In the Blaudruck apprenticeship

Indigo baths at Blaudruck Kóo in Steinberg-Dörfl in Austria

Posing with Margarete Zötl at the Färbermuseum in Gutau in Austria. 

Photo by Klaus Rink

End of April, beginning of May I got to make a small journey to Blaudruck, blueprinting. A textile tradition once practice in The Netherlands. I wanted to do a deep dive into the traditional Blaudruck technique to uncover more on how the cotton printing industry in the Netherlands worked. How was the technique adapted to create products for the Southeast-Asian market? How did patterns change or were made to fit the use abroad? Read more about this also in the previous blogpost 'Preparing the Blaudruck journey'. Thanks to the financial support of KF Hein Fonds I was able to make this journey!

Blaudruck Kóo in Steinberg-Dörfl in Austria

Many blocks at Blaudruck Kóo in Steinberg-Dörfl in Austria

Cloth ready to be dipped in Indigo bath at Blaudruck Kóo

Calendering machine at Blaudruck Kóo

Me showing photos of Ankersmit to Josef & Miriam Koó

On Tuesday 29 April visited the Blaudruck Koó workshop in Steinberg-Dörfl in Austria. An amazing three generation kept workshop. It was to first stop on my Blaudruck-journey. 

Josef & Miriam Koó welcomed us, me, Klaus Rink & Sonja at their place and gave a grand tour. We started in the room with all the wooden blocks, some from the first generation, other gathered & made over de years. Only one blockmaker is still active and of old age, no apprentice to follow in his footsteps. Experiments are done to create in other ways blocks, but they do not (yet) have the quality. Would have loved to look at all the blocks, but hopefully another time. 

We continued to another room were a small rollerprint machine was. The machine was bought in 1930 by Josef Koó grandfather It so interesting to see this, I know it in a large size from the Vlisco factory.  It can create repeating small design. They use it still to create meters of fabrics.

We went to where the Indigo dyeing in done next. Three 4 meter deep vats are in the ground. Two were filled, ready to be used. The fabrics get dipped 6 to 8 times. The floor in the room has turned a deep shade of blue. The dipping in done with a metal construction on which the fabric is hung. I saw this on old photos of Ankersmit in Deventer too . To see it is still being done now is amazing.

Behind a 100 year old door, was a 100 year old surprise that blew our collective minds. It was a calendering machine build by the grandfather as well. It filled the space, this wooden construction that in the past meters of fabrics go through and come out shiny.  It was still used till the 1980’s. We all tried to imagine what it must have been like. It was Josef Koó favorite thing when he was little and his grandfather made a stairs and a little plateau for him to sit on and have a good view above.  

We ended our visit in their store. So many lovely blaudruck things, from meters of cloth, to shirts and skirts and artworks. I picked out a cloth made together by Miriam and Josef. Using linocut to stamp the resist it is a lovely cloth showing the innovation Kóo is making in their practice. 

Hans-Joachim Frindte posing in his booth at the Färbermarkt in Gutau

The amazing handmade blocks, or Modeln, by Hans-Joachim Frindte 

Opening dance at Färbermarkt, dye market, in Gutau

On Sunday 3 May the Färbermarkt, dye market, was held in Gutau. This yearly market not just focus on dyed cloth, it is a blue printing celebration. On this years market were thirteen Blaudruckerei, blue print workshops, from different places of Europe, modeln makers (wooden blocks for printing, blockprinters (direct print on textile) and more.

Me and Klaus arrived the day before and in our guesthouse we run into the family Koó. At their table was Hans-Joachim Frindte, the last blockmaker from Mühlhausen. I was a bit starstruck, but was happy to hear he would have a booth. Josef Koó advised to go early, since his block would always sell fast. 

Woke up super early, so though, why not walk around already to see who is where. The market opens at 9am, but most booths are ready before 8am since visitors came usually early. 

The blockmaker’s booth was already filled with blocks. Asked if could have a look, took some photos and tried to ask some question. Luckily there was a friend/block-client who makes wallpaper who spoke English. We started chatting and Hans-Joachim asked question back to me through him. I got showed in just a few second how he bends the metal to fit in the pattern. The new blockmaker use machines and put the metal in by milling. It gives less fine lines and bigger dots. Hans-Joachim Frindte still does everything by hand. 

