Salam Canting - my first guided journey to batik

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! 

Keeping legacies in Yogya

Making green with Mas Syaiful

The samples after one day of dyeing with Mas Syaiful

Started my stay in Yogya with making green with Mas Syaiful. I have been following Mas Syaiful’s instagram @sekadargambar for a while. He created the most wonderful shades of natural dye. Curious to see his workspace and getting to know him, I was happy when he had time to have me visit and make!

Took a Grab to his workshop on Monday 4 August, but got the wrong dot on the map. Looking around, suddenly I saw a man, boy and goat pointing me to the right place. The man of course being Syaiful, the boy his son & the goat their pet Shello.

Was invited in his house first, where his collection of samples was laid out. Basically the rainbow in natural dye. He also had several samples with batik. I especially was surprised by the green he was able to create, that looked to me very much like the natural green in old batiks made around 1870-1880 on Java. I asked if we could try to re-create that. 

For our recipe we used Jolawe and Tegeran for yellow and Indigo for blue. He still had some pieces with already a drawing in wax, so we could use them too. 

It was great to learn more from Syaiful on natural dyes, the plants needed, that he even planted around his house, and his wish for a sustainable slow way of living. He uses soya milk to prepare the textiles for dyeing and the goat gets the milk after. He want to create a catalog of colours, adding new ones and would like to turn it into a book or exhibition someday. 

We actually made a whole range of shades of green. Which some pretty close to the old colours. Would love to re-try old recipes in the near future and hang out at this beautiful place! 

Examples of Mas Syaiful's dye experiments

Goat Shello in the workshop

Bringing the Indigo vat back to life

First dye round with base of yellows and blues

Overdyeing to get green

Was waved goodbye by all the kids in the neighbourhood, Syaiful and Shello

First night in Yogya, 

dinner with Elise of Jivaloka & Tony 

captured in a drawing by artist Syahrizal Pahlevi 

On 5 August we went first to Art Jog, one of the bigger Art events in Yogyakarta. There were a few works that really got to me. 

The installation ‘Niscaya Nirmakna’ by Surya Adiwjaya showing the disappearing legacy of memando (blacksmithing). 

One of the wall text read: 

In an era where traditions lose their names.

In the spaces in between, the sound of hammering persists its echo soft, yet unyielding, refusing to be museumed.

Some choose to fade.

Some choose to read again.

And somefollow their own will to have its meaning forgotten

In this museum without labels.

A work, or body of work that got me actually crying was seeing one of my mentors, Krisna Murti being celebrated. In The Krisna Murti Project artist Mahardika Yudha and Umi Lestari are exploring his legacy in videos, written documentation and more. 

Not me crying at Art Jog, thank you The Krisna Murti project

As mentioned in my previous post ‘Tiba di Jawa’, I run into Mbak Elok in Jakarta, she told many people were waiting for me to come to Yogya. Since Yogya was this time on the planning for a little longer, I let her know we were coming. We got invited to meet her at her shop/gallery, but Mbak Elok also invited some Batik enthusiasts/students/colleagues to meet with us. 

I have been following Mbak Elok batik journey also through Instagram where she on @lawasanbatikofficial did many activities such as interviews with people in the Batik field during the pandemic and live selling events.

She recently moved to Yogyakarta where she at the store Batik Yogya Kembali made a small exhibition on Haji Bilal batik legacy and makes temporary exhibitions too. Turn out, this building was actually the batikworkshop. 

Haji Bilal started his Firma Haji Bilal in 1912 with about 700 employees. To survive the financial crisis in the 1930’s he started making next the kains, table cloths, scarves and more. Till his passing in 1948 he produced batik, after which his children continued. It wasn’t easy to sell batiks in the 1960’s anymore, mostly due to printed textiles with batik motifs, so the family ventured into other businesses, opening hotels. But the building remained within the family, as their home & batik shop. 

Mbak Elok created a lovely small exhibition honouring the different generations making batik. With wonderful examples of Haji Bilal work, but also the furniture from the office & cash machines over the years. 

In the room next to it, Mbak Elok makes together with PPBI Sekar Jagad, temporary exhibitions. Now the theme is ‘Flofau’, a word play on Flora & Fauna, showing a variety of ‘Alas-alasan’, a batik with many animals. 

Mbak Elok also brought some older pieces of her families batik legacy, great sogan pieces with wayang and buketan. When I get home have to take a closer look at one of the wayang batik my grandmother bought, because it looks do similar. 

After our tour, our get-together started. It is great to see a new generation so active within batik, not just research, but also making! Making new design inspired by kraton motifs, working on makers outside the kraton who are mentioned in Veldhuisen his book, and much much more.

It was wonderful to chat  and share and looking forward to what everyone is doing! So keep me posted !

Thank you Mbak Elok and Ibu Firda for welcoming us in your home & batik legacy.

Mbak Elok showing the batiks by Haji Bilal

Batik at exhibition 'Flofau'

Batik at exhibition 'Flofau'

Example of Haji Bilal batik with buketan motif

Evening gathering with batik researchers/fans/students/curators

On 6 August we got a preview of Museum Gan, the private museum opened by Ibu Indrawati to celebrate her batik family’s legacy. In the small museum she displays the batik works, related historical objects and her own made batiks to share the story of three generations of batik entrepreneurs from Pekalongan; Gan Sam Gie (1856-1928), Gan Tjioe Liam (1900-1957) and Gan Tjiang Liem (1928-1992), and adding a fourth by including herself Gan Swie Hiang.

Yogya might be an odd choice for this museum, but it is also interesting to have it here, since it is such a different batik herstory to tell.  Bu Indrawati plans to open the museum fully in October, so mark your agenda to visit and enjoy the little preview in the photos!

Ibu Indrawati opening up her grandparents closet/exhibit at Museum Gan

Examples of batiks by the Gan family

Museum Gan

Detail of batik from the Museum Gan collection

After Museum Gan, I headed to Museum Sonobudoyo Unit I. The curators joined at Mbak Eka and I was curious to see their batik collection.

The museum is really grand, set-up in two building, going through the history of Java and sharing on customs in the court of Yogyakarta and outside of it. 

The batik display is pretty impressive and most of the pieces include on explanation on their use as well, as in which ritual.

In the evening got to visit Ibu Chandra of Sekar Kawung. She is such an inspiration and it was great hear about all the different @sekarkawung projects to keep textile crafts artisans going. For selling peanuts to growing the cotton, to weaving the cloth, to growing the Indigo, to making fashion, meditation blankets, pyjama’s and small toys, she work with everyone to lift up everyone!

It gives me so much hope. It was also great to see the newer and older Tuban batiks. I know Koen would want them all. 

Thank you Ibu Chandra for sharing your stories on your amazing work.

Ibu Chandra showing pieces from Tuban

On 7 August our last free day in Yogya, we went to Museum Batik, yes there is a Museum Batik too in Yogya. This one is smaller and private. When I first came here in 2016 I was only allowed to take photos in the first room, but now it is allowed everywhere. So of course me and Tony took many. The rolled up batik made me crazy the last time. When were they open last & who has access to them?! And l can I see them too?

The museum is still small, but the pieces are lovely and the rooms explaining the technique is well done. A worth-wile visit, and happy to see that also this legacy has been kept, since the original owners have passed away.

On 7 August my very first batik tour started! Together with aNERDgallery and Bersukaria Tour, I made a program going to several batikmakers I have been working with, and some who Tony also works with, doing hands on workshops and cultural sightseeing. Till the next blog update!