A closer look at old textiles of Indonesia
A closer look at old textiles of Indonesia
By Claudine Frederik
JAKARTA (JP): When Irwan Holmes, consultant to the Kesenian Group, set foot on Indonesian soil from the U.S. more than 20 years ago, he did not know that the move was the beginning of a life-long affair with Indonesian antique ornaments. The Kesenian Group is home to rare Indonesian artifacts. It stores everything for the collector of rare Indonesian pieces, be it a hundred-year old dress made of orchid stems from Irian Jaya, masks from every corner of Indonesia, or old textiles.
The group has gained a reputation for their strategically placed exhibits throughout the capital, which add unusual but refreshing touches to function rooms or large halls, even snooty restaurants.
At their second exhibit in the lobby of President Hotel, Central Jakarta, the first this year, Irwan Holmes responded to questions about old textiles the group is displaying until the middle of this year.
Most pieces on display are at least 75 years old. The exhibit features large shoulder pieces from the Sumba Isles, a wall panel from Bengkulu and gold-threaded fabric embroidered with sequins from Lampung. Also on view is an embroidered skirt worn at Dayak festivals in West Kalimantan, a wide range of wedding bed ornaments from Lampung and pieces from other parts of Sumatra.
Bali is also strongly represented at the exhibition. Although the main theme consists of old pieces, the display is completed with other antique pieces like old silver jewelry, ancient coins, and bronze heads and masks, providing a welcome break in the monotonous tone of textiles.
Age has reduced a few of the rare pieces to extremely fragile fragments.
"Few people here know how to keep the textiles in the right way. If they had, then there would have been more interesting pieces around," he explained
To assess the value of old textiles, the dyes, motifs, as well as the fabric itself and its condition should be gauged with a scrutinizing eye.
"Dyes are a reliable source to determine a piece's age. Really old pieces were colored with natural dyes, which was practiced until the 19th century. Chemical dyes appeared between 1910 - 1940," he said.
Natural dyes are typified with browns, indigo blue and shades of yellow derived from turmeric. Browns are made from mangrove trees. The range of colors became decidedly more exciting with the introduction of chemical colors as shades of red, blues and greens appeared in handmade looms and batik.
Motifs
Motifs also play a very important part in determining the age of the pieces. Today one would rarely find a piece patterned with figures. It is said that after Islam made its entry in the country, no figurative motifs, not even of animals, were allowed in fabric making. Geometric patterns started to appear on weaves instead. Patterns are, therefore, also a decisive factor in defining a textile's age. Indonesia converted to Islam in the 12th century.
In some pieces from Timor, figurative motifs can still be found as a border line, or appear as a random motif on the pieces.
There was one piece on display from Bali called grinsing. Woven in the "double ikat" technique, it is supposed to have been woven after an old Indian technique called patola. The dyes of grinsing take three months to make and then the textile is dipped in the prepared dyes several times. Grinsing was not wholly inspired by the Hindu religion, as religious motifs are combined with a touch of animism. The piece on display is at least 75 years old.
Other techniques used in Bali and Sumatra are called songket. Most songket pieces are woven with the "floating weft" technique, which, deceivingly, gives the pattern an embroidered appearance. In fact, the pattern was woven in the material.
Fabric weaving has been practiced for thousands of years in Indonesia. Cotton was the first basic material used in weaving. Later came hand spun silk, thought to have been first introduced by Chinese traders and later by Indians, who followed the silk route of Asia.
Cotton of palm leaf was also used, which can be observed in a very old piece from Sembiran, Bali. In this piece, explained Irwan Holmes, motifs of people are clearly shown in the material, which was clearly Indian inspired.
Two or three batik pieces from Pekalongan, Central Java, draw a lot of attention from visitors. Colored in traditional old blue and white, one features an odd motif as a spread of playing cards. Another one has a couple of human figures flanked by two vintage cars, clearly belonging to an era beyond the 1930s. Over the couple's heads are suspended two balloons manned by two other figures. The piece is in very good condition, despite a slight fading of the blue. Batik from Pekalongan is usually made in Chinese owned factories in the area.
Pieces from Timor usually feature primitive patterns, closely reminiscent of African motifs. Colors are mainly a combination of brown, black and orange, with a bit of blue and green. The Timor pieces are mainly worn over the shoulder.
Sumatra has a rich heritage of colorful songket and ikat textiles. Even in the textile fragments, carefully framed behind glass, the gold flower motifs leave no doubt that they were once a striking decorative part of a wedding panel from a long forgotten past.
Gold and red colors feature strongly in pieces from the West Sumatra region, strongly indicating the Chinese influence over the area in times of old.
The exhibition at the President Hotel will last till June.