With Ibu Hani at Batik Winotosastro in Yogyakarta
Making batik with the group at KUB Sikandi
Posing with the made slendangs at aNERDgallery in Singapore
On 8 August our journey to Batik started. My first ever tour, organised with aNERDgallery & Bersukaria tour: The Journey to Batik – an invitation to embark on the trail which leads to Sabine’s lifelong obsession with batik. Since her first trip to Indonesia in 2009, Sabine, a batik artist-researcher from the Netherlands, has visited workshops and collaborated with makers to advocate for batik narratives that honour the craft and the hands that make them.
During this trip, you will have the opportunity to meet the makers, get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes, and even try your hand at making batik yourself.
The journey begins in Yogyakarta and Solo, where you will gain insights into batik design for both traditional and contemporary wear. From there, we’ll travel to Lasem, where you’ll create your own batik masterpiece with a canting, guided by a batik maestro. Finally, in Batang, you’ll discover the art of botanical dyeing, a key element in batik production. Along the way, we’ll make brief stops in Cirebon and Kudus to visit museums and workshops, sample local delicacies, and engage in meaningful conversations with artisans in the batik community.
Greeting Ibu Hani
Ibu Hani showing her designs at Batik Winotosastro
My journey had to start at my first actual batik making experience. In 2009 I went to follow a short batikworkshop at Batik Winotosastro in Yogyakarta, to my surprise the boss herself, Ibu Hani, welcomed me and made sure my cloth was dyed blue enough. Now we brought our group here, 10 participants from Singapore and Malaysia, to see the process of both Batik Tulis & Cap and all the steps involved. Ibu Hani was there to welcome us, what a delight!
Next to seeing the batik making, we also got to see finished masterpieces. It was so wonderful to take the group here. This place is so important for batik educations and keeping the traditional Yogyakarta motifs going.
When we posted for our filmteam (this journey was documented for the marketing video of aNERD) Ibu Hani suggested we posted for the video with “Salam Canting👌”. We kept repeated this throughout our journey.
Ibu Nuri showing her Batik Marenggo batik & tritik
Learning about Tritik
Dyeing our tritik edges with Indigo
After lunch we headed to Marenggo Batik where Mbak Nuri would teach us Tritik.
Mbak Nuri started Marenggo Batik in 2015, making ready-to-wear apparels and
cloth from silk and cotton, combining batik and tritik using natural dyes. I met her the first time in 2016 in Jakarta during a Meet the Makers event.
Now we got to try the ancient way of resist dye by knotting & stitching ourselves. Welcomed by her and her mother, who inspired to start making batik and tritik, she showed us how to do this stitch-resist on the border of our selendang. Our edges were then dipped in Indigo.
It group really dove in, making lines, flowers & more with their needle & thread. Next to experience the magic of Indigo, turning from green to blue.
We had to keep our patience to find out how it turned out, since the cloth has to be completely dry before the stitching could be removed.
What an amazing first day, starting our journey with the sisi of the kain (edges/border of the cloth).
With Mas Gigih at Museum Danar Hadi
Thumps up for my earrings fro Ibu Marni
On 9 August we left Yogyakarta and drove to Surakarta where we went to see the big batik collection at Museum Danar Hadi ~ Our guide Mas Zubair brought us through the many rooms explaining the different batiks and their motifs. We also met Mas Gigih so got a photo together. In the last room before the store, is a batikmaker at work. She showed the label to us, her name Marni written in wax on it, next to a number. They track in this way the product she is producing. Ibu Marni noticed my earrings and loved them.
At Mbak Eka's home in Lasem
After lunch we headed for Lasem. We got stuck in traffic along the way, but our group was wide awake when entering Mbak Eka’s home Batik Lumintu. We had dinner, including latohan, all without shrimp paste for me!
Everyone could enjoy Mbak Eka beautiful work. Miss Tasya who helped us set up everything. Thank you!
Happy to pulang to Lasem, although it was very brief, but happy to see my batik family again.
Learning to make batik from Ibu Ramini
At the hotel we could finally give everyone their slendangs and most started unpicking right away. Me & Tony did it on the way to Ibu Ramini the next morning, because we had not enough seam rippers.
The next morning on our 3th day we got to do Batik Tulis ourselves at KUB Srikandi with Ibu Ramini.
I have known Ibu Ramini now since 2009. Not only is this the place I truly fell in love with Batik, also it is a great place to learn batik. Ibu Ramini is good at teaching batik, but has not yet given workshops at her place yet. Last time, I brought her over to Erasmushuis to give a batikworkshop there. Now we brought the participants to her.
Our group got to draw their own free design. Which doing batik for the first time, I believe experimenting is the best way to do so. ‘My journey to Batik has begun’, Clarisse wrote with hot wax and canting on her Batik.
Ibu Ramini also provided the second colour for our cloth. The red of Lasem with synthetic dye, to complete our slendang.
Museum Kartini in Rembang
Dance performance at Rumah Tegel
After trying batik making ourselves & lunch, we explored Lasem & Rembang.
