Natural dyes and colors enrich Pekalongan Batik<\/p>\n
By Rita A.Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dudung Ali Syahbana, a batik maker from
\nPekalongan in Central Java's coastal area, smiled happily when a
\nlarge number of guests admired and bought dozens of his exquisite
\nhand-drawn silk and cotton batiks.<\/p>\n
Dudung's new and innovative batik pieces, displayed at the
\nIndonesian Culture Development Foundation's office in Kebayoran
\nBaru, South Jakarta last week, attracted attention from both
\nlocal and foreign batik and traditional textile lovers.<\/p>\n
His batik pieces, priced between Rp 500,000 and Rp 2 million
\nper piece, included experimental and contemporary Pekalongan
\nbatik styles.<\/p>\n
Unlike traditional Pekalongan batik, known for its bold,
\ncolorful and non-geometric designs, Dudung's creations are the
\ncombination of natural, pastel colors and a scintillating
\nmodification of batik motifs from Central Java's batik centers.<\/p>\n
\"I experimented with natural dyes and colors using roots,
\nplants, fruits, stems and other materials from our backyards,\"
\nexplained Dudung after his lecture.<\/p>\n
Natural dyeing and coloring was practiced for centuries in the
\nproduction of batik and other traditional textiles in Indonesia
\nbefore synthetic and chemical dyes were introduced in the early
\n19th century.<\/p>\n
Natural dyes, also called vegetable dyes, are coloring agents
\nfrom plants which are extracted by fermentation. There are more
\nthan 150 kinds of dye producing plants in Indonesia that provide
\nmultifarious colors for cotton, silk and wool.<\/p>\n
Certain colors can be obtained from plants such as blue from
\nindigofera, red from morinda citrifolia, yellow from maclura
\ncochinchinensis, brown from ceriops tagel, and black from casia
\nfistula.<\/p>\n
Dudung's most recent creations include long cloths that were
\ndyed using mango leaves.<\/p>\n
\"The dyeing and coloring technique is time consuming. We have
\nto process it over at least three-days,\" Dudung said.<\/p>\n
The result was marvelous. The long silk batik cloth and shawls
\nhave shades of green and brown colors with tunjung flower motif
\ndrawn vertically, a rare Pekalongan batik style.<\/p>\n
\"I prefer to use natural colors like green, brown, black, and
\nmaroon instead of the usual bright colors used in Pekalongan
\nbatik,\" Dudung said.<\/p>\n
He also modified some of the traditional patterns such as
\ntruntum motif, usually worn by parents of Javanese brides and
\ngrooms, in silk fabrics.<\/p>\n
Dudung said the current trend in batik is natural colors and
\nnatural dyeing. \"The global textile market demands 'a back-to-
\nnature' technique,\" he said. Even in some European countries,
\nchemical dyes in textiles are prohibited, he added.<\/p>\n
\"If we want to survive and to penetrate overseas markets, we
\nhave to follow the present trend in technique and design,\" said
\nDudung, one of the renowned batik artists in Pekalongan.<\/p>\n
After Surakarta and Yogyakarta, Pekalongan is known as one of
\nthe country's most prolific batik producers.<\/p>\n
Located on the north coast of Java, Pekalongan currently has
\n26 batik centers employing almost 12,000 artisans out of 500,000
\nresidents.<\/p>\n
The city's batik productions reach almost 1 million pieces of
\nbatik a year with sales of long cloths, shirts, tablecloths,
\nbedspreads and other interior items generating annual revenues
\napproaching Rp 165 billion.<\/p>\n
Pekalongan batik is popularly called batik pesisir,
\nbatik produced in coastal areas of Java.<\/p>\n
The designs and colors of Pekalongan batik, developed since
\nthe middle of 19th century, are innovative and intriguing when
\ncompared to the classical styles of Surakarta and Yogyakarta
\nbatiks.<\/p>\n
\"During the Dutch colonial period, Pekalongan was a commercial
\ncenter in Java where traders from European countries, China,
\nIndia and Arabia mingled in robust business activities,\" said
\nSuwati Kartiwa, chairperson of the foundation.<\/p>\n
Foreign influences are vividly seen in various art forms
\nincluding architecture and batik designs.<\/p>\n
Pekalongan batik is been a blend of Indonesian, Chinese,
\nArabic and European influences.<\/p>\n
At that time, batik was widely produced in the Kauman (Islamic
\nvillage), home to many devout Moslems who were also successful
\ntraders.<\/p>\n
Batik was also manufactured by a number of Dutch ladies and
\nChinese businessmen who lived in Pekalongan.<\/p>\n
One of the ladies, Mrs. Eliza Van Zuylen, also developed
\ndyeing techniques, producing and printing batik fabrics using
\nmotifs taken from European fruits, flowers and plants. The style
\nof these Dutch batiks were called batik buketan.<\/p>\n
In a number of kain panjang, long cloth, there are European
\nflowers like Chrysanthemum, birds and butterflies.<\/p>\n
The palette of Pekalongan batik varied in designs and colors
\nranging from yellow, pink, red to traditional blues and European-
\nChinese inspired soft pastels.<\/p>\n
These Dutch batik makers were responsible not only for the
\nintroduction of new color combinations but also for the changes
\nin the basic layout of batik long cloths and sarongs. They were
\nalso the first persons to sign their names on their batik
\ndesigns.<\/p>\n
Chinese influence on Pekalongan batik are also evident. The
\nChinese were the first to use chemical dyes in the batik process.
\nThey produced batik cap (printing). The colors of Chinese style
\nbatiks were light blues, pinks and bright reds and blues which
\nwere very different from the traditional batik colors of
\nSurakarta and Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Encouraging<\/p>\n
Suwati said it is encouraging to see local batik artists and
\nproducers using natural dyeing processes in creating their works.<\/p>\n
Suwati, however, warned the artists and manufacturers to be
\nmore protective of their rights.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, many Indonesian textile designs are fully or
\npartly taken up by foreign designers and so far, we do not have
\nany legal basis to protect our textile designs,\" said Suwati.<\/p>\n
The foundation and a number of related agencies including the
\ndirectorate general for copyrights have plans to discuss this
\nmatter and possible threats concerning Indonesian traditional and
\ncontemporary textile designs.<\/p>\n
Dudung, however, said he would not mind if local artists
\ncopied his works. \"It can encourage me to experiment with other
\nstyles and techniques and to explore new materials,\" said Dudung.<\/p>\n
But, he said, it would be proper for foreign designers to have
\nhis permission before fully or partly adopting his designs.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/natural-dyes-and-colors-enrich-pekalongan-batik-1447893297",
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