After picking up my badge for the symposium in Laos
Talk at De Lakenhal in Leiden on 6 April
about the Leidse Cottonprinting Company (Leidsche Katoenmaatschappij)
Photo by Koen de Wit
Talk at the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles
(IASSRT) symposium in Laos
Sorry for not updating, I have been sharing stories, but not here on my blog, so time for a much needed update. After returning from my journey abroad en of November 2024, I had right away a depot visit, worked on a private collection and gave a guest lecture at the university in Amsterdam.
I took time off in January and February to catch up on all the things I didn’t get to finish before I left, but mostly spend it making new plans, writing blogs for Modemuze and preparing for talks.
Showing batiks from my own collection and brought by the audience on 16 March
during a talk on Batik influenced by Chinese culture
Photo by Koen de Wit
End of February I gave my first talk of this year, and after that I gave 4 more, all on different topics. It felt like a lecturer’s life for me. I do enjoy sharing stories in the form of a talk. Selecting images for the slideshow, digging in my archive of own made photographs and historical pictures. Thinking on what talk about, what angles to address and with what to conclude. To create a flow in which the audience can go with me, following my train of thought and can have hopefully the same ‘aha’ moments as I had when researching it.
Apart from selecting images to show, I always try to include actual textiles, books and making tools. Depending on the space, I either show the textiles myself, ask someone to show it around or just pass it along. So people can really get a closer look. I also enjoy dressing up for the gig. Of course in style, either in batik, or kebaya, to make Batik Statements on stage. The suit I let made for my exhibition ‘Masa depan Batik’ opening is a fan favorite. I am always asked by the audience if I can tell something about my outfit, which is so nice. The kebaya my friend Liesna made for me has been wonderful to wear during two talks now on the researchproject ‘Meaning of the white kebaya’. The colorful flower-design modern kebaya gives the right contrast with the herstory of the colonial, yet still relevant white European style kebaya we talk about.
Apart from selecting images to show, I always try to include actual textiles, books and making tools. Depending on the space, I either show the textiles myself, ask someone to show it around or just pass it along. So people can really get a closer look. I also enjoy dressing up for the gig. Of course in style, either in batik, or kebaya, to make Batik Statements on stage. The suit I let made for my exhibition ‘Masa depan Batik’ opening is a fan favorite. I am always asked by the audience if I can tell something about my outfit, which is so nice. The kebaya my friend Liesna made for me has been wonderful to wear during two talks now on the researchproject ‘Meaning of the white kebaya’. The colorful flower-design modern kebaya gives the right contrast with the herstory of the colonial, yet still relevant white European style kebaya we talk about.
My talk on the herstory of the white kebaya at KB on 3 October 2024
Photo by Koen de Wit
Dido Michielsen and I looking at the white kebaya exhibition
we made at KB in Den Haag.
Photo by Koen de Wit
So what have been sharing in my talks.
Last year I got to give a total of 10 talks. Mostly on my research done on the Dutch influence on Batik, specifically the impact of the imitations, but also to share new research I done with Dido Michielsen on the white kebaya. On 3 October we organized a full day program to explore this clothing piece, that is part of our Dutch colonial history and is still worn in Southeast Asia.
The reason to start researching was the private collection of Dido Michielsen, in which batiks and kebaya’s have been saved worn by familymembers. But who exactly worn them hasn’t been passed on. We joined forces to research the pieces and hope in this way to unravel their provenance. Of the batiks I knew a lot already, but of kebaya’s I knew little. The 10 kebaya were all white with a straight bottom edge, mostly decorated with lace. This is here considered European style or even ‘Indisch’ (Indo-European). I started looking for information, reading in books and articled. The same, short narrative of this garment seemed to be repeated everywhere. That this kebaya was to emphasis the wearers position, specifically as a position above everyone else in the former Dutch East Indies, nowadays Indonesia. The garment was also according to most authors better, more expensive and luxuries than what was worn traditionally locally. This Eurocentric point of view was highlighted by the end date of the white kebaya, after the 1920’s no lady was wearing it, certainly not outdoors, only perhaps Indo-Europeans still wore it at home. Europeans frown upon it and in literature, mostly novels, of the time this differences between the upperclass groups is highlighted at every possible moment. Although the ‘Indische romans’, novels on life in the Dutch East indies, were often written by women with roots in the colony, most historical writing on kebaya’s has been done by men. I got curious, is this really the story and meaning of the white kebaya? Could we find out more?
We applied for funding, and got it! A funding by Vfonds specifically for Indo-European and Moluccan intangible heritage projects in the Netherlands.
The literature we examined gave more questions than answers, so we came up with a plan to gather more data. With an open call we asked people to share wearers stories with us. We asked if people still had actual white kebaya’s or photographs of wearers and could tell us more about the weaerers.
