Kain gendongan means a baby carrrier (kain = cloth, gendong = to carry, gendongan = carrier). While a selendang or shoulder piece is sometimes worn by womenfolk in the Nusantara region (roughly present day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and some parts of the Phillipines) to sling onto their shoulders and can be easily used to shield their heads from the rays of the tropical sun, or to cover their hair when needed to), or even to bundle up things.

Here are 2 examples of these long cloths which can be used as either a kain gendongan or selendang, or naturally, both. These traditional cloths like these are rich in traditional symbols which often convey specific meanings.

Piece 1: A Javanese-styled batik cap piece – kain gendongan / selendang

Dimension: 160 X 51.5 cm

This harmonious piece comes in the more bold, sombre colours which give it an impression of some of the old Cirebon batiks in terms of colour choice and motifs. While the piece is a batik cap piece, and may not be that old in terms of age, it is rich in traditional symbols.

The pavilion amidst the rocky formations recall the symbol of taman arum (literally, fragrant gardens or sometimes called meditative gardens) in Cirebon iconography, may indicate a dimension of spiritual progress. The layered rock formations are also known as wadas (coral rock formations) and can be attributed to Chinese influences in the local batik designs.

Piece 2: A Chinese influenced batik cap piece – kain gendongan / selendang

Dimension: 176 X 53 cm

The piece depicts phoenixes (burung cenderawasih) (or some people say, the peacock, or burung merak) perching on flowering branches of flowers. The phoenix abound in old Malay and Chinese legends. In Malay legends, it is believed to come from the heavens or paradise, and is said to be fragrant and can bring luck to the owner. Even when dead, it is said that it will not rot, and it is believed that its feathers have magical and healing powers. In China, it is a symbol of the Chinese Empress and the bird is said to appear only in times of great prosperity and peace. This piece, which comes from Indonesia, has some ringings of Chinese influences and tastes about it such as the pastel colours that the local Peranakan Chinese community favours and also the phoenix on a peony branch motif which is a favourite symbol. In Indonesia where there is much criss-cross of cultures, it could have been used by either the local people or even the local Peranakan Chinese community. Whatever so, the phoenix and luxuriant blooms carry wishes of blessings and happiness to the wearer.

We welcome anyone who has any sharings to add the meanings of the motifs, or about kain gendongan or selendang

Can you guess which countries are in the whose’ controversy when it comes to batik? Yes, neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia. Both parties have their claims basis as their defence strategies. Shall we briefly listen to their views?

Indonesia: Batik has been long associated with the islands of Java where the batik tradition is rich, continuous, alive and still widely used till today. They claim to be the seat of batik legacy, with a refined tradition from the royal courts to the common folk. The best refined pieces of batik has always been traditionally attributed to the Indonesian region.

They claim that Malaysia has a relatively new tradition of batik borrowed from cousin Indonesia.

Malaysia: The people of Malaysia, like Indonesia have always worn batik as their attire and this is also seen in the batiks worn by the immigrant societies of early Malaya. Malaysia too, has an active batik industry mainly in the states of Kelantan and Terengganu and the capital Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the “Malay World” or the Nusantara region (rantau) has a shared tradition and roots over many cultural traits such as the lingua franca of Malay (called Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia or Bahasa Melayu), similarities in many other aspects such as food, religious beliefs, etc. In modern countries, the former lines of boundaries between ancient kingdoms, human migration patterns, cultural exchange and diaspora always do not share a clear and defined cultural border.

Sibling rivalry over a piece of cloth? If good must come out of this, it is perhaps this: that not any piece of cloth is worth arguing over, we are talking about batik

We welcome you to post your comments and thoughts in a, yes, diplomatic and politically correct, manner, please.

Batik ikat, like batik tulis, often differs from piece to piece. We owe this to the way this kind of batik is produced. Naturally though, this feature enhances its appeal as each piece is unique. Instead of using wax as a resist for colouring cloths, the resist here used is the natural tying of the cloth. Strategically planned knots at different areas of the cloth are dipped into dyes of varying colours. These can produce various designs in wrap & dye batik such as polka dots, stars, various strips and shape contortions which are sometimes symmetrical in forms.

