exhibition events at and postgraduate students
district, province, and national 6. 3 people of INKOM
level. In addition, Nisya Batik West Java
alsoreceives educational tour
visitation and batik workshop
organizer at:

Picture 6. Motif 1 of Nisa Batik

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Picture 7. Motif 2 of Nisa Batik

Picture 8. Various batik ofNisa Batik

CONCLUSION adapted to the time. According to the

Vision and Mission in the handicraft researcher, an intellectual craftsman
work determines the action when must chase and be equal to others art
facing a situation to choose is not fields. Besides,the handicraft cannot
easy to do. The accuracyaspect is one be separated from the products that
of consideration for the researcherto are needed by society nowadays.
choose dual obligation. This dual
obligation meansthe researcher BIBLIOGRAPHY
having vision and mission with the Creswell, Jhon W. 2016. Research
various concepts and actions that can Design Pendekatan Kualitatif,
be equal the handicraft with other Kuantitatif, dan. Mixed. Yogyakarta:
fields of art. The time factor for the Pustaka Pelajar.
researcher as craftsman is an Sugiyono. 2013. Metode Penelitian
unlimited opportunity to keep Pendidikan Pendekatan Kuantitatif,.
creating. The researcher’s role in the Kualitatif, dan R&D. Bandung:
handicraft field of art is oriented to Alfabeta.
vision and mission that is always

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