From this we started to get a sense of the divers background of wearers, but also a clearer timeline. The wearing of the white kebaya did not at inn the 1920’s, it continued into the 1950’s for sure.
We also talked with different experts, both in the Netherlands and in Indonesia and Singapore. From Indonesia we got to most interesting respons, the garment we thought was in the colonial past, was actual currently still being worn, mostly for special occasions and even trendy for weddings. Also the popularity of the white kebaya was more linked to an actual Indonesian wearer, the Javanese women’s rights activist Raden Ajeng Kartini. We spoke with slowfashiondesigner Riri Rengganis on this topic and she recorded a great video for us.
Last year I got to give a total of 10 talks. Mostly on my research done on the Dutch influence on Batik, specifically the impact of the imitations, but also to share new research I done with Dido Michielsen on the white kebaya. On 3 October we organized a full day program to explore this clothing piece, that is part of our Dutch colonial history and is still worn in Southeast Asia.
The reason to start researching was the private collection of Dido Michielsen, in which batiks and kebaya’s have been saved worn by familymembers. But who exactly worn them hasn’t been passed on. We joined forces to research the pieces and hope in this way to unravel their provenance. Of the batiks I knew a lot already, but of kebaya’s I knew little. The 10 kebaya were all white with a straight bottom edge, mostly decorated with lace. This is here considered European style or even ‘Indisch’ (Indo-European). I started looking for information, reading in books and articled. The same, short narrative of this garment seemed to be repeated everywhere. That this kebaya was to emphasis the wearers position, specifically as a position above everyone else in the former Dutch East Indies, nowadays Indonesia. The garment was also according to most authors better, more expensive and luxuries than what was worn traditionally locally. This Eurocentric point of view was highlighted by the end date of the white kebaya, after the 1920’s no lady was wearing it, certainly not outdoors, only perhaps Indo-Europeans still wore it at home. Europeans frown upon it and in literature, mostly novels, of the time this differences between the upperclass groups is highlighted at every possible moment. Although the ‘Indische romans’, novels on life in the Dutch East indies, were often written by women with roots in the colony, most historical writing on kebaya’s has been done by men. I got curious, is this really the story and meaning of the white kebaya? Could we find out more?
We applied for funding, and got it! A funding by Vfonds specifically for Indo-European and Moluccan intangible heritage projects in the Netherlands.
The literature we examined gave more questions than answers, so we came up with a plan to gather more data. With an open call we asked people to share wearers stories with us. We asked if people still had actual white kebaya’s or photographs of wearers and could tell us more about the weaerers.
From this we started to get a sense of the divers background of wearers, but also a clearer timeline. The wearing of the white kebaya did not at inn the 1920’s, it continued into the 1950’s for sure.
We also talked with different experts, both in the Netherlands and in Indonesia and Singapore. From Indonesia we got to most interesting respons, the garment we thought was in the colonial past, was actual currently still being worn, mostly for special occasions and even trendy for weddings. Also the popularity of the white kebaya was more linked to an actual Indonesian wearer, the Javanese women’s rights activist Raden Ajeng Kartini. We spoke with slowfashiondesigner Riri Rengganis on this topic and she recorded a great video for us.
Our research was suppose to be shown at the Tong Tong Fair, with an exhibition and program. When they were declared bankrupted, we went looking for a new location since most preparations were done. We had 11 kebaya’s on loan of which we knew the possible wearer and their story. I made a timeline, starting at 1780 and continuing into now, with images, drawing, paintings & photographs from archives and send in after our open call.
Luckily KB in Den Haag saw potential in our project and offered us space to organise an event, but also a pop-up exhibition.
To see more, read more here (both posts are in Dutch, but with photos of the exhibition & event):
~ 'De witte kebaya in de KB'
~ Modemuze blog 'De witte Kebaya'
Luckily KB in Den Haag saw potential in our project and offered us space to organise an event, but also a pop-up exhibition.
To see more, read more here (both posts are in Dutch, but with photos of the exhibition & event):
~ 'De witte kebaya in de KB'
~ Modemuze blog 'De witte Kebaya'
Talk on batik & imitation Batik on 5 October 2024 in Arnhem
Photo by Koen de Wit
Talk in Deventer on 26 February about the cottonprinting company Ankersmit
Talk at De Lakenhal in Leiden on 6 April
about the Leidse Cottonprinting Company (Leidsche Katoenmaatschappij)
Photo by Koen de Wit
Next to the kebaya, I have been working on the Dutch imitations, the real Batik Belanda. At the end of 2023 I started working with Textielmuseum Tilburg on a project to disclose one of their oldest museum collections, the Driessen collection. This collection was bought in the 1950’s and consists of textiles, literature on textile, sample- and dye recipe-books, correspondence and more archive material from and collected by the last director of De Leidse Katoenmaatschappij (Cotton printing company Leiden, LKM), Louis Driessen.