I wanted to take the group Museum Kartini in Rembang, because Raden Adjeng Kartini was not only an important advocate for equality, she was also very active in supporting and promoting local crafts, including Batik.
The museum was Kartini’s last home, the place holds sadness, but also celebrates what she left us.
After Museum Kartini, we headed to Rumah Tegel for our city tour. At Rumah Tegel we were welcomed by Mas Karim our tourguide of Lasem Walking Tour. And a welcome dance, Tari Tri karya boga, which depict different professions including Batik! It was so touching to see a batik dance in Lasem, where originally I filmed my short film ‘Tari Batik’ too, almost 10 years ago. Full circle moment.
From Rumah Tegel, we continued into through the streets behind, enjoying the unique architecture of Lasem. We went to Batik Nyah Kiok which is now no longer a place producing only one batik motif, but has a small exhibition and we got even a presentation of the owner.
We ended at Rumah Merah with a new exhibition space is set up, explaining the history of Batik in Lasem.
While the group went for dinner near the hotel in Rembang, I went to Mbak Eka. So happy I still got to spend some time, catching up with Mbak Eka, Miss Tasya & Mas Karim.
At Batik Nyah Kiok
At Rumah Merah
On day 4 on 11 August of our journey to Batik I was getting sick with a cough & loosing my voice, but we powered through on our way to Pekalongan.
We stopped at the lovely home of Omah Batik Ku in Kudus. It was great to see the newly made Kudus pieces that Fadloli and Lukman remake after classic batik designs.
In the alley Azura to the Omah Batik ku photographed
me wearing my new outer by Batik Tektura matching with the wall
At Omah Batik Ku
Kebaya shop in Kudus
In Kudus we also visited a kebaya maker. They sell the fabrics with embroidery and have a traditional Kudus house in the back. Got some small gifts and a batik with a helicopter, cars & boats. One of the participants Lydia spotted it for me ~ apparently made in Pekalongan, comment below if you know where.
Next stop was Zie Batik on Mount Ungaran, under Semarang. Batik Zie is started by the late Zazilah (Ibu Zie) and her husband Marheno Jayanto, now assisted by their daughter Sasi Syifaurohmi. I met Ibu Zie and Pak Marheno my first journey to batik in 2009. And revisited after that. Got myself a natural dyed batik cap, again with an aircraft, mountains & monkeys. The design was inspired by the view from the workshop.
Batik by Zie Batik
At Zie Batik
We also had dinner on the way,
were to my surprise we had a stunning view on Gunung Ungaran with sunset
John making Batik Cap
On our 5th day we went to Museum Batik Pekalongan and batikmakers in Batang.
In the morning we headed to Museum Batik where we got a guided tour through the exhibitions. Since there was no English speaking tourguide, Toby translated all for the group.
Also Mas Dewa & Miss Mila came to meet us. Happy got to see them again and introduce them to the group.
After the exhibitions the group got to try Batik Cap with museum teacher Ibu Marni. Most also added Batik Tulis. It was dyed and boiled also, so another piece of Batik for their collection.
Group adding tulis to their cap
Group adding tulis to their cap
Dyed and lorod at Museum Batik
After lunch we headed to Batang. Where we got to meet on of the youngest and one of the oldest active batikmakers I know.
First we stopped by at Mak Sium. It was so sweet of them to welcome us in their home. The group just about fit. With batiks to look at, fruits to eat and questions to ask Mak Sium, time flew by. Mak Sium even demonstrated batik making.
Visiting Mak Sium in Batang
Next and last visit for the day was to Ibu Nurul. At her home we also got to see Ibu Siti’s natural dyed work who we couldn’t meet this trip. Together with Ibu Nurul I showed her designs. She explained herself in English the names and meaning.
When we made our groupphoto the sun was already setting. It was absolutely great to take this group to the makers I knew for so many years. Looking forward to do this again.
Showing batiks by Nurul together
On our 6th day on 13 August we headed back to Jakarta with a visit & lunch in Cirebon. In Batik Trusmi (not the mall, but the actual neighborhood!) we went to Batik Puteri Masina were we were welcomed by owner Ibu Uka. We got to see where the batiks are produced, in the same street, shop in her batik store & enjoy the lunch. She cooked it all herself!
Loved seeing this batikworkshop. The way they dye the cloth is clever & different from what I know from Pekalongan & Lasem. I haven’t seen the actual proces, but the dye bath is like a seesaw, which will allow the dye the keep moving. Which is needed when working with reactive synthetic dyes.
Also the pembatiks using a bucket or box to prevent the cloth from touching the floor. Simple yet effective.
Batikmaker in Cirebon
Ibu Uka weavings goodbye
Back in Singapore, where I am staying now. We finally got to document the slendangs our participants, and me & Tony made during our journey to Batik. The blue Indigo edges made with the tritik technique together with Mbak Nuri at Marenggo Batik in Sleman. The red synthetic dyed part drawn with wax at Ibu Ramini in desa Jeruk.
Many thanks to Mas Tony & Mas Dinas for making this journey with me! Sampai perjalanan berikutnya!
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