His daughter arrived and we started chatting too. I said, how lucky I am here at his last market, she told me he says that every year for the last 4 years or so, but still goes the next year. 

It was so wonderful chatting in more depth with them and learning more about this part of the tradition. 

The blocks are easily recognizable because of the shiny ocher colour on the wood. So it was fun to see them throughout the day at different places like in the Färbermuseum

I bought 3 small blocks myself, a flower and two butterfly. Cannot wait to try them out.

Margarete Zötl above the entrance to the block-room at Färbermuseum in Gutau

The dye-room at Färbermuseum in Gutau

Blocks at the Färbermuseum in Gutau

Calendering machine room at Färbermuseum in Gutau

Next stop on the Färbermarkt was actually the tour at the Färbermuseum Gutau. The museum is located in an old home, not any home the first (and only?) Blaudruck family in Gutau. Josef Zötl bought the dyerhouse in 1868. I t was already a place where linnen was being dyed, but he started up the blue printing. After him two more generations followed with Margarete Zötl being the last one turning the house into a museum in 1968. 

On our arrival day we visit their grave at the church. No mention of their legacy there, no piece of blue fabric. We light a candle and sat for a moment. 

During the market 20 minute tours were given. We started in the dyers room, with samples of coloured wool, dye plants and the old tubs & stove. Next was the Küpenraum, the Indigo vat room. A level up, the Mangelraum, calendering machine room. This machine is being operated by a wheel, pushed by either hands or donkeys. Our guide also explained more on the blaudruck blockprinting. On the table were samples with the resist on and off. Upstairs was a display on the family Zölt and modeln/blocks.  Also the private rooms of  Margarete still intact. 

Downstairs we went to the Zöltzimmer, their livingroom and a room with more blocks & two samplebooks. 

What a wonderful museum! And this family & place is the reason for the yearly Färbermarkt in this town. 

Györi Kékfestö Mühely from Hungary

Bácsalmási Kékfestő Műhely from Hungary

Traditional wear spotted

 Einbecker Blaudruck from Germany

Miriam Koó cutting a piece of blaudruck fabric I bought

The Färbermarkt, dye market, in Gutau is a blue printing celebration. There were thirteen Blaudruckerei, blue print workshops, from different places of Europe; Germany, Czechia, Hungary and of course from Austria.

Looking at all their different designs, but also sometimes very similar, it is a great place to an idea of what they produce. I asked all the makers if I could make a photo when they were cutting meters for me.

Wonderful to remeet Josef & Miriam Koó and get a piece with a pattern that didn’t leave my mind. 

Meet Einbecker Blaudruck from Germany. He recognized me first. He told me he started printing on old linnen on request for people and starting produce some on old table cloths & even nightgowns. I got a very lovely woven linnen table runner. From Györi Kékfestö Mühely got a motif I know from the Netherlands with grapes and from Bácsalmási Kékfestő Műhely a nice motif on linnen. They are both from Hungary. 

It was great to see also all the visitors wearing blaudruck or at least blue or traditional wear. Throughout the day there is music, dancing and even een fashionshow. Got to print a cloth with blocks & eat a lot of local pasteries. So there is a lot to see and enjoy, next to the booths.

 Janina of Zeugfärberei shows us the stencil we are using 

Me and Klaus applying the papp to our cloths

Thumps up from Mika on dipping my cloth in the Indigo bath

Klaus pulling out the cloth from the Indigo bath

Removing the papp from the cloth.

Photo by Klaus Rink

On Monday 4 May followed a workshop at the Zeugfärberei. In 2014 the Zeugfärberei was started up by Janina & Martin, right across the street from the Färbermuseum in Gutau. 

The idea behind their dyersworkshop was to bring Blaudruck back to this town, that had no blue printers since the 1960’s, but also to bring the craft into the future. 

Janina explained how their journey in Blaudruck let them on the path of Katazome, a Japanese resist technique using rice paste and stencils. The traditional Papp, the paste created to resist in Blaudruck, is less safe, especially older recipes. 

We got to choose from a wide selection of already made stencils and print our own cloth. I went for “streublumen”, a repeat of the local town logo & moths. I didn’t want to try to pattern match with a for me new technique and not my own patterns. 

The ricepaste is very sticky and gets stickier over time. It is a bit like working with clay. In one of the photos you see Mika creating new paste. 

