Sculpting Stones, Carving Lives
For people living on the Pabelan riverbank, Mt. Merapi is their source of livelihood. Natural stones that erupted from the volcano serve as materials for their beautiful sculptures. Amid changing times, the old tradition has persisted.
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Zainal Abidin, 71, a stonecutter of Tangkilan hamlet, Pabelan, Mungkid, Magelang, Central Java, puts the finishing touches on a gravestone, Thursday (18/10/2018). Stonecutters in the area inherited the skill to carve from their ancestors over generations.
For people living on the Pabelan riverbank, Mt. Merapi is their source of livelihood. Natural stones that erupted from the volcano serve as materials for their beautiful sculptures. Amid changing times, the old tradition has persisted.
“Knock! Knock! Knock...!” The sounds of a hammer hitting a chisel were heard amid the vrooms of motored vehicles on Jl. Raya Magelang-Yogyakarta in Muntilan and Prumpung, Magelang regency, Central Java. Muscular hands were carefully directing the chisels on hardened stones.