In the past, batik was just a symbol, batik was just a body cover which has a certain meaning that shows the status of the person that wears them. Now it has developed, and it is the beauty that we will show to the world, that batik is a peace of art, we will know and you will see.
In 2000, there was a progress in batik. In the 1900 I started a batik production which I named after myself, the Apip's kerajinan batik. First, I made batik for me to wear, then I tried for someone else to where, and in the end I try to make for everyone to wear. I went to every corner of this country that produces batik. I saw batiks in many places in this country, and they were very beautiful.
I combine those batiks, putting the color of Pekalongan batik into the Jogjakarta batik, putting the color of Yogyakarta batik into the Solo batik and so on. The Cirebon batik with its closely packed and beautiful temboan, the beautifully colored Pekalongan batik, with my hands, I recreate them into a batik product, which I consider it as our own true nation’s work of art.
It is from this point, I make my craft, and my specification is my batiks, where I gave life to every batik I make, so that when someone is wearing my batik, they will feel and know that it was made with only one fabric and one piece and that it is a piece of art.
I think that there is no difference between this batik art with paintings or with other form of arts. Like the Kris, silver work and others, all that is handmade is a work of art… and it is important to know that batik is an art of color separation and processing it with malam, then dip it and then separating it. Without using the malam and pattern of symbols, it is not considered a batik.
It is impossible for us to make a fabric that could only be used by a certain community, we make batiks that every community from every corner of the society can wear, and we are capable of making this batik as a commodity, a culture that we enhance into a work of art that everyone can enjoy, everyone in Indonesia and the whole world.
I really like the way the people and the world view on the art of batik, this batik could be equally compared with other world-class artist and masterpieces, and this is the pride of Indonesia.
Like what we will see later, I combine the traditional batiks from Yogyakarta, Solo, Cirebon, and all places in this country that has thousands of patterns, which I try to combine them into a pattern which we can enjoy and modern patterns which everyone can enjoy.
Those Larangan patterns are compared and combined, I put in the colors that were usually used in certain places only, and with that combined colors, and it becomes a style and turned into something more beautiful. And hopefully everyone could benefit from these pieces.
After seeing the batiks from every place in this country, what is the differentiation between them? Maybe we can see it by it’s culture. The Cirebon batik, which is popular with its mega mendung, the Pekalongan batik with its coloring, Solo batik with its golden color, Yogyakarta batik with its white and brave colors, and Maduranese batik with patterns which suits the character of the Maduranese people.
With these patterns and colors, we are capable of using the local cultures, combine it and change it into a more beautiful artwork. I am not talking about the Pekalongan batik, or the Cirebon batik, but we are talking about Indonesian batik. This is one of the inspirations that encourage me to make this batik so that it could be enjoyed.
We know that batik is a symbol. Symbol is an unalterable form. In this globalization era, those symbols exist as cultures, but in this developing era, we must formulate it in a way so that we can enjoy those symbols. When we are having some traditional gathering, we use the culture as the symbols. However, in some other time, we could use these symbols to create something into a work of art. From this point of view, we could take this batik and carry it to all kind of fashion, in to all kind of art work, in all occasions.
We are quite proud with our Indonesian batik and we do not have to underestimate the batik. Many of our neighbors acknowledge Indonesian batik and we do not have to worry, because people around the world will look for batik in Indonesia. Because we know that this batik is a culture that our ancestors have been doing this lintang color process since a long time ago. I have traveled to many countries all around the world to promote the batik and describe this artwork.
Not everyone understand the meaning of batik, most of them talk about batik just the way they talk about general textile and it’s printing process. However, when they find out about the process of making the batik after I explain it to them; they really admire it, that this is a truly beautiful work of art. Probably the countries that have occupied Indonesia in the past like Japan and the Netherlands, was the first to recognize the batik. They understood them and have a major influence and role on the Indonesian batik development.
But other countries, we still need to tell them more about batik and we are proud because our nearest neighbor; the batiks the people are wearing since long time ago until know, they all got it from us. Slowly, they made batiks just like ours, but their creativity cannot be compared with our abilities.
In the European countries like Cheko, France and England, I always explain about the batik. I combine the batik with the up to date fashions, the today’s fashions. The clothes that we make individually, that is the place for batik, or in other words, batik clothes are the same as the work pieces that we should respect its creativity. In the advanced countries, the people recognize and understood a high class art, and they acknowledge the batik as a masterpiece, and we are proud of our Indonesian batik.
Speaking about the world fashion, fashion is like the circle of the moon. Sometimes it is on the lower side and sometimes on the upper side and everything goes around. In this fashion, textile, batik has a huge role and in this developing era, we need to upraise these patterns to fit in with the trend, to fit in with what the world wanted with this batik. Like maybe from the color point, we want to see the gold colors, the glimmering style will occur again in the year 2008.