Often though, they are made mostly for the tourism industry these days, especially in tropical destinations. That having said, the ingenuity of batik ikat makes the creations unique in terms of design and craftmanship, and has its standing among the fashion-conscious and those who go for a different look in their fabrics.

Copper and wooden cap

This week, let’s explore another popular method of creating batiks. Cap means stamped in the Malay / Indonesian tongue. Batik cap, compared to batik tulis is a relatively newer tradition.

The cap itself, like batik, is a beautiful work of art and have become collectors’ items. Earlier versions of the cap were made of local tropical wood, while later and current versions were typically made out of a copper alloy which is shaped into intricate patterns on its base. These stamps usually have a handle for the artist to grip the piece in position to stamp onto the cloth. Some of these cap are rather small and perhaps just about 1 to 2 inches in width and height! Larger pieces can be up to more than 11 inches wide or more. They normally contain a single motif such as a rose flower or the batik maker’s stamp.

Like batik tulis, batik cap undergoes the same process of dyeing, washing, drying and redyeing. The difference lies in that while batik tulis is hand drawn, the motifs on stamped batik, are created using the cap which is dipped into molten wax and then stamped onto the cloth. The advantage of batik cap is that it can be more time saving, while the motifs are repeated with great accuracy (as opposed to hand drawn pieces), and is often more economical (since it is more time saving, more batiks can be created).

While batik cap may not require the same level of skill and time as in tulis pieces, there are beautiful and excellent cap pieces. Thus the artistic excellence is still upheld. Often, a combination of cap and tulis is used on a batik piece. This is sometimes called batik kombinasi (or combination batik).

Coming up in our next article, we shall explore another unique and creative method of creating batik…stay tuned..

Batik cap in a workshop

Tulis means “to write” in the Malay and Indonesian language. In the context of batik, it refers to the art of creating batik by hand drawing (or “writing”) the outlines of the motifs onto a piece of cloth.

Canting

This is achieved by using a pen-like tool called the canting or tjanting. (Please refer to the image above). The canting is normally made of wood/bamboo at one end, while the “head” or spout is made of copper (a good heat conductor). It has an opening at the top where molten wax (or a similar base) is filled into the canting, while the end of the spout is a tiny hole, out of which the molten wax shall flow from the canting to the cloth. It functions very much like a pen, where the artisan draws using an ink of molten wax. And like an artist’s set of drawing tools, this comes in different sizes – for drawing motifs of varying degress of fineness (for the common up to very small details).

As previously mentioned in my Introductory article, batik is created using a resist method, where in batik tulis (handdrawn batik), wax is used to cover the area so that the dyes will not penetrate the desired area. Let’s say the artisan is drawing a rose amidst a purple background. To create this effect, the artisan first draws with a pencil the outlines of the rose, and perhaps the repeating patterns on the background. He then “covers” the area of the bouquet with wax. When the wax is dried off, it is then sent to a purple dye bath (or alternatively painted upon with purple dye). Thus only the background is purple, the rose remains under the cover of wax. Then it is left to dry. This process of waxing, drying the wax, dyeing, and drying the dyes gets repeated for every choice of colour and hues used.

Of course, besides the intention of producing a multi coloured effect, the wax can also be used to cover areas which will eventually not be dyed, and hence the original colour of the cloth which is mostly white will remain and can be a pattern or outline of the motifs themselves, e.g. the veins on a leaf or the repetitive lines on a background.

The tulis method is often regarded as the highest form of batik because of the level of skill, effort, time and heart placed when creating batik. That explains why tulis pieces are pricier than cap pieces.

In the coming series, we will explore the cap, and ikat techniques, so stay tuned!

