Manding Village reached its glory in the 1970s and 1980s, where original leather products from Manding was demanded by many countries. The products of Manding is usually exported to western countries such as America and France. Today, due to market demand, the quantity of original leather has reduced, and in return, many products are mixed with natural resources such as water hyacinth, rushes, pandan leaves, and others.  You can also find some of Manding’s products in Malioboro or Beringharjo market, for a higher price of course.

The products of Manding is known to have good quality, although the price is considerably cheap for a similar item found elsewhere. Leather is the main commodity in the village, therefor it has been the main livelihood for most of the residents to sell leather products. The products, besides having displayed in Manding, is also advertised by the government through Gabusan Market. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been very much preserved by the government, so not much tourists are able to locate this particular area.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

From the day it was founded, Cemeti Art House has influenced and encouraged the growth of ideas and production of contemporary artists’ works, both those from Indonesia and abroad. Cemeti Art House during its operation have organized dozens of activities such as exhibitions, performances, site-specific and happening art, discussions, artists communication forum and interdisciplinary art projects. Collaborating with national and international art and culture organizations, Cemeti Art House provides a venue and laboratory for possible art movements.

In 1995, the Cemeti Art Foundation was founded and operates independently from the Cemeti Art House. Cemeti Art Foundation focuses on the documentation of events and artists,  information source (library), art exchange and art education. In 1999, a renovation was conducted on Cemeti Art House. It was designed by a gifted architect, Eko Agus Prawoto, and features an additional exhibition space of 168 m² that can be uniquely transformed into an open art studio. The renovation also adds a storage room, guest rooms, garden and office.  

The founders of Cemeti Art House, Nindityo Adipurnomo and Mella Jaarsma,  received a prestigious award, John D. Rockefeller 3^rd Asian Cultural Council’s Award (ACC), in 2005 for contributing to the international understanding and practice of visual and performing arts in Asia. Some of the fascinating examples that have been displayed on Cemeti Art House are  “Art of Bamboo” (2002), “The Past – The Forgotten Time” (2007), “Traditional Art and Culture Program” with several NGOs in the Ford Foundation Network in villages (2007). Cemeti Art House is open for public from 09.00 AM – 05.00 PM, except on Sundays and Mondays.

The name Pandan Simo is originated from the Javanese term “pandan” which means pandanus tree and “simo” which means tiger. Te beach is considered sacred because it is often used as a site to perform various traditional ritual/ceremony. One of such ceremony is called Merti Dusun, a ceremony that is performed by local residents to show their gratitude to God for their well fortune. Another ceremony, Labuhan, is carried out by giving offerings to the sea for having decent catch throughout the year.

Pandan Simo Beach is not the beach suitable for swimming. The rough waves, deep water and coral reefs that are spread through the coast of the beach are the reasons why it shouldn’t be a place to swim. Don’t be disappointed though, because the panorama of the beach and its surrounding is a beautiful scenery that can satisfy your visit to the beach. You can also shop for fish and various sea animals on Pandan Simo Beach for a very considerable price.

The museum was established in December 22 1955 as an extension of the First Women Congress in Yogyakarta. The building was made using donation from women of all different layers in Indonesia. In 1983, The Women’s Movement Museum was renovated and relocated to a new building, changing its name to Mandala Bhakti Wanitatama. The name is an Indonesian phrase that means “The place for dutiful prime woman”. The building adopts a fascinating Javanese architecture with artistic carvings. It is located on the complex of Mandala Bhakti, Jl. Laksda Adisucipto No.88, just 5 km away from downtown Yogyakarta.

Inside the museum is displayed a Joglo Pendopo building that shows two reliefs which implies :

1. Indonesian Women Movement during the colonialization era.
2. Indonesian Women Movement during the fight for independence.
3. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of Democratic Liberal.
4. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of Guided Democracy
5. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of the New Order.

The Srikandi Hall, however, functions as an artifact display building. Some of the items displayed on the hall is the diorama of the women movement, photographic events, women battle cloths, sewing machine, typewriter, and other items that were once used by the brave women of Indonesia.

The establishment of ISI Yogyakarta was actually because of the merging of 3 former arts institution in the city. They were the Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI), the Academy of Music (AMI) and the Academy of Dance (ASTI). Corresponding with modern educational system and as an effort to develop the quality of the arts education, the 3 academies were merged in July 23 1984 to be under one institution, namely Indonesian Institute of Arts.

ISI Yogyakarta is located at Jl.Parangtritis KM 6, Bantul, the main road that leads to Parangtritis Beach. Standing as the center for art education in Yogyakarta, ISI Yogyakarta lies on a complex with an area of 15.000 m². The institution enrolls more than 2500 students from all over the country, including several overseas students who are interested in learning Indonesian arts. It has approximately 250 lecturers with different educational background, mostly possessing a master degree. The institution offers 3 faculties for its students, they are :

• Performing Arts Faculty
• Visual Arts Faculty
• Multimedia Faculty

ISI Yogyakarta provides complete facilities for the education of arts. The main facilities include art gallery, laboratorium of music and dance, and the auditorium. There are also other functional buildings such as the administrative building, studio and academic buildings, pendopo, library, mosque, student center, tennis court and soccer field.

