Textile Museum course enlivens afternoons during Ramadhan

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Islamic tradition teaches that even the sleep of those fasting during Ramadhan is blessed.

But Fany feels that taking courses at the Textile Museum instead of an afternoon nap is an even better way to fill her time.

"Taking a course is better than just doing nothing at home. I hope someday, I can use my skills to develop my own business," she said recently.

Fany, a part-time employee of a United Nations agency here, was intently drawing a pattern on a piece of white cloth in preparation for creating a batik headscarf.

She was attending a one-day session of a series of special Ramadhan batik courses being held each day between 9 a.m and 3 p.m from Oct. 16 to Nov. 10.

During Ramadhan, the batik students learn not only how to apply batik designs to plain cloth, but also how to make the designed fabric into items useful for religious practices around Idul Fitri.

For Rp 100,000 (US$11), anyone taking the one-day course can learn how to make a traditional Muslim scarf from their custom- designed batik, or learn how to make a batik prayer rug for Rp 50,000 or batik Idul Fitri greeting cards for just Rp 15,000.

However, one must try to ignore the crowd of street vendors in front of the museum on Jl. K.S. Tubun, West Jakarta, near the Tanah Abang textile market and enter the wide breezy space of the pleasant gallery.

Fany is one of dozens of students and employees taking courses at the museum, which is displaying hundreds of traditional textiles from across the country.

The courses are taking place in a new wooden structure to the left of the main museum building.

Museum program coordinator Mis Ari said the one-day courses aimed to provide positive activities for people, especially the young, during the fasting month.

"The activities are also meant to enliven the museum. People would most likely be reluctant to come to the museum because of the crowds of vendors, but with the courses they really want to visit us," Ari said.

Outside of Ramadhan, the museum also offers a four-day course on batik making, but does not teach how to create specific items from the fabric designed.

Not only locals take the batik courses; many foreigners participate as well. On one morning, several Japanese housewives were seen taking the four-day course.

Fuji Orikawa has taken batik classes for a total of six months. The mother of three children is now able to use the canting (dipper) to draw Batik motifs.

There are two kinds of motifs -- pesisiran and classical -- which are taught in the courses. Pesisiran motifs are from Java's coastal areas, while the classical motifs originate from either Yogyakarta or Solo.

The standard batik course, which costs Rp 250,000 per four-day session, is divided into four elements. The first is the drafting and designing of a motif with one color. The second introduces dyeing techniques using two colors.

The third teaches the use of a variety of colors and painting while the fourth introduces dyes made from plants.

All the materials, cloths, dippers, colors and wax are provided by the museum. The participants come empty-handed and go home with their batik creations. Some 20 instructors are on hand ready to help the students.

"It's not a profit-oriented program. It's just an initiative to enliven the museum," Ari said.