Here we have Praga, a system that makes praga fabric to be processed on batik; this will be popular in the year 2008. Just like with the designs of classic patterns, that is if we raise it and we are capable. The parang patterns which is actually forbidden, but after we put it into fashion or a wardrobe, it became something unique.
The coastal, flowers, flora and fauna patterns with its various colors, if we recreate it into a fashion product, it will become something unique. We have some other identity, in the year 2008; we will slowly rise up the batik, through the local and other designers in Indonesia, raising the local ethnic culture from any culture into a local ethnic fashion work.
Sometimes our teenagers don’t quite appreciate the batik fashion. Most of them said that the batik is only for old people or for adults. These things are mistaken. Appreciations from the teenagers or from the celebrities, or maybe from the public figures are still not wide spread.
The people from the government may still like to wear batik, but our celebrities don’t. We, artists, celebrities, young singers, need to appreciate and wear batik. That is one of the obstacles, maybe one day we could create a batik design for teenagers, and that is our ability between the designer and the consumer to fit in with the character of Indonesian teenagers. That is the obstacle; we need to increase our love for our own national products.
I’d really like to see batik as a artwork to be loved by every level of the society. Because what I want is that this batik could cross borders and penetrate the whole world. We can do it, with our batik and our culture, because we already could make batik for interiors and batik for anything. Why not we, our own people, love batik? Because this batik is for everyone.
The distinctive batik has its own uniqueness because it came from the different places that produce the batiks itself. We don’t really now when did the art of coloring take place in this country. If we look at the existing patterns like the kalung pattern that we can see in the Borobudur temple crafting, we can even see the nitek patterns in the Borobudur temple as well.
This rises a question whether the art of lintang coloring process with batik patterns have occurred at that time. What we clearly know is that batik started as an art of lintang coloring in a form of symbols. One would place a symbol in a fabric, which someone will later function it or use it according to their ranks.
We can see the 12 centimeters parang pattern that only sultans could wear, so is the claw pattern that is used for weddings, the nitek pattern, kuntum pattern and other patterns. The semen pattern, tells the story of life, from birth until death. All the patterns in this country is a symbol and the symbol itself was created by someone who sought after nobility, immortality, and honor to the greatness of the universe and to the greatness of god.
In this culture, the making of a pattern in a piece becomes a representation of the pattern itself. And in each territory, the patterns or symbols has its meaning or function according to its own purposes.
We know that the variety of ornamental patterns depend on or are suited by the geographic factor from where the batik maker itself live. Besides that, also from the character and the way of life, the beliefs and customs, the natural environment of the batik maker, and the relationship between the batik makers from other territories. There is also influence from the foreigners in Indonesia.
Because of that many influences, every batik art piece has its own differences and distinctiveness, like the geographic location of the batik itself. Every batik that comes from Pekalongan, Cirebon, Madura, Yogyakarta, Solo have their own uniqueness, distinctiveness and character according to their geographical location.
The second is the influence of the nature of the location, as we know in Madura with its strong character; their batik also uses strong colors. In Pekalongan, there is strong influence from the Netherlands and China, for many Dutchmen, Chinese and even Arabians live there. So the batiks are varied with colors, flora – fauna and flowers that doesn’t exist in Indonesia. There is also patterns of European and Japanese flowers in Pekalongn batiks.
Like the Jalangkopai batik that were made by the Dutchmen, they liked batik and made the art pieces in Pekalongan. Like the Wanzalan and others, the popular Chinese, Oe-Sozhu, is also a batik maker in Pekalongan.
And in Yogyakarta with its Kraton batik, the batik that started out as a symbol used by the people inside the kraton, which is called the larangan (forbidden) batik, a batik that is impossible for people outside the kraton to wear. Only Sultans and their relatives can wear this batik, the Larangan batik.
Following this larangan batik of the kraton in Solo, Yogyakarta and Cirebon, there is this Saudagaran (merchant) batik, which is worn by merchants who wanted to copy the style of the people in the kraton by copying the patterns of the larangan batik, but adding it with other ornaments and pattern so it will not be a forbidden batik anymore, but a batik that everyone can wear.
The third, we know there is also a batik that suits the local beliefs and customs. There are many batiks that are created based on its function, for a new born baby, for covering the dead, for weddings, and they all are based the local beliefs and customs.
And we also know that there is influence from the condition of the natural environment of the place of the batik production. We know in the north coastal area, we will find many buyunghong patterns, fish patterns by the people living in the coastal area. They will make patterns of jasmine flowers, orchids that surround them into their fabric. Their customs also gives influence and they are connected to the batik itself.
Batik is distinctive, and batik is beautiful and batik is widely varied. When we look at batik from several aspects, then we will know that batik has its own sense. Batik has its own view, as a work of art, a beautiful, masterpiece, an idea that we all can be proud of.