I wasn’t necessarily focussed on not making mistakes, but Janina had a great expression for unwanted ricepaste on places; “Any spot you don’t want, will resist the best!”

After our resist dried enough, after about an hour, we started dipping our fabrics in the Indigo vats. They have two vats, each 2 meter deep. With a pulley system the cloths can be moved up & down. They renovated the location themselves and everything is not only really cool, but works really well. 

We dipped our cloth in the Indigo for 5 minutes and let it air out in between. After 5 dips my paste started to dissolve, so stopped, but to get a good dark colour at least 6 to 8 dips are needed depending on the quality of the vat. 

Picked our cloths up in the morning before going to Bad Leonfelden for the last part of my trip. 

It was great hearing more about the Zeugfärberei and getting to work at their beautiful place for one day. 

The generations of Blaudruck Wagner in Bad Leonfelden

Sample cloth of Blaudruck Wagner

Blocks and printed fabric at Blaudruck Wagner

Maria shows us the printing table at Blaudruck Wagner

Maria shows us  how the papp is applied at Blaudruck Wagner

Blocks at Blaudruck Wagner

The Indigo baths at Blaudruck Wagner

Last visit on this journey was Blaudruck Wagner in Bad Leonfelden on Tuesday 5 May. 

At the market at Gutau we already met the family, Karl, Maria & son Felix Wagner. Later that day we met them for dinner. It was nice to now see their lovely place.

With the fifth generation already helping with the business, Blaudruck Wagner is really a family company. Maria showed us kindly around. 

Their blaudruck family history starts in 1878 with the first Karl Wagner making a 9 year journey by foot to learn Blaudruck. The second Karl Wagner collected a lot of blocks of which 26 still are being used. 

Their blocks now are made by Hans-Joachim Frindte, but also made by themselves. Experimenting with 3D printing & lasercut. However it is not so fine as the handmade blocks. They also use blocks they bought during their travels in India. With two blocks they make a white & light blue pattern on dark blue. 

They have 300 blocks and all are numbered. To have printed roles of linnen with on the bottom the numbers, so it is easier for customers to select patterns. These sample cloths are so pretty!

They prefer to work on linnen, but do cotton on request.

The printing is done on a long table on which they have a small table that can be moved above the cloth, so clever. The resist papp/paste is light green, it was well visible on the cloth that was being printed.

We got to see their two Indigo vats. Because of the granite in the rocks, they cannot make them deep, so they are only 2 meters deep and higher above the ground. Maria opened up the vat and there was the typical Indigo smell right away.

Maria explained how she uses the metal hanging racks. A long cloth on the biggest one, round & round, a shorter in a zigzag, like we did at the Zeugfärberei. Maria explained that after every dip, the cloth needs to be turned so the colour is even at the end. With the bigger rack it is easier because you can turn it, but for the smaller one the cloth has to be re-hang. 

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While Blaudruck Wagner was the last stop of this trip, the journey is far from over. Not only is there still much to discover on how Blaudruck was used to produce imitation Batiks, I also would love to visit more Blaudruck-printers that are still active, and of course dive further in the actual block-making of it all. Since my return I have been experimenting myself with combining batik & blaudruck, dyeing it with Indigo. So to be continued, I want to thank the KF Hein Fonds for making my journey } In de Blauwdruk-leer | In the Blaudruck apprenticeship { possible. 

Their "Grensverlegger-beurs", which is a wordplay on grens = border, but the word means boundary pusher or to open up new horizons, really did this for me. It was so inspiring and so lovely to connect with makers in Austria. I saw so many similarities between the blaudruckers and modelnmaker and the pembatiks. Their passion and skills to keep a heritage alive. 

Thank you everyone for welcoming me and special thanks to Klaus Rink for joining me!

 

Preparing the Blaudruck journey

Blueprint by Deventer Katoenmaatschappij, or Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

A year ago I was starting my travels in Southeast Asia and was preparing my first guided tour. I was hoping to go this October, but we had to postponed the tour to May 2027. Contact aNERDgallery for more info. One of the reasons is that I am at the moment working on an Batik exhibition for the Kunstmuseum in Den Haag that has to be opened in March. So exciting, soon more info! 

