Batik museum limping along

Batik museum limping along

Asip A. Hasani, Contributor, Yogyakarta

At first glance, the modest building which is situated in an alley off Jl. Dr. Sutomo, in the heart of Yogyakarta, looks like a factory warehouse.

However, a placard states that the building is in fact the Museum Batik, the first such venue for Yogyakarta, which is renowned for its collection of classic, elegant and fine batik.

Actually is not just the building which one could deem unsuitable for the some 500 precious batik pieces displayed within. The interior is also dull and only furnished with plain plywood room-dividers.

The museum, founded in 1979, is privately owned by Yubima Dewi Sekarningsih and husband Hadi Nugroho. The couple once owned a batik factory.

The manager and the only employee of the museum, pak Bejo, said that the collection consisted of batik from the late 18th century through until the late 20th century.

The batik pieces, which are stretched on wooden frames, are displayed under insufficient lighting. The hall has no air- conditioning while older pieces are stored in antique wooden cupboards.

Among the pieces are shawls and sarongs. Some of the more valuable pieces are those made in the 1780, mostly sarongs, These were popular apparel in the Dutch colonial era.

On some of the sarongs you may find the words: "Buatan Nyonyah Blanda (Made by Dutch Wives). The oldest pieces are mostly from Pekalongan, Central Java -- one of main centers for the batik industry in Java.

Other pieces are from Yogyakarta, Cirebon in West Java and Tuban in East Java, as well as many other parts of Java island.

Hundreds of tools and equipment used by batik craftspeople are also displayed in the museum's front room, as well as natural dyes.

"All this equipment for producing batik is from my batik factory, as well as my parents' and grandparents' batik factories," said Dewi.

It seems odd that the batik cloth, which is over a hundred years old, is still in good condition, despite the poor condition of the building in which it is housed. The secret of the cloth's good condition lies in the traditional method that was handed down to Dewi from her grandmother.

"At least once a year the batik is treated by being fumigated with a natural fragrance (locally called ratus)," Dewi said enthusiastically. "After they are fumigated, I spread them out in a shady place to be aired." she added.

This work is usually done by Dewi and her housemaids.

In the coming days, a batik collector in Surabaya will entrust his collection of batik to the museum. The collector, according to Dewi, wants to ensure that his batik is preserved and sees that the museum is best qualified for this job.

The museum of less than 200 square meters is located in front of Dewi's house. The construction and maintenance of the museum has, to date, been fully funded by the couple. The museum costs around Rp 30 to 40 million to run annually.

The only income from the museum is from entrance tickets, which are Rp 15,000 each. The annual income is less than Rp 1.5 million as the number of visitors is less than 100 people a year.

"Some 90 percent of visitors are foreigners," explained pak Bejo.

In the mid-1990s, the museum was regularly visited by students due to the policy of the provincial office of education and culture, which obliged junior and senior high school students to visit museums. However, the policy has not been effective since the implementation of regional autonomy.

Running the museum is not such a huge task for Dewi and Nugroho, who once ran the largest orchid farm in Yogyakarta in the 1970s. But, since their batik factory and orchid farm closed they have lacked a significant regular income.

"Thank God that our children appreciate the museum and give us financial support," said Dewi, who has three children.

With the help of batik lovers, negotiations with the National Museum to relocate the Batik Museum to a new location are underway. Dewi and Nugroho are optimistic that the new building will be more suitable for the exhibition of the cloth, which is part of the nation's history.