One of Indonesia’s major crafts revolves around textiles. The variety of textile techniques from Indonesia have been inspiring artists and designers alike for many years. There are three main textile practices: Batik, Ikat and Songket.

Batik is more well-known as it has travelled all the way to the West due to Colonialism. They were associated with the Dutch-wax that is especially popular in Africa. They’re different in ways that Batik has more muted colours whereas the Dutch-wax has brighter colours to the point it’s almost gaudy.

A slightly lesser known technique is Ikat. Ikat is a dyeing technique where the warp or weft yarns are resist-dyed in a similar process to tie-dyeing. The pattern is therefore pre-determined by the way in which the fibres have been dyed as opposed to standard weaving methods where the pattern is determined by the block colour of the thread.

The least well-known Indonesian textile technique is Songket. It is a traditional Indonesian brocade that is hand-woven in silk or cotton. These fabrics have intricate patterns that are then picked out with a gold or silver thread. They are used in ceremonial clothing and are luxurious to say the least. Songket is often a production of a whole village as the technique is passed down generations to generations.

Anak Agung Gde Sobrat

Arimas Asri
Budiman Hendropurnomo
Han Awal