Being away while still having to work on it, didn’t seem like the best combination. Hopefully when the exhibition opened, I can stay a bit longer again in Southeast-Asia.

This is also why my blog was not updated on my recent Batik adventures, or actually Blaudruck adventure!

In Staphorst this design is called 'glasses', it looks a lot like the batik motif Kawung

Box full of headscarfs at the Museum Staphorst

In November I got the news I was selected by KF Hein Fonds as one of the ‘Grensverleggers’ artists. My plan, which was a longtime wish, was to dive into the tradition of Blaudruck. Blaudruck is one of the few textile dyeing traditions still active in Europe. It is a resist-technique with blockprinting and Indigo dyeing, which was copied from Indian blockprinting techniques.

During this journey into Blaudruck I am doing a deep dive into the traditional Blaudruck technique to uncover more on how the cotton printing industry in the Netherlands worked. How was the technique adapted to create products for the Southeast-Asian market? How did patterns change or were made to fit the use abroad?

Selection of blocks from Heyder & Co and Voortman from the Momu collection

Old label on block from Heyder & Co from the Momu collection

This type of motif is still being worn in Staphorst, originally probably based on an Indian woven textile

In March I met two Japanese researchers during the Textile festival in Leiden, they invited me a couple of days later to join them to see blockprint blocks & lace at the Museum Momu depot near Antwerpen (BE). 

I always wanted to see the blocks they had of Heyder & Co, the later Leidsche Katoenmaatschappij (LKM), so I was very happy.  At Momu they house a small collection of blocks, most from Voortman – nv Texas (1790-1988), a few from Heyder & Co, next to samplebooks, which I have to see next time. The blocks are kept at a remote depot. 

The blocks we got to see were with diverse motifs, used to copy woven patterns like Kasmir shawls onto cotton, but also make imitation batik & chintz and blue printing. Some blocks were in pairs, so to print the base/background and to do the filling motif, very interesting to see. 

There were several boxes filled with blocks I didn't get to see this time, but hope I will in the near future.

At the Vlisco archive

Headscarfs by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

Imitation batik sarong with tumpal by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

Samples of Imitation batik by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

In March I revisited the Vlisco archive in Helmond (NL). I saw in 2018 several blueprints, or actually blue fabrics with a white motif due to a resist print, that were produced by Ankersmit. 

In the early 19th century this small cotton-printing company in the Netherlands specialised in a niche market, blue with white patterned headscarves for men in Southeast Asia, mostly Sumatra. Only through archival research and actual headscarves kept it private collections this product revealed itself. For a long time the company Ankersmit (1798-1965) in Deventer of the Netherlands was considered not to be making any imitation batiks for the Southeast Asian market. They were known for their wax prints production for West Africa that started around 1910. 

The company was founded in 1798 in a small house with just a indigo-bath and making something called ‘Leminias’ which they shipped to different ports in Southeast Asia. Leminias is a fabric with a blue base and a white motif or the other way around. The technique looks most like Blaudruck, which is still practiced in Europe. Examining surviving headscarves and smaller samples, the motifs produced by Ankersmit are a combination of Blaudruck motifs and batik borders. The questions arose, did they made these products for a European market first, since these textiles are part of traditional wears for European women, and found a new market abroad by chance? Or did they based them on existing headscarves from these regions? How did Ankersmit create their products for the Sumatran market? Since Blaudruck has it origin in India, and therefore the motifs too, was there first a production going from India to Southeast Asia with blue and white cloths, before Europe?

The hope is through this journey to find the answers to these questions by further archival research and field work. By visiting existing Blaudruck workshops and comparing the still made patterns with old samples & wood blocks.

Fancy storage tin box used in Staphorst to store headscarfs and handkerchiefs 

Collection of Johan de Bruijn

Box full of headscarfs and handkerchiefs at the Museum Staphorst

Blocks and cloths from Firma K.F. Vloedgraven. 

The last company still selling and making blueprinted fabrics in Staphorst. 

Display at the Museum Staphorst

Photo by Willem F. van Heemskerck Düker taken on 7 August 1948 in Staphorst, showing women covering their heads with headscarfs because of rain. 

This photo is part of the temporary exhibition on photography & Staphorst, with a long history of photographers taking (and staging) photos of this community still wearing traditional wear with, but more often without consent.

