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Batiks Collected by President Obama's Mother

Batik is the traditional fabric art of Indonesia. The design often tells a story, and for one American woman in particular, the fabrics told the story of Indonesia, its people and culture. That woman was Ann Dunham, the mother of the President of the United States. Her collection of batiks has been on tour this summer in the United States, and  is on display at the Textile Museum in Washington. Priscilla Huff has more.

"You want to try," asked Tri Asayani.

Tri Asayani is demonstrating the intricate art of batik.

"I like batik because we must do slowly," she said.

She uses a small canting tool - a  device similar to a pen - to apply wax to cloth.

"I put the wax in here,  after, the liquid, and then, we put the batik in fabric, after that, we dyeing, then we coloring, with dye or with brush, then, we remove the wax with hot water," said Tri Asayani.

The wax can be applied many times with different colors of dye to make complex designs.

U.S. President Barack Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia. During that time, his mother was doing research for a university doctorate and married an Indonesian man. She also collected batiks.

His sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, explains why batiks were so important to their mother.

"She wore batik almost every day and she had clothing made of batik to fit her dimensions, which were robust and she would go and speak to the batik sellers and the batik makers and she became very much a part of their lives and incorporated their stories into her love of the craft," said Maya Soetoro-Ng.

Visitors to the Textile Museum can view the president's mother's collection.

Research Associate Mattiebelle Gittinger explains that the cloths collected by Ann Dunham tell the story of Indonesian life.

"Ann wasn't interested in artistic pieces, they were beyond her means," said Mattiebelle Gittinger. "But she did know Javanese culture and she did collect pieces that were rich in cultural significance."

Traditional colors include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the Hindu Gods Brahma, Visnu, and Siva. Some regions of Indonesia have their own unique batik patterns such as flowers, animals, or people, taken from everyday lives.

"White in the east was associated with pregnant women," she said. "Red in the South was associated with newlyweds. Both men and women and both would have worn a red shoulder cloth or carrying cloth  like this and people who are very much older would have worn the blue type on the other side of the room because it incorporates all of the colors of the cosmology."

Admirers of  Ann Dunham's collection say her batiks demonstrate both her knowledge of Javanese culture, and her commitment to microfinance...as one of her first jobs was to bring small loans to the batik makers of Indonesia.

Source : http://www.voanews.com/

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What is Batik?

Batik : kotamanusia.wordpress.com

Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the west as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese tik and means to dot.

To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original colour. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colourful designs. After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing.

Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist may use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing, wax recipes with different resist values and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics.

Batik is historically the most expressive and subtle of the resist methods. The ever widening range of techniques available offers the artist the opportunity to explore a unique process in a flexible and exciting way.

Source : http://www.mybatikvillage.com/blog/?page_id=18

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Review Book "My Batik Story"

Hardcover Edition

My Batik Story

A Silent Labor Of Love

Oleh Ani Bambang Yudhoyono

SINOPSIS
I see a piece of hand-drawn batik as a silent testimony of a tradition that brings together the creative best of so many devoted people. It is this acknowledgement that awakens my deepest respect. The amount of energy, deliberation, and love that has gone into the creation of batik is unfathomable. No batik piece is a work of a single person. Batik comes to life through a chain of expertise, a dedicated set of tools, and a regiment of processing methods which have been perfected for hundreds of years as a collective wisdom. I dedicate this book to all batik-makers in Indonesia. I say to them, the beauty of batik is your beauty, too.


DETAIL

Judul	My Batik Story
ISBN / EAN	9789792263039 / 9789792263039
Author	Ani Bambang Yudhoyono
Publisher	Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU)
Publish	14 September 2010
Pages	248
Weight	1200 gram
	Dimension (mm) 200 x 275 Harga Rp170.000,- Penerbit Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU)  ISBN/EAN 9789792263039 / 9789792263039  Terbit 14 September 2010  Sumber :

http://www.gramedia.com/index.php/book/detail/9789792263039/My-Batik-Story

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Makna Corak/Motif Batik

BERAGAM MOTIF BATIK, BERAGAM PULA ARTINYA

Batik Indonesia yang berasal dari berbagai daerah memiliki beragam motif yang berbeda-beda. Dalam setiap motif batik dan warna batik Indonesia tersebut terkandung makna dan filosofi yang berbeda-beda sehingga setiap motif batik memiliki arti masing-masing. Semua motif itu pasti ada asal-usulnya sendiri sesuai dengan filosofinya daerahnya.

Berikut contoh beberapa motif batik yang ada beserta artinya.

Batik Truntum

Trutum memiliki arti menuntun. Oleh karena itu, motif batik truntum sering dikenakansaat upacara pernikahan, terutama untuk orang tua pengantin. Motif ini merupakan salah satu motif batik yang sangat digemari masyarakat.

Batik Parang

Motif batik ini berasal dari kata "batu karang" dan "barong" yang artinya singa. Parang barong merupakan parang yang paling besar, agung, dan sakral. Motif inihanya digunakan di kalangan Keraton untuk acara-acara besar dengan makna agar seorang raja selalu hati-hati dan dapat mengendalikan diri.

Batik Tambal

Tambal artinya menambal atau memperbaiki hal-hal yang rusak. Dulu, kain batik dengan motif ini dipercaya bisa membantu penyembuhan orang sakit, dengan cara menyelimutinya dengan kain batik ini.

Batik Babon Angrem

Kain batik ini melambangkan seekor ayam betina yang sedang mengerami (angrem) telurnya dengan penuh kehangatan dan rasa sayang. Penggunaan pada ibu yang sedang hamil menandakan kasih sayang sang ibu pada anaknya.

Batik Sekar Jagad

Artinya melambangkan ungkapan cinta dan untuk memelihara perdamaian. Batik ini sangat cocok dikenakan pada saat ini, di mana perdamaian telah menjadi barang yang mahal.

Batik Sido Asih

Motif geometris yang berpola dasar bentuk segiempat ini memiliki arti keluhuran.Dengan mengenakan batik motif ini maka orang ini memiliki pengharapan dan kebahagiaan dalam hidupnya.

Sumber : http://www.batiklaksmi.com/arti%20motif%20batik.htm http://female.kompas.com/

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