The Implication of Made-To-Order in the Authenticity of Balinese Handcrafts

The types of Balinese handicrafts that experience dynamics from the originals as a result of orders (made-to-order) and undergo a process of commodification are sculpture crafts consisting of Garuda statue, elephant statue, and giraffe statue. In addition, there are also mirrors, panels, jewelry, and paintings

The aspects of Balinese handicraft that are changing due to the consequences of the order (made-to-order) are the shape, material, size, and coloring. Initially, statues such as the Garuda statue as a decoration of traditional Balinese buildings, as decoration of bale saka roras, or bale sake kutus, decoration in temples, and bale gede. Garuda statue is considered to have philosophical values so that it was not yet a product to be traded (non-commodity product). However, since the 1980s, people began actively working and competing to make various forms of Garuda statues to be commercialized. Similar things also occur in other types of sculptures, panels, and jewelry that have changed shape and are mass-produced. The Garuda statues, the elephant statues, the giraffe statues, the panels, and mirrors were originally made of jackfruit wood, teak wood, champak wood, hibiscus wood, suar wood, yet currently the materials of the sculptures, mirrors, and panels are hibiscus wood, albesia, and plywood or MDF since these woods are delicate so they are easy to shape. As for jewelry, Celuk Village has been well-known for the gold and silver handicraft industry, but now it has changed. The jewelry ordered through made-to-order for mass production is made of brass and alpaca, although they are still coated with gold and silver. Furthermore, the craftsmen also change the technology they used to utilize. In the beginning, they used their own hands, and now a machine with a printing system (casting) is utilized. The size and coloring for all types of craft arts in this study underwent changes. The colors that initially took on natural colors now are replaced with factory coloring agents

The Balinese artists make changes or commodification on craft products as a result of the order (made-to-order) due to two factors, namely external factors and internal factors. External factors are caused by made-to-order orders from consumers that generally follow the market tastes. In addition, they are caused by the patterns of production and the influence of tourism. As for internal factors, the craftsmen in the villages of Kedisan, Ubud, and Celuk, use their imagination to innovate creatively in order to create new designs of the sculptures, panels, mirrors, and jewelry in these three areas. They always seem to follow the tastes of the market so that their products are liked by the consumers and are able to produce their products in bulk. Furthermore, the craftsmen want to change their socio-economic life and they produce handicrafts as commodities that are easily sold in the market at low prices.