Cirebon batik gets new world record

Cirebon batik gets new world record

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java

A group of 30 traditional craftspeople in Cirebon, West Java,
have succeeded in making a piece of batik cloth 130 meters in
length, breaking the world's longest batik record.

The cloth, costing around Rp 20 million, was made in one
continuous piece and without a single cut.

Komarudin Kudiya, who headed the project, said on Monday that
the batik cloth was the longest in the world, beating the
previously held record of only 106 meters by an entrepreneur from
Pekalongan, Central Java.

"We hope our creativity will be listed in the Indonesian
Records Museum (MURI)'s book of records. We have contacted MURI
for this purpose," he said.

Komarudin said it took more than two months to produce the
130-meter batik cloth that has used traditional Cirebon motifs.

The process, including the design, was done at the traditional
Cirebon batik center in Trusmi village, Weru subdistrict,
Cirebon, while the finishing touches were carried out in the West
Java capital of Bandung, he said.

Textile experts from several universities were involved in the
finishing touches, added Komarudin, a batik entrepreneur from
Cirebon.

"The batik cloth is adorned with 49 Cirebon motifs using 19
different colors. Thus, the level of difficulty is so high
because it has to be done carefully on a 130-meter long piece of
cloth," he said.

On Sunday, the batik was put on show at the Trusmi traditional
batik carnival. During the event, the cloth was carried by around
260 people in a parade around the batik center.

"Through this program, we want to show the creativity of our
younger artists who still care about such a valuable traditional
heritage," Komarudin said.

He said the move to make the world's longest batik was to
boost the image of the Trusmi batik industry in the northern
coast area of West Java.

"Up till now, Trusmi or Cirebon batik is less popular compared
to batik from Pekalongan or Surakarta (in Central Java). We hope
this step will be able to boost the popularity of Trusmi batik."