We also welcome questions you might have on batik, and samples of your work or collection that you wanna share with the audience…So step ahead, and share your thoughts with us

Arab Street in Kampong Glam is located in a central urban location in Singapore. The Kampong Glam enclave was traditionally the seat of the Malay Sultan and the Malay community in prewar days. Arab Street has played an important role in catering to the needs of the local citizens and is still traditionally one of the main places to go to buy attire, cloths and fabrics.

One of the draws of this place is of course batik which caters to a wide range of customers’ tastes and profiles – from beautiful hand drawn unsewn tulis pieces to cap or stamped varities of sarongs, to batik shirts, and souveniers and home accesories from tissue holders, coasters, key-chain holders, hankerchiefs all made from batik or batik-inspired arts.

Today, Arab Street draws tourists as much as the locals. The area and its vicinity (including names like Bussorah Street, Muscat Street and Haji Lane) is also a popular tourist area as the historic Sultan Mosque, the old former Istana (Sultan’s palace), and the Yellow House (now a restaurant and a favourite venue for Malay weddings), and many old prewar shops still grace the area.

Besides fabrics and clothings, the street and the nearby areas also serve a wide range of cuisine and delicacies, from Arab, Turkish, Persian, Mediterranean, Indian and of course traditional Malay cuisine.

This being the Ramadhan month whereby Muslims fast daily from sunrise till sunset for one month, the atmosphere here has taken on a festive feel. Shoppers get ready to celebrate the coming Eid ul-Fitr festival (known here as Hari Raya Puasa) looking around for handwoven carpets from the Middle East, fabrics and also ready-made clothings and accesories such as the traditional ladies and girls clothings of baju kurung, baju kebaya, kain sarung while the men and boys look for their outfits of baju Melayu, songket, songkok, etc. Tailors and fabrics & clothes are enjoying a brisk trade during this time.

If you happen to be in Singapore, do come and visit this street of fabric and enjoy the sights and sounds..

Venue: KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Description: “The Business of Batik” is the theme of the 2nd KL International Batik Convention at the KLCC with a host of activities, including talks by speakers from several countries, fashion shows including the Piala Seri Endon Designers’ International Showcase, business matching sessions, batik making demonstrations and a batik fair!

The exhibition hall will be opened from 10.30 am to 6.00 pm, but will close at 5.00 pm on the last day. For more details, please visit: www.expomal.com/klib

Dates: 18 November 2007 – 16 March 2008

Venue: Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore (www.acm.org.sg)

Description: Good news to all textile (and batik!) enthusiasts! In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the museum is holding an exhibition on a collection of some of their exquisite textile collections from Southeast Asia. This rich and colourful array weaves a tale of cultural affinity and ongoing traditions in textile-making.

The sarung (or sarong) here adheres to the styles of having two main parts, namely the badan (body) and kepala (head) of a typical sarung piece. The badan naturally covers most of the area of the sarong, and typically slightly less ornate as the designs on the kepala. Here, bouquets of flowers of different shades (red, pink, purple and blue) are found on both the kepala and badan. A pair of fluttering butterflies hover near the tops of the blooms, as if about to sip the nectar from the colourful flowers. The kepala here shows the same principal motifs as the badan except that the background looks more dense because it has parallel lines of arabesques and tiny dots moving downwards to the right, and a stamp depicting the Chinese name of Go Tjoe San (most likely of the batik workshop, or maker, or even trader). The batik here, with its main principal motifs repeated throughout the cloth suggests it is batik cap, or stamped batik.

This batik has features which were common in batik made for the Peranakan womens’ market. A first hint is the choice of colour schemes for the fabric, which is bright not sombre, and rather colourful, reminiscent of the colourful, old Chinese enamelled porcelain called Nyonyaware which is synonymous with the Peranakans. The sign of the maker, a Chinese name also accentuates the notion that this cloth was meant mainly for the Chinese Peranakan market. A signed batik usually comes with the better pieces, and when given as gifts, are a symbol of a valuable gift. The motifs of the butterflies, while not restricted to traditional Chinese symbolism, are a common motif which carries the meaning of happiness. A paired butterfly also connotes fidelity and happiness among couples.

