Yogya hosts world-scale batik festival<\/p>\n
By Sri Wahyuni<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Known for centuries as one of Indonesia's
\nbatik centers, Yogyakarta is to host an international-scale batik
\nfestival from Sept. 7 through Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
The five-day event, titled the Yogyakarta Batik Festival,
\nwill include a series of programs such as a batik competition on
\nYogyakarta styles and motifs, seminars, fashion shows,
\nexhibitions on modern and antique batik, workshops and other
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Ardiyanto Pranata, chairman of the organizing committee,
\nlamented that the idea of holding the festival was inspired by a
\nsimilar event held in Central Kalimantan some two years ago.<\/p>\n
It was a festival of tenun ikat (traditional woven cloth) of
\nlocal ethnic Dayaks. \"The event, as I saw it, was effective for
\nimproving the image of tenun ikat in the local and international
\nmarket,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ardiyanto said the Yogyakarta Batik Festival had a similar
\npurpose of promoting Yogyakarta batik and to increase people's
\nappreciation of batik from the region.<\/p>\n
He said the impact of the promotion of the Yogyakarta Batik
\nFestival was already seeing results.<\/p>\n
\"The sale of Yogyakarta batik in my gallery has increased 30
\npercent in the last two months.\"<\/p>\n
The theme of promoting Yogyakarta batik was deliberately
\nchosen because the motifs are less developed and modified
\ncompared to others outside Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
\"It is probably because of the complexity of the Yogyakarta
\ndesign and the difficulty in creating the batik,\" said Ardiyanto.<\/p>\n
Consisting mainly of geometrical patterns, he said Yogyakarta
\nmotifs required batik artisans with high skills, precision,
\nespecially in attaching (drawing) the melting wax to the cloth in
\nthe process of making the batik motifs.<\/p>\n
\"Otherwise, the patterns will not have precise geometrical
\nshapes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another characteristic of Yogyakarta motifs is their natural
\ncolors of mostly blue and soga brown. The patterns only expose
\nparts of the body of living creatures, for example a bird's
\nwings, in the design.<\/p>\n
Ardiyanto maintained Yogyakarta designs were less developed
\ncompared to the coastal batik of Pekalongan's bold and colorful
\ndesigns.<\/p>\n
\"Since President Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, started
\nwearing Yogyakarta batik, the motifs have been getting more
\npopular,\" he said.<\/p>\n
One of the most important activities during the festival is
\nthe batik competition, aiming at searching for fresh ideas in
\nYogyakarta batik design.<\/p>\n
The competition, the first of its kind, is expected to present
\nat least 60 new Yogyakarta batik designs from local and foreign
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
Ardiyanto added said that so far the committee had received 45
\nentries. To accommodate more designers in the festival, the
\ncommittee allowed them to submit their works by Sept. 2 at the
\nlatest.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the entrants came from Yogyakarta, Sidoarjo (East
\nJava), Pekalongan (Central Java), Jakarta and one from Japan, \"
\nexplained Ardiyanto, who himself is a famous batik designer and
\nan ardent art collector.<\/p>\n
The judging panel will comprise 20 local and foreign jurors,
\nfrom the United States, Belgium, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands
\nand Australia.<\/p>\n
The competition was limited to only create batik in Yogyakarta
\nstyles and motifs painted on silk materials using natural dye
\nprocessing.<\/p>\n
Each participant is allowed to submit one or more sets of
\nbatik comprising a 2.5-meter-long silk batik cloth and a
\nselendang (shawl) in various sizes and forms.<\/p>\n
All the submitted works will be evaluated by the jurors on
\nSept. 8 and presented by 15 models in a special fashion show on
\nSept. 10.<\/p>\n
Winners of the competition will be divided into three
\ncategories: the Yogyakarta Motif 2000 category, Natural Dyeing
\nTechnology category and the Aesthetic category.<\/p>\n
Winner of the first category will get Vice President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's Award, the second category winner will receive
\nthe First Lady Sinta Nuriyah's Award, and winner of the third
\ncategory will get the Governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku
\nBuwono X's Award.<\/p>\n
Two additional awards will be given to winners of the best
\ndesigns chosen by GKR Hemas, wife of Yogyakarta's Sri Sultan and
\nthe people's choice award.<\/p>\n
\"We will distribute forms for people to choose their own
\nfavorite batik during the fashion show,\" Ardiyanto explained.<\/p>\n
The organizing committee has also prepared some supporting
\nprograms for the festival, including a seminar titled The
\nDevelopment of Batik on the International Market, an exhibition
\nof Yogyakarta's old batik motifs, a silk batik expo, natural dye
\nprocessing, a batik bazaar, an exhibition of sidewalk batik
\npatterns and a workshop on natural dyeing.<\/p>\n
\"We have also invited batik expert L. Kaye Crippen from
\nIndiana, the United States, to talk about modern batik designs
\nand marketing considerations for the international market at the
\nseminar,\" said Ardiyanto, adding that a number of foreign batik
\nlovers would also attend the seminar.<\/p>\n
The exhibition of antique batik will present some 100 rare
\nitems belonging to some 20 collectors and institutions, including
\nthe Sonobudoyo Museum, Batik Museum of Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta
\nPalace and relatives of the palace's family.<\/p>\n
The silk batik exhibition will display some 50 batik pieces
\nowned by 10 collectors.<\/p>\n
In addition to these activities, the Yogyakarta provincial
\nadministration will introduce a new project on a 20-square meter
\nsidewalk adorned with batik motifs in front of the Nature Garuda
\nHotel on Jl. Malioboro.<\/p>\n
The project is part of the government's long-term program to
\nrejuvenate Jl. Malioboro with batik designs as one of the city's
\npopular tourist destinations.<\/p>\n
\"We feel honored that local government has agreed to introduce
\nthe program during the festival. The government has also called
\non local people to wear batik during the five-day festival,\" said
\nArdiyanto.<\/p>\n
The festival is jointly organized by the Yogyakarta Cultural
\nOffice and the Association of Indonesian Batik Lovers Sekar Jagad
\nof Yogyakarta.<\/p>",
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