SURABAYA - Kebun Bibit terus bersolek. Paru-paru kota di kawasan Bratang itu segera dilengkapi kolam hias dan air terjun mini. Dimulai pada April lalu, kolam hias itu selesai pada September mendatang.
“Konsep kolam hias itu natural. Anak-anak pasti suka,” kata Kepala Bidang Pertamanan dan Penerangan Jalan Umum Dinas Kebersihan dan Pertamanan Kota Surabaya (DKP) Aminuddin.
Dia menjelaskan, awalnya DKP hanya ingin membuat boezem di Kebun Bibit. Setelah dipertimbangkan, boezem itu akhirnya dikonsep jadi kolam hias. Sebab, kolam lebih punya fungsi daripada boezem yang hanya mirip genangan air.
“Kolam itu nanti dilengkapi sungai dengan air terjun mini, batu berlumut dan berundak, serta ikan hias,” papar Aminuddin. Dengan model tersebut, air di boezem dibuat mengalir, berputar, melewati filter, lalu disedot lagi agar tetap bersih. Sungai dan miniatur air terjun dibangun di lahan 180 meter persegi.
”Bentuknya tidak bulat utuh, tapi seperti angka delapan dengan diameter 13 sampai 15 meter,” paparnya. (ano/roz)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
August 11th, 2008
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jember, East Java
A gust of wind came up just as Dynand Fariz stepped onto the catwalk at the 7th Jember Fashion Carnival (JFC) last week. His 1.5-meter-high hat, weighing around 7 kilograms, tipped slightly as its feathers and other ornaments were easy prey for the wind.
But Dynand was handy and fast anticipating any potential embarrassment. He held on tightly to the tall (and heavy) headpiece while strutting down the catwalk.
“Crazy! The wind was so strong. My hat could have blown right off and ruined everything,” he exclaimed.
The wind was just one of many unexpected hiccups which occurred during this year’s JFC. However, aside these there were only applause and the “oohs” and “ahhs” of an amazed audience.
The event saw some 550 models showcasing 550 of their own designs on a 3.6-kilometer-long catwalk — the main thoroughfare of the idyllic town.
Aspiring to be as sensational as Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Carnival, the fashion event is widely considered to be by far the “craziest” of its kind in Indonesia. Last week alone, at least 200,000 spectators swarmed the streets to see the show.
Dynand is the man behind the craziness. He initiated the event.
“From the start I realized it was crazy to hold a fashion show on the street. It’s even crazier to have such event here in Jember,” said Dynand who was born in Jember, May 23, 1953.
Jember is a small town, some 190 kilometers from Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Home to a mixture of Javanese and Maduranese cultures, Jember is also a stronghold for traditional Islam.
In its early days, there were waves of resistance from elders and Muslim figures in Jember, who assumed the fashion carnival would only bring harm and bad influences to the peaceful town.
“But I believe the JFC is not simply throwing a glamourous party. It’s a creative forum and can only be understood from creative and artistic perspectives,” he said.
The idea to have a carnival on the streets was conceived at the launch of Dynand Fariz House of Design in 1998. But it was not until three years later that Dynand dared to kick off with a smaller event, called simply “Dynand Fariz Fashion Week”.
The House employees were obliged to wear designs inspired by world fashion trends for a week. Following this, the event was then taken on tour around kampongs and to the city’s main square for a whole week.
In 2003, Dynand said he was ready to take the show to the streets. In conduction with the city’s anniversary (which falls January 1) he turned the main street into a catwalk for his models. However, this only materialized after an arduous and knotty bureaucratic process, scrutinized before he was allowed the permission to hold the event.
And soon, it had divided the city — for and against. Apparently it was a serious concern that the carnival involved transvestite models. Dynand says, however, he can’t be bothered entering into the ongoing debates.
Instead, Dynand who graduated from Surabaya Teachers’ Training Institute, has remained focused on the event, making it bigger than ever.
“We have already held the carnival several years, but not many people know about it. The spiteful resistance remains. It’s so strong. Somebody spat in my face one year,” he recalls.
But the carnival has a charm of its own, quickly drawing media attention and an increasing number of guests from other cities.
In the recent years, international media has focussed on the small town to cover the event, as if it was something they have long been waiting for.
The JFC team soon realized their presence had been noticed. Invitations to participate in large and well-known fashion events at home and abroad were on their way. It was not long before they were called on to partake in Bali Fashion Week, Fashion Street Kuta Karnival Bali, an exhibition with Nusantara Culture and Foundation, the World Scout Jamboree’s Indonesian Day in London, and the Indonesian Reception Day in Mumbay, India.
“People have begun to recognize this event. JFC wants to make Jember’s main street like Rio de Janeiro,” said Dynand, who studied a stint of fashion design in Jakarta and France.
Like it or not, JFC has brought new color to Jember. Last week, with hundreds of models displaying hundreds of designs, the city’s main thoroughfare was packed. On both sides, young and old alike had a great time.
“The economic benefits of the event were honestly unexpected,” he added.
In running his show, Dynand clings to the “4 E” values, which stand for Education, Entertainment, Exhibition and Economics.
Through the event, there is an exchange of ideas on design, fashion, dance, make-up, hairstyles and stage management among the many models and designers from various cities.
In the latest JFC, Dynand used “World Evolution” as an overall theme. The event also had subthemes — including Archipelago Papua, Barricade, Off Earth, Gate-11, Roots, Metamorphic, Undersea and Robotic — each with its own respective philosophy.
“We couldn’t choose the themes just as we liked. We did a lot of research because fashion can’t stand on its own; it has to be sensitive to its environment. Fashion designers can’t just close their eyes to other trends around them because that’s what fashion is all about,” Dynand said.
“Perhaps now we are seeing things getting easier, compared to when we first started, but that doesn’t mean I will stop hoping for more support to keep Jember’s streets fashionable!” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
August 11th, 2008