In 2007, the government declared that Indonesia was entering the era of a "fourth-wave" economy" – creative industries. This should be the chance for our creative producers and workers to show what they can do.
What about traditional Javanese values? Apart from the heritage of literary texts, such as the Serat Centhini, which was recently translated into English, Java has a huge variety of cultural assets in physical form – handicrafts, handmade batik, and the traditional Joglo architectural form – which have been adapted to meet modern needs. Designers have been inspired by classical Javanese works, which they reinterprert in their own designs for sale and export.
Consider the comfort of the joglo house; go inside and you are soothed by natural coolness, because the joglo design allows for optimum air circulation; then feast your eyes on the glorious décor from Central and Eastern Java. Examine the furniture, ornaments, wall hangings, dressing tables and so on; you'll be enchanted immediately.
Or run your hands over an antique grobog – a rice storage vessel – now recycled for use as a coffee table. Partition screens, called gebyog, are also on display at Rumah Jawa, as well as various knickknacks from the VOC era as adornments for the Javanese furniture. Try a lenong chair, or look at an 18th-century colonial style wardrobe. Sit out on the terrace in the afternoon, order some hot tea, and stretch yourself out like a noble on a kanjengan chaise longue, near the veranda at Rumah Jawa; it will remind you of the romantic ambience of the Java of your childhood. et in their own designs for sale and export.
