Batik Talk: The Spirit of America in the Heritage of Batik

~ Art is seen as a part of life and it's important to appreciate the feeling of Indonesia that is manifested through Batik ~

What is Batik? And what happens when Indonesian heritage of Batik meets American contemporary art? This fascinating video made by The Embassy and Indonesian Societies in Washington DC showcases the cultural fusion of Indonesian Batik culture and American modern designs. "The media of Batik is of great interest as an object of cultural collaboration", says artist Agus Ismoyo.

We are in the age of modernization where technology becomes a part of Batik. How does it affect the final product? These days, Batik designs are being created digitally and computers are used to form electronic designs. Following the history of Batik, a batik painter would typically hand draw & paint on a big white fabric in free motion. The question is - how would electronic designs be adapted into the natural process of Batik making?

The challenges for Batik production is to make sure that the art stays true to its aesthetics. When creating new sarong prints on a computer program, it's easy to have control over the designs according to taste, shape and color. The challenge for sarong makers is to emulate the exact design and colors from a digital artwork using a natural process. The technique of coloring on a piece of cloth is subjected to variables that are hard to manage in comparison to say, having color codes to key in from a universal color chart.

Watch this video to understand these challenges better and to enjoy the American contemporary designs in Batik form.

PS: Do check out our collection of hand painted sarongs and Batik sarongs!