www.thejakartapost.com
Sascha Pries, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If one could ask passersby in Jakarta about their perception of what constitutes art, the responses would probably focus on painting and sculpture — maybe even photography, music and literature.
One thing that is highly unlikely to be mentioned is art made, or better blown, from glass.
In a way, that is understandable, since most of the glass for everyday use is machine made and there is not much artistry to it.
The Krosno S.A. glass works in Krosno, Poland, produces both handmade and machine-made glasses, vases, bowls and other items.
Due to their long experience and training (four to five years), the craftspeople in the company can produce much fancier, complex and more elaborate glass objects than a machine possibly could.
Founded in 1923, the works boasts a long tradition of glass-blowing by hand.
To clarify the difference between man and machine, Krosno’s Southeast Asia agent Andrzej Jakubowski told The Jakarta Post, “”A single shift of handicraft workers can produce 500 pieces; in the same time span a machine could produce 30,000.”"
Of course, the difference is reflected in the price of handmade glassware, which can be six times higher than its machine-made counterparts.
The reason why Krosno S.A. sticks to handmade production is simple: “”The quality (between handmade and machine-made glasses) is different. The shape might be similar but when you touch it you feel, “”This is handmade. It’s much thinner,”" said Andrzej.
Every piece of handmade glassware is a unique product that has its own characteristics and is distinguishable from the others.
Sometimes they differ in thickness but the most obvious differences are the ornamentation. This once led to confusion among the staff of a five-star Jakarta hotel.
“”Once we delivered a consignment to the hotel,”" Andrzej remembered with a grin. “”It was over 100 pieces. The staff said, ‘These are not the same.’
“”They can’t be; they’re not machine-made,”" he explained.
A team of 10 to 15 designers, one of whom has been awarded a prize by a glass museum in New York, creates new designs, carving patterns and colors. “”They are artists in a kind of way, but artists who are associated with commercial production,”" Andrzej said.
Like all quality products, Krosno art glass is threatened by counterfeit products, too. But Andrzej didn’t seem to be frightened by that at all.
He said “”(the counterfeit producers) don’t have the same quality of glass and color. Just as Coca-Cola has the secret of how to make their drinks, we guard the secret of how to make our glass.”"
Getting a foot in the door
The balance between commercialized art that is affordable to a wide range of customers and cheaper, machine-made glass, seems to be the crucial ingredient of Krosno’s policy.
“”In recent years, all of the professions associated with handmade production have declined because of machine-based commercial production,”" said Andrzej.
Gravely he added, “”Ten years ago, five-star hotels would only use handmade glassware, but now they are moving to machine-made items because they increasingly come with improved quality.”"
The reason why Krosno SA is far from struggling is its prices. The company’s production and distribution functions are located in Poland, where wages are still relatively low, despite the country’s membership of the European Union.
Compared with glass producers in Germany, Italy or the United States, Krosno can offer a similar product at a lower price.
This makes Krosno products competitive in all parts of the world, but Krosno’s particular problem in the Indonesian market is basically a social one.
Even though Four Seasons and other hotels already use Krosno glass, among highly brand-conscious Indonesian customers, Krosno is not yet a high-profile brand.
Andrzej hopes to change that before too long: “”We’re trying to establish a competitive brand name, too,”" he said.
Krosno has Jakarta showrooms at:
Jl. Banka Raya 8a, Kemang
Grand Indonesia shopping mall
Senayan City (Debenhams)
SOGO Kelapa Gading
SOGO Plaza Senayan
SOGO Pondok Indah