Will Indonesian batik survive challenges?<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What is the future of batik? After centuries of
\npersevering through cultural, economic and political upheavals,
\nIndonesia's batik crafts now face the challenges of the new
\nmillennium. Will batik adorn the nation in the year 2020?<\/p>\n
Only if it survives the competition from contemporary casual
\nwear. The culture of shopping malls is dictating conformity,
\nwhether in the shape of Levi's and a GAP t-shirts, or trendier
\nversions of the same uniform.<\/p>\n
\"Ethnic\" shops occasionally appear among imported clothes.
\nPlaza Indonesia has a Batik Keris shop, Mal Pondok Indah has a
\nGhea Sukarya (read: \"ethnic\" designer) boutique, and Pasaraya
\ndevotes one whole floor to \"ethnic\" clothes. Outside, in the
\ntraditional market places, the same scarcity prevails. If you're
\nshopping for batik, don't blink or you might miss it.<\/p>\n
The problem lies in batik design, designers explain. At a
\nseminar on Wednesday on the development of craft design and
\nindustry at the National Museum, designer Ardiyanto Pranata
\nstressed the need to revitalize the batik industry.<\/p>\n
\"Our capacity for creative batik design needs to be improved,\"
\nsaid Pranata.<\/p>\n
Pranata believes that if batik looked more modern, it would
\nsell more on the international market.<\/p>\n
Yet the international stage is much kinder to batik artists
\nthan the domestic market. Iwan Tirta's batiks have been worn by
\nthe world's kings and queens, and countless celebrities. On her
\nfirst visit to Indonesia last June, CNN fashion reporter Elsa
\nKlench remarked that Indonesia's textiles were among the most
\nexquisite in the world. In co-operation with Takashimaya
\ndepartment store, Pranata exports his batiks to Japan.<\/p>\n
Batik's success is not in question, but the domestic industry
\nis. It was not until 1974, when governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin
\ndeclared batik to be official formal wear, that batik regained
\nits fast-fading prestige. Since then, the affluence of
\nIndonesia's elite has inflated batik prices. Yet a promotional
\nand administrative body specifically for batik development has
\nyet to be established.<\/p>\n
Many other organizations have been established, such as the
\nIndonesian Fashion Designers Council, the Indonesian Fashion
\nDesigners Association, the National Design Center and the
\nFoundation for Indonesian Crafts and Design Development. How
\nthese organizations facilitate exports, production or marketing
\nis unclear. While the ceremonial chores of these paper-shuffling
\numbrella organizations are assisted by the ministry of industry
\nor the ministry of cooperatives and small businesses, the task of
\nexporting is often the responsibility of individual designers.<\/p>\n
That these organizations exist at least provides hope to the
\ntextile and fashion industry. But batik falls under this wide
\ndomain, when ideally it deserves its own network.<\/p>\n
It is a marvel that batik retains its resilience despite all
\nthe obstacles. One of the many myths which burden batik's
\ndevelopment is its supposed sacredness, deeming batik inflexible
\nin the face of changing fashion trends.<\/p>\n
What people fail to realize, Pranata says, is batik's
\ndynamism. The traditional batiks of Central Java's royal palaces
\nmay claim the highest prestige and ritual value, but less
\nceremonial batiks also flourished in the past. The jelamprang and
\nceplokan batiks of Gresik and Kudus were heavily influenced by
\nIslamic symbols and calligraphy. The batik of Cirebon and
\nPekalongan bear the esthetics of the Chinese and Indische
\n(Eurasian) communities, favoring bright, colorful and flowery
\nmotifs.<\/p>\n
During the Japanese occupation, batik artists turned to very
\ndetailed Japanese patterns called the hokukai. These tulus (fine)
\nworks only added to the myth that the best batiks are the most
\ncomplicated.<\/p>\n
\"Good batik is not only fine batik. The reason why batik was
\nso detailed then was because cloth was so scarce during wartime,\"
\nexplained Pranata.<\/p>\n
Today, the problem is not fabric scarcity but abundance.
\nPranata points out that batik's reputation is threatened by the
\nprofusion of batik manufacturers. These manufacturers employ
\nartists whose wages are determined by commission. The results,
\nPranata explains, are \"works of quantity not quality.\"<\/p>\n
Many of these manufacturers and artists inherited their work
\nfrom their parents. Thus their motifs are often a generation old,
\nand have limited appeal. In order to revive batik design \"it is
\ntime for us to set up a batik academy\", says Pranata.<\/p>\n
Through this academy, batik producers may explore batik's
\nhistory and diversity, and derive inspiration from it. Pranata
\nillustrates the stagnation in batik design by choosing any batik
\nproducer and comparing their current designs with that of ten
\nyears ago.<\/p>\n
\"What are the motifs and colors of their designs, and how
\noften have these designs been reproduced? Are they using new
\ntextiles? Are the designs fashionable?\" asked Pranata, before
\nconcluding that many producers fail to remain fashionable.<\/p>\n
Designer Iwan Tirta offers another explanation. For twenty
\nyears, Tirta has unsuccessfully lobbied for the creation of a
\nbatik trademark, much like the international wool or sterling
\nsilver trademark.<\/p>\n
\"With a batik trademark, we can ensure the quality of the
\nbatik by making all batik producers take the trademark test,\"
\nTirta explained.<\/p>\n
\"You should not be able to sell any print and call it batik.
\nBatik is an art,\" Tirta said.<\/p>\n
A batik trademark would also automatically increase batik's
\n(and Indonesia's) prestige, as it would acknowledge credit where
\nit is due. American, French, and Italian designers, including
\nGiorgio Armani, have used batik fabrics in their designs without
\nreferring to the clothes as batik. A batik trademark would at
\nlast legitimize batik, not only as folk art but as an
\ninternational art industry. If the batik industry wants to
\nsuccessfully compete with modern fashion and the modern textile
\nindustry, then it has to be treated in the same manner and follow
\nthe same rules.<\/p>\n
Ardiyanto Pranata still offers hope.<\/p>\n
\"The problem lies in education,\" said Pranata. \"With the
\nincrease in education, more people will appreciate domestic
\nproducts. Our national pride will not decline, but increase with
\ntime,\" said Pranata.<\/p>",
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