A worker shields himself behind a wooden board as the forge flares beside him.
Molten metal pours from the crucible into the mold as the fire leaps up around it.A shaft of light cuts through the smoke and sparks as a worker minds the forge.
A team of blacksmiths raises their hammers in turn while one man holds the hot metal steady.
A masked worker tends the forge as sparks leap into the dark of the workshop.The hammers fall in rhythm, too fast for the camera to catch.
Sparks explode from the forge. Two workers wait out the heat on a bench.
A worker draws a glowing bar from the coals with long tongs.Leaning on the long iron, he coaxes the coals back up to heat.
Gong is hammered by a team of blacksmiths
Sparks drift like fireflies past the blacksmiths waiting on their bench.Sparks pour upward from the coal pit, a shower of gold in the dark workshop.
Flames and sparks rise in front of the men waiting with their tongs.
Gamelan maker blows on molten keysA worker leans into the long handle, feeding air to the fire.
Gamelan maker works machine to polish smaller gongs
Finished instruments wait under dark covers in the long green room, an entire orchestra holding its breath.Two workers lean in as the molten metal meets the mold in a burst of flame.
Gamelan keys being forged
The forge's sparks double in the dark water of the cooling pool.The hammer team works in rhythm while another man looks on from his stool.
The forge erupts in a column of sparks while the blacksmiths watch from the bench. There was something profound in these moments, when flame begot music.
The metal heats in its crucible, flames licking purple at the rim.Sparks swarm around the crucible as the metal comes to heat.
In the heart of the fire, the crucible glows through a storm of sparks.
Seen from below, the hammers swing high over the anvil.A rooster keeps watch from the top of the generator, unbothered by the din.
Full gamelan orchestra made to order, usually taking 1-2 months to complete
Gamelan manufacturers preparing ordersThree men crouch around the anvil as one of them works a new bar with the torch.
Blue flame rings the crucible and the sparks rise in a wall of gold.
Gong in fireLarge gamelan gong is carefully polished
A craftsman polishes the inside of a gong by hand, its surface turning to gold.
He taps at a smaller gong, listening as much as looking.Unpolished gongs crowd around one freshly finished, its face bright as a coin.
The workshop at rest, tools and a kettle waiting on the bench for the next pour.Recently crafted gamelan gong perched on a bench