Pekalongan, a city on the Northern Coast of Java, is famous for batik-making till today. Batik made in the region has a distinctive style and can usually be identified as a Pekalongan styled batik. Pekalongan batik was famous among the Straits Chinese and Peranakans in Malaya and Singapore. The community loved the vibrant and almost festive colours of batik from the towns of Pekalongan and nearby Kedungwuni. With the advent of synthethic dyes, the choices of colours for batik increased dramatically, and colours once impossible or hard to attain were now within reach of the batik makers who capitalized on their customers’ tastes for these bright and flamboyant colours.

As the piece was reputedly collected from the Riau Islands, a Peranakan lady of the region was probably the original owner of the piece who might have worned it for outings.

Be inspired by them at this article by The Star Newspaper (Malaysia):

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/8/19/lifefocus/18613056&sec=lifefocus

We shall explore many facets of batik and touch several areas such as its tradition, the various techniques of creation, modern interpretations, meet various peoples in the industry, learn where to find batik, types of batik, traditional meanings of different kinds of batik, the fabrics used, and much more.

Along the way, we invite you to share and ask of anything regarding batik.

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A good place to begin would be the roots of batik. Batik today exists in all continents in the world (except perhaps Antartica?). And according to Wikipedia, it is a very ancient tradition which begin more than a thousand years ago, with evidences from countries such as ancient Egyptian and Sumerian kingdoms. Now, that may come as surprising news, as batik is traditionally and mostly associated with Java in Indonesia. We are not suggesting that batik from Java and in many other places in the world such as African and other Asian countries have a common origin and spread from the same tradition. Rather, we believe that people in different parts of the world have created batik cloths at different periods of time, and some of these are native creations, independent of ancient foreign influences and ideas.

Batik is almost synonymously associated with Indonesia and it comes to no surprise when one encounters traditional batik found there. Its intricate and elaborate designs which are rich in symbolic meanings and the batik diversity there is most interesting, and batik was and still is, so commonly used by the people of all walks of life, the common folk and the royal courts and palaces (kratons) alike. Modern Indonesians pride themselves in batik which has somewhat attained a status of the national clothing of Indonesia. They take great lengths to produce excellent batik till today, and their pride and passion in batik making are some reasons why batik is still very much connected to Indonesia.

Neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei share the same batik tradition as Indonesia. These countries are collectively called the Malay Archipelago and besides sharing a common lingua franca, i.e. the Malay language (or officially known as Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Indonesia), have much in common culturally though each has its distinctive traits and has evolved differently based on different socio-economic, cultural and political threads.

Batik was worn and is commonly used in the people there, both women and men of various communities and ethnic backgrounds. Although ceremonial usage requires excellent batik, it is also a comfortable and highly practical daily wear. For example, a piece of batik sarong (somewhat a “tube” in today’s fashion sense) has great flexibility for room and growth.This allows the wearer to use it even as their girths expanded (and vice versa, naturally) since all one needs to do is to fold and “wrap” the cloth over ones body and waist. This means there is no typical S, M, L or XL sized cloths are needed since the height is almost always the same yet the width of the cloth can wrapped more or less around the waist. A smart creation, we must say. Easier for people to buy sarongs as long as one likes the piece, and also we can share it with others without concerns of the size and it becomes a piece we could use on and on. In fact, people of old used to use pieces for decades even if their girths had increased along the way!

Batik has come a long way since and is now globally adored and perpetuated. While Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur and other cities, towns and villages in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have continued this tradition, we are seeing new forms of batik everywhere. Fashion cities such as Hong Kong, Milan, London are ever keen to explore batik and greater interests in the art and fabric has reached even Europe and the USA with home-grown talents. This is great news because there are newer ideas, fashions and diversity in batik.

In terms of form and art, batik today has evolved from clothing to haute couture and even new utilitarian objects including curtain drapes, bed set sheets, mobile phone cases, handbags & wallets, table & chair runners, cushion sets, key-chains and many more!

Indeed the batik story is an ancient one in a modern world

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