Jakarta - The ongoing batik wave -- or batik boom -- that has pervaded the local fashion scene in the past two years has put this fascinating fabric back on the map.
But while most batiks are simply "textiles with a batik motif" or machine-printing -- not the resist-dyeing technique that defines batik, some people are nonetheless staying true to eco-friendly batik making and turning their interests to natural dye techniques.
Natural dye techniques, ironically, are the origin of how batik was first made in Java before chemical coloring was introduced, as far back as 1840.
One of the few promoters of natural dye batik is Hendri Suprapto.
For almost three decades, he has been working as an instructor at the Balai Besar Kerajinan Batik (BBKB), a government research and development center for batik making in Yogyakarta.
But it was not until 1996 that he decided to devote his time to working on the natural dyeing process for batik.
That was the year when Hendri learned that the Dutch government had issued a letter prohibiting the use of a certain chemical coloring for imported textiles from Asia, since the substance was considered to be carcinogenic.
Graduating from technical high school with a major in chemistry, Hendri then consulted experts at Yogyakarta`s Gadjah Mada University, who confirmed this information.
So, he started to train himself first by revisiting ancient batik-making techniques, but trying to adapt what he called "the old recipes with the new technologies".
"People often laughed at my presentations at that time, since it was like asking people to go back to the pre-industrial era," said the graduate of Taman Siswa University, where he majored in math.
But with global concerns over environmental destruction and increasingly popular eco-friendly lifestyles, his batik has found a niche among customers who not only appreciate its eco value but also have come to like its unique qualities.
For one, the natural hues are indeed limited, not as rich as the chemical ones.
"You can`t produce a really striking red, for instance. You need to like more subdued hues, such as indigo, soga brown, moss green or ochre for a yellowish effect," he explained.
In the world of fickle fashion, those colors are not always considered to be "in", especially for high street fashion which is more mass market oriented.
And in the manufacturing process, it is also impossible to be precise since exact shades may not be replicable.
"If I have a batik cloth that a client likes and she asks me to make it again, it`s better to just make two lots at the same time to guarantee the similar coloring," Hendri said.
The process is time consuming and costs more, making naturally-made batik far more expensive than batik using chemical coloring.
But Hendri believes that the naturally-made batik is where the future belongs.
Currently, he has a plot of land for his own laboratory where he cultivates plants, such as Indigofera tinctoria, Casalpinia sappan or Bixa orellana, to produce natural colorings.
He also opened Batik Bixa, his own batik workshop, about 30 to 40 minutes drive from Central Yogyakarta, to help reach his goal.
The name Bixa was taken from Bixa orellana, a very common plant that used to dot many streets in Java during the era of forced labor in the colonial East-Indies. It is a source for a reddish orange coloring for batik.
While showing all the natural ingredients that his workshop uses, he explained that he is collaborating with farmers in cultivating the plants.
He said that land topography as well as other factors such as water availability helped determine plant fertility.
Hendri identified 11 types of indigo in Indonesia, but so far the best one is growing in Tuban, East Java, while the best in the world is still found in two locations in Japan.
His workshop is just a simple village house, but it produces nothing but fine handmade batik which caters to big names, such as famous batik designers, for their fashion lines or batik houses, as well as foreign designers like his Japanese customers.
"They (the Japanese customers) like batik for their expensive kimonos," said Hendri, who himself has been invited to Japan many times to join exhibitions or to talk in conferences.
Hendri is passionate about educating both batik makers and users alike. He regularly travels across the region to find the best place to cultivate each plant, talk to the farmers and disseminate the techniques of using natural dyes to local communities.
What he envisions is to empower the existing small batik workshops across Java -- or even in the country -- for natural dye-based batik making.
For that purpose, he has trained many batik makers in different cities like the Central Java towns of Pekalongan and Surakarta, up to Tuban and Surabaya, both in East Java.
"BBKB can focus on research and development. The way I see it, it should be acting as a main source of know-how to spread knowledge and help build other areas to be the next centers," Hendri said.
He pointed out three things that should be done in adapting the old techniques to keep up with the pace of modern living.
The first is to identify all the possible, available plants with natural coloring ingredients; to invent a practical technology to speed up the production process without compromising the natural principle and to find an eco-technology to help fix the color and make it more stable and timeless.
Hendry, however, is aware that not everyone can afford a piece of fine handmade batik -- hand-drawn using a canting or a fountain-shaped pen like a copper cup; or cap (stamp) -- let alone the costly natural dye process.
Handmade batik is certainly not cheap since it takes longer to make and involves more labor in terms of hours and people.
Still, he cannot help seeing that this is where the future lies.
At his workshop, one could see right away that it is waste-free. Debris from wood bark, previously used for coloring, ended up as fuel for the stove, while the water for coloring is even safe for ducks to drink.
He knows that the skeptics might point out the dilemma of taking things, like the wood bark, from nature, which in a way also exploits nature.
But he is already taking such considerations into account. "That is why I work with the farmers on sustainable cultivation systems," said Hendri. Helly Minarti
Source: http://old.thejakartapost.com (September 18, 2008)