On 24 April I got to visit the small towns Rouveen & Staphorst (NL) where blaudruck are still part of daily wear. The few traditional wear wearers use blue dyed fabrics as a headscarf when it is raining & as a handkerchief. 

In the past different sellers brought these cloths to the towns, later there even was locally a blueprinter, but now they go for the vintage ones. Sold when one if the wearers pass over. I got a headscarf during one of those events, but most times the prices go pretty high. 

I was welcomed by Jacco Hooikammer to take a look first at the collection of Johan de Bruijn, and later we went to see the Museum Staphorst collection. We even stopped at the former blueprinter shop, still a textile shop that now used the old blueprint blocks to do dot-work (stipwerk).

What a fun day, learned so much about the names & what quality markers are important to the wearers. Also about the difference between old blaudruck, newer ones and even the fake one (machine printed).

Thank you Jacco & Johan for welcoming me at your homes & hometown. It was a great preparation for my journey to Austria, see next blogpost!

Me and Jacco studying Johan's collection

First half year of 2025

Posing with Annie Vriezen's batik works at Landgoed Fraeylemaborg, 

March 2025. 

Photo by Koen de Wit

From the Ankersmit archive at Collectie Overijssel, calendars with new year wishes

Noticed that I left a lot of stories untold on my blog. My blog is not only a way of sharing my journey to/through and with batik, but it also helps me to keep track of when I saw what, spoke to who or got inspired by something. My own database/diary/recollection of a journey that seems to go faster and faster. So a blogpost looking back at the first six month of 2025, January till June, before I travelled to Southeast Asia for my 7th journey to Batik.

Diving into Ankersmit

When I got invited to give a talk in Deventer on imitation Batik, I wanted to include the history of the cotton printing company from that city, Ankersmit. My talk was planned on 26 Februari giving me some time to prepare and visit the city (for more on the talk see 'Lecturer’s life for me'). 

The company Ankersmit started in 1799 as a home industry and continued in 1860 in a huge factory in which the cotton weaving and dyeing was done. The printing was developed later and continued until the sudden end of the company in 1965.

Although Ankersmit is mostly know, and researched on, their printed cottons for the West-African market. I dove into the early years of the company and the export of their products to Southeast-Asia.

I made a visit to the monument made for Ankersmit in January on a very Sunny day. It is unique, there are as far as I know, no other monuments for cottonprinting companies. The monument focus is on the lost of the jobs when the factory closed, but doesn’t address the colonial history of the products itself.

Only these windows of the factory remain on location, but I found some collection on display at Museum De Waag which includes an original copper printing roll, a drawing table and a painting of the view of the factory next to the river.

I also went to Collectie Overijssel to look at 20 books from the Ankersmit archive. The archive is public, but they are still working on a clear overview of the pieces. I requested some early documents, sample- and sales books to get some more insights. It was interesting to learn more about this, I guess, lesser known cotton company, also in regards of the very specific products they made. Ankersmit was specialised in Indigo dyeing and different resist-techniques which are closer to todays Blaudruck than they ever were to Javanese Batik. Will continue on this next year with even a Blaudruck trip, more on that later!

Monument for Ankersmit in Deventer, with the original fabric windows and map of the factory site

Ankersmit copper printing roll with motif of butterflies, 1950-1960, 

Collection Museum De Waag in Deventer

Vitrine on Ankersmit at Museum De Waag

One of the books on/from Ankersmit at Collectie Overijssel

Next to a talk, I also gave a Paper Sarong Workshop. Both were are part of the project ‘Draden van het Overijsselse slavernijverleden’ {Threads of Overijssels slavery past}, a project of Etty Hillesum Centrum in collab with Bibliotheek Deventer.

Batiks by Annie Vriezen

Got an email inviting me to come see an exhibition in the province Groningen. On overview was made on the work of textiel artist Annie Vriezen. For the part on Batik they used the Batik magazine I made together with Stichting Tong Tong. 

Landgoed Fraeylemaborg showed tapestries and batiks by Annie Vriezen, next to documentation on her work process, from the sixties till 2000.

