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Batik
Batik Making
Process
Batik Painting
Ikat
Ikat Toraja
Songket
Ulos
Toraja Carving
Leather Puppet
Wooden
Puppet |
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BATIK
Batik
is an art form of repeated wax drawing and dying developed approximately
2000 years ago, it is found in the far corners of the world, but is
especially popular and developed to a sophisticated level in
Indonesia.
The
highest forms of batik are made on the island of Java, Indonesia, where in
the 16th century it became the property and fashion of the royal
courtesans to the Sultan. It wasn't until 200 years later that is became
available to the wider public where it became deeply embedded in community
life. Because of its royal pedigree, antique pieces are now exorbitantly
expensive.
Batik's vastly different designs and colors are symbolic of
the numerous producing regions, towns and their subsequent festivals and
religious ceremonies. The number of colors in a batik piece represents how
many times the wax drawing and dying process was painstakingly
repeated.
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Batik Making
Process:
1. Designing
The outline of
the pattern is blocked out onto the cloth, traditionally with charcoal or
graphite. Traditional batik designs utilize patterns handed down over the
generations.
2. mBatik
(waxing)
-Tulis (hand drawn)
Once the design is drawn out onto the cloth
it is then ready to be waxed. Wax is applied to the cloth over the areas
of the design that the artisan wishes to remain the original color of the
cloth.
-ngeCap
(stamping)
The cap is dipped into melted wax. Just under the
surface of the melted wax is a folded cloth approximately 30 centimeters
square. This process is repeated until the entire cloth is covered. Often
cap and canting methods are combined on the same piece of cloth. On better
quality cap fabric great care is taken to match the pattern
exactly.
3.
Dyeing
After the initial wax has been applied, the fabric is
ready for the first dye bath. Traditionally dying was done in earthenware
tubs. When dying process for all colors has done, wax is removed from the
cloth by dipping it in boiling water.
The number of colors in batik represents how many
times it was immersed in the dye bath and how many times wax had to be
applied and removed. |
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BATIK PAINTING
Batik Painting is a newer batik form, it was developed
within the Sultan's Palace in Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia in the early
1960's. It has become popular with collectors for it's scenes of typical
village life and rural scenery.
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IKAT
IKAT is a style of
weaving where the individual threads going across and along the work are
dyed in a predetermined pattern before they are woven. Only with weaving
do designs from the geometric and surreal to figures of people and
animals, take form. These designs are traditional to the region and
town.
IKAT TORAJA
A form of Ikat made often with
indigo blue, red and green, black, ochre and brunt orange colors.
They favor rounded geometric patterns with figures included. They make
interesting bed covers are they can be quite large.
For a Torajan, Ikat
textiles are high value goods and are a symbol of prosperity. They will
often barter livestock, even their prized buffalo or agricultural products
to obtain high quality Ikat. They play a central role in the all important
funeral ceremonies, are used for clothing and formal gift exchange.
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SONGKET
A traditional handwoven fabric from Palembang, South
Sumatra, Indonesia. Most Songket have geometric and floral designs that
are embellished with gold thread and are known for a richness and grandeur
in that they are the fabric of royalty. The weaving is supple and tight,
the design is intricate.
While Songket was worn by
courtesans and members of the nobility in the past, today it is used
mainly for ceremony, grand occasions and festive wear.
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ULOS
ULOS is the traditional handmade fabric of the Batak people
in North Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates back to their earliest history
circa 1200. It is unique in that over the mostly black colored woven
base, the designs are embroidered onto the fabric. The stitching can be so
fine that sewn on treads pierce only the tight gaps in the base weave,
creating a very straight and orderly line and geometric
pattern.
It is a fabric celebrating the relationships between people
of the community, most notably for births, weddings and funerals. It forms
part of a family's assets, brought out and worn or displayed during
ceremonies. It is used as a dowry item and often exchanged during
ceremonies.
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TORAJAN WOOD
CARVING
To express social and religious concepts, Torajans
carve wood calling it Pa'ssura (the writing). The carving motifs are taken
from animals, plants and sky. Each one has a symbolic meaning. They are
symbols of good will.
Torajan widely use locally grown Uru wood in
daily life that is a highly renewable wood. Their carvings are painted
with natural pigments taken from local soil and stone.
Torajan
culture has been around since 2500-1500 BC. It is located in Sulawesi
Island of Indonesia.
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Rama & Shinta from
Ramayana Epic
Rama & Shinta from
Ramayana Epic |
INDONESIAN PUPPETRY
ART (WAYANG)
Wayang is a traditional puppetry and drama of Indonesia. It has
been loved by the people of Indonesia for centuries, since prehistoric to
the present day. In the 9th and 10th centuries wayang was used as a media
to perform the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is a special form of
art, very noble and very beautiful. Scholars have referred to wayang as
the most sophisticated form of drama in the world. It has the functions of
entertainment as well as moral guidance, and is a combination of
philosophy and education, performance and musical, thematic and literacy,
conceptual and creative arts.
LEATHER PUPPET (WAYANG
KULIT)
Kulit means
skin, refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully
chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo
horn handles and control rods.
WOODEN ROD PUPPET (WAYANG
GOLEK)
Wayang golek are wooden doll puppets that are operated from below
by rods connected to the hands and a central control rod that runs through
the body to the head. Some of the oldest traditions of wayang golek are
from the north coast of Java and are still widely performed. In the 18th
century the tradition moved into the mountains of West Java where it
eventually was used to tell stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabarata in
a tradtion now called wayang golek purwa. Wayang golek purwa has become
the most popular form of wayang golek
today. | |
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