The early development of Jathilan consists of two horsemen and one man with a whip. The fake horses are made from bamboo matting or animal skin that is formed in shape of a horse. The plot of the story tells about the relation between two social classes, the horsemen being the lower class while the man with the whip being the upper classman. Throughout the performance, the horsemen would dance and jump recklessly but still keeping obedience to the man with whip. Besides the fake horse and the whip, Jathilan players also perform using a costume consisting of traditional clothes or warrior like clothing with their face painted according to the role.

The composition of Jathilan today is generally the same as of the earlier development. But today the horsemen can add up to 6 persons and also added to the composition is usually gamelan players to control the tempo of the dance. The set of gamelan usually consists of saron, kendang, angklung, gong and kempul. At all times, Jathilan dance has to correspond with the gamelan’s rhythmic composition.

While some Jathilan versions only display regular traditional dance accompanied by gamelan, some Jathilan performance also include the calling of a spirit to possess one of the horsemen. The spirit that is believed to be the spirit of a horse is called through a specific ritual or calling. When one is possessed by the horse spirit (commonly known as trance mode), he will no longer perform regular dance, but usually will carry out dangerous attractions, such as eating pieces of broken glass, wood, coconut shell, and walking through pieces of glasses and fire without being injured at all. The extreme performance is healed after the shaman or the man with whip, performs a certain prayer with water as the medium.

Being a flexible and dynamic dance, Jathilan is transformed in modern days to a more common act. The transformation is interpreted mostly on the number of dances, customes, and the detail of the dance. They are usully performed on the streets or in rural areas. These kinds of Jathilan dance shifts from ritual purpose to amusement purpose, making the dance less magical but more entertaining.

The compound of Jogja National Museum, which has been an important site for the development of fine arts in Indonesia, has actually sustained several transformations in its history. It was first established on January 15 1950 as the compound for ASRI. ASRI was renamed into a university called STSRI in 1968 before changing again into ISI in 1984. The compound has been empty ever since the relocation of ISI to Sewon, Bantul in 1998. Unfortunately, not much has been done to preserve and renovate the compound and utilize as an exhibition of arts, until the renovation plan that was initiated by KPH Wironegoro.

Jogja National Museum stands on 1.5 acres land with 5 main buildings. The plan was to renovate the buildings and rejuvenate it for art related programs and activities. Unfortunately, the renovation program was delayed due to the devastating earthquake that struck Yogyakarta in May 27 2006. The program was eventually continued on 2007 and finished in 2008. Ever since then, it has been used for the development of contemporary art. It is also projected to be a reknown performance area that will in time stand as the most sought after outdoor art venues in Yogyakarta. After being renovated, Jogja National Museum has hosted several art exhibitions and performances, one of them is the famous art event named Biennale Jogja X 2009 : Jogja Jamming.

Kraton Batik Museum Yogyakarta was inaugurated on October 31 2005 by the governor of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. Each collection of Batik designs in the museum have their own remarkable markings concerning an event in the live of a Javanese. For example, the Batik Truntum design is a batik style which is often used for traditional ceremonies and rituals, whereas Batik Nagasari is used in weddings. Having Batik related collections as the main feature, the museum also provides insights on Batik tools and the making of batk. Items such as a wooden mahogany cup, lerak, and srigading flowers are completed with preservatives and dye for the Batik process. Several antique household equipments are also displayed, such as the old-fashioned iron and antique bicycles.

The art of Batik is a heritage that has been passed from generations before the present generation. The practice of Batik art is not merely drawing and painting on top of a particular cloth, its also an ethical and aesthetical way of showing the skills of a Javanese. It is a very important culture for Javanese people and it will be inherited for many generations to come.

The building was also named as Purna Budaya which was initiated by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono. It consists of two wards that has a different function each. One is the Panti Wurya Ward which functions as the staging/show room. This ward is facilitated with a stage and several rooms for research and development, such as the dancing studio, library, discussion forum and administration office. The other is called Langembara Ward, which is often used for art exhibitions and workshops, but can also function as a guest house.

Yogyakarta Cultural Park was eventually moved to a heritage area behind Vredeburg Fortress in 1995 upon agreement of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and regional Parliaments. Upon the shifted location, the government also agreed to delegate the building to UGM, with the following missions :

-      Development of art and cultural aspects

-      Research and experiments art and culture potentials

-      Data gathering and documentation of art and culture

-      Facilitate activities concerning art and culture, such as music concerts, dance performance, art exhibition, etc

-      Educative programs

Presently, Yogyakarta Cultural Park has been an icon for the art and culture field in Yogyakarta.

Sermo Reservoir was inaugurated in November 20 1996 by the late President Soeharto. The reservoir which is connected by two local valleys in the area has 250 meters in width, 190 meters length and 56 meters in height. It took two years and 8 months to construct with total cost of more than 22 billion Rupiahs. The reservoir is made by damming up the river that flows in the mountains, naming Ngrancah River and Bogowonto River. Other than providing clean water for local inhabitants, Sermo Reservoir is also expected to irrigate 8.100 hectares of crop fields that lies in different areas of Kulon Progo.

Tourists can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, such as forests and mountain,  from Sermo Reservoir. Amid the reservoir, there is a small area of land that is usually visited by local inhibitants for fishing. There are several dining houses that offer to cook, both ready fishes and cought fishes, for a price. There are other activities which you can carry out in the reservoir, such as hiking, cycling, and also rafting. The road condition in Sermo is also very suitable for off road sports, both two wheels and four wheels.