My late grandparents and my auntie are Batik merchants in a small town in Java, Indonesia, called Cirebon. when I was little, I used to spend a lot of my school holidays in Cirebon. I remembered the stacks of Batik fabric in their shop and the unique smell it has. I also remembered visiting a place where they make Batik, it was quite interesting. My mother also told me that our family has a heirloom batik that has passed down many generations. She was the trustee for the heirloom until she donated it to the museum.
Batik is an ancient art form, it's believed to have existed more than 1000 years ago. The word itself is Javanese origin.
Anyway, you can differentiate Batik in two main categories, Batik Tulis and Batik Cap. The former is entirely made by hand using Tjanting and is time consuming to produce. The later was invented in the 20th century and is used to mass produced Batik. The literal translation of Batik Tulis and Batik Cap is Written Batik and Block Print Batik respectively.
For more information on Batik please visit the Wikipedia page: Batik in Wikipedia
In the spirit of handcrafting all of my product, Batik Tulis cannot be more perfect, it relates to me on a personal and intimate level and the material itself is rich in history and artistic nature.
I happened to find a roll of Batik fabric still in a box while cleaning out the closet the other day. As soon as I opened it the smell hit me and brought back my childhood memories, it was a strong feeling.
It's a beautiful piece, it's the Tulis type, which is just right. It's a bit dark for my taste but one can always custom design one when the time is right.
I'm going to do some test run with the fabric and see how it fit together with the leather, fingers crossed it will be a unique collaboration.
As always, some pictures of the fabric:
Hi,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop a line to say how amazing your work is! I've been spending the last hour or so reading through all your posts. I've just started studying footwear design at London College of Fashion and I've been really interested in getting my hands on some interesting leather work - your blog has been so inspiring! Also, I absolutely love this post as I grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, so all this batik talk has gotten me even more excited! Keep up the amazing work.
- Michelle
Hi Michelle,
DeleteThanks for dropping by and the kind word. Batik really is a special art form, I just return from a short trip to Indonesia and nowadays minimalism style is gaining popularity for Batik, loving it!! I wish you all the best in your study. I hope to hear from you again.
Cheers,
Reza
Great reading your blog
ReplyDelete