Louis André Driessen (1890-1954) run the based in the city center of Leiden cotton printing company until it was declared bankrupt in 1936. Driessen also working as a colorist (specialist in dyeing of fabrics), hold the collection together.
I knew and already worked with this collection, also for the Things That Talk zone I made, so it was great to help out and guide the volunteers who processed the collection.
Working on this project it made me curious about the lasting impact and the connection with the still very high on demand fast fashion of Batik Print (machine printed textiles with batik motifs). Most focus has been on the influence of Wax Print in West-Africa, but the impact in Southeast Asia has been researched far less. When I saw the call for papers for the upcoming International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT), I knew it would be good to send in a proposal on this topic. Since it was held in Laos, it would be a could place to address the other less known markets for the fake batiks. The main focus was of course on Indonesia, at that time under Dutch colonial rule. The products went to Batavia, nowadays Jakarta, to Sumatra, Malaysia and Singapore. But they also went to other places such as Cambodia and Myanmar. The compagnies also adopted and copied other textiles made with techniques like ikat and tie-dye.
To my surprise and delight I got selected. Although nothing was compensated and I had to pay everything in full, I thought it would be good to be there in person, and it truly was! Seeing textile colleagues & friends from all over the world. I combined the symposium with exploring batik, imitations and other textile traditions in Bangkok, Laos and North Vietnam. It really gave me a new perspective and clarity to my journey to Batik, as I shared in my posts while traveling.
Louis André Driessen (1890-1954) run the based in the city center of Leiden cotton printing company until it was declared bankrupt in 1936. Driessen also working as a colorist (specialist in dyeing of fabrics), hold the collection together.
I knew and already worked with this collection, also for the Things That Talk zone I made, so it was great to help out and guide the volunteers who processed the collection.
Working on this project it made me curious about the lasting impact and the connection with the still very high on demand fast fashion of Batik Print (machine printed textiles with batik motifs). Most focus has been on the influence of Wax Print in West-Africa, but the impact in Southeast Asia has been researched far less. When I saw the call for papers for the upcoming International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT), I knew it would be good to send in a proposal on this topic. Since it was held in Laos, it would be a could place to address the other less known markets for the fake batiks. The main focus was of course on Indonesia, at that time under Dutch colonial rule. The products went to Batavia, nowadays Jakarta, to Sumatra, Malaysia and Singapore. But they also went to other places such as Cambodia and Myanmar. The compagnies also adopted and copied other textiles made with techniques like ikat and tie-dye.
To my surprise and delight I got selected. Although nothing was compensated and I had to pay everything in full, I thought it would be good to be there in person, and it truly was! Seeing textile colleagues & friends from all over the world. I combined the symposium with exploring batik, imitations and other textile traditions in Bangkok, Laos and North Vietnam. It really gave me a new perspective and clarity to my journey to Batik, as I shared in my posts while traveling.
Talk at SEA Junction, in Bangkok, Thailand
speaker at the event 'Unravelling Colonial Textiles' on 27 March
in the Kartini room in Amsterdam
Textiles from the study collection of UvA on display
in the former VOC room, renamed Kartini room
My journey was also noticed back home, resulting in being booked for talks, as a guest lecturer at the university in Amsterdam and for workshops, but also in a great double article in my favorite newspaper De Volkskrant. In the articles journalist Vanessa Oostijen explains my practice in which I use lessons from our colonial past to understand current processes such as Fast Fashion. And the important lessons we should and could learn from craftwomenship.
Articles in the magazine of De Volkskrant, written by Vanessa Oo
It is great to share the stories with an audience and being payed for my time & research. It is not the most sustainable or practical way of keeping my work going, but it is at least keeping me afloat. I really hope I can do more in depth research, got many dreams such as publishing books, making exhibitions, practicing batik making and much more. I am very proud my journey brought me now on stage, but I need to figure out how to survive in the meantime. This is not me complaining, far from it, but keeping it real on this blog, as you know.
My blog is 16 years old on 21 April... I graduated in 2007, working now 18 years as an artist. I feel my journey to Batik is getting all grown-up. I am exciting for what is coming up this year; like the first journey to Batik you can actually join (more info here), my first Masterclass on making & dyeing Batik together with masterdyer Loret Karman and I am bringing ‘Masa depan Batik’ to the Netherlands!! You heard it here first! In October at Indonesia House in Amsterdam!
So see you and till next blogpost!
Selamat Hari Kartini & Salam Canting!
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