The estate were this exhibition was, was a little in the middle of nowhere, so we stayed one night, right next to it in March. It was a small exhibition, but it was very lovely to get to know this, might I say, rebellious artist, that choose textiel as her medium when it was not trending yet and left some remarkable pieces. There was one work in particular, three huge batik hanging depicting hogweed (berenklauw). The effect of the wax, colours and the flowers towering above you leave a lasting impression. The works were made in collaboration with others between 1980 and 1985. A photo series of the making process shows many hands, from drawing the wax, to dyeing and drying the cloths. Annie Vriezen added the names of everyone who helped her on a label on the work. The labels were unfortunately not visible, but the names were mentioned on the text signs. 

Artists work a lot together, in official collabs, but also helping with producing artworks. I see in so many exhibitions no credit to these helping hands. Let alone actually mentioning the craftspeople who often actually made the artwork. We are so focussed on the Artist, singular, that although artists clearly name who they work with, the institutes drop those names. It is not the reality in which art is created, but the idea the art world wants to maintain. A pity, and this label reminded me of this again. Dear Art colleagues, please add all the makers to an artwork!

Exhibition 'Annie Vriezen' at Landgoed Fraeylemaborg

Batik by Annie Vriezen

'De Grote Berenklauw', batik made by Annie, Claudia and Stella Vriezen

Photo series of the making of 'De Grote Berenklauw'

Batikworkshops got even shorter

Only gave one full day Intro Batik workshop this year on 30 March. Giving the Intro Batikworkshop is always interesting and sometimes tough. While explaining the actual process of Batik making takes weeks, months even years, we have to create a batik in one day.

Most people never tried, or maybe held a canting once before on holiday in Indonesia or as kids in a craft-lesson. Learning to make batik is a skill passed on between generations. Mastered in years of practice. Still people expect they can do it in a day, and not just do it, do it well…

I guide them step by step through the process, which only is in fact a small part. Adapted to fit in one day. It is really an intro on drawing with wax and seeing how a resist-dye works. At the end I make sure everyone has a fully selfmade batik, of which I did the preparations, dyeing and finally the removal of the wax.

Although not everyone understands right away how batik works, it is always great to see that who follows my lead will get there in the end. I always have those who think they can just “experiment” and ignore my tips and tricks. I am always glad when I am boiling out the wax, that even they manage to make a batik, with the tools I handed them.

Somehow I though doing it in one day was not short enough, I created an one hour version. I first tried it out during the Pasar Malam Istimewa at Ahoy Rotterdam. I gave 4 workshop of one hour in which 37 participants made a small batik. With a canting they drew with hot wax and coloured it in by hand with a brush.

I prepared some examples & gave some print outs with designs. Many copied them, but also a lot was made free hand, creating batiks with faces, smileys, Homer Simpson, puffer fish and much more. In September I repeated this workshop for the Ambacht in Beeld festival (see post 'Bulan Batik')

Tracing the Heyder & Co in Lier, Belgium

Spend two days in sunny May in Lier in Belgium tracing the locations of the Heyder & Co basically with my feet. 

The textile company Heyder & Co was founded in 1756 by Peter de Heyder in Lier. He chose this location because of cheap labor (in the city Antwerpen where he was based, and stayed based, he would have had to pay more) and he could buy up exciting property to start up production of blankets of a wool, linnen, cotton combination (‘flanellen’) & printed cotton cloth. De Heyder bought several buildings that were vacant monasteries and set up all the different steps of production; weaving, spinning, dyeing & printing with blocks.

The Heyder & Co was the biggest producer of cotton products in the region and the biggest employer of Lier. About 1/3 of Lier was basically the company grounds. The products were shipped through out Europe and went to (North-)America and Southeast Asia to used as colonial trade.

In 1835 story in Lier ends, but continues in Leiden were the company moved to. There it continued as the Leidse Katoenmaatschappij (Leiden Cottoncompany) until 1936.

For a company that existed 180 years of which 79 years in Lier, I thought I would find more, more on its present in the public space of Lier. Many old building have information signs, but do not include information on the Heyder & Co. There is an actual De Heyder street, but only have as info ‘textile manufacturer 1721-1818’. Nothing on the actual company nor the textile workers houses that were on this street.

The city museum has a little display on it, which was only partly on view because of a temporary exhibition.

Until now the book ‘A big company in a small town: De Heyder & Co. in Lier’ by Catharina Lis & Hugo Soly from 1987 is still the only big research that has been done & was published on this company. Yet only published in Dutch, with small black & white images.

This shows that the stories on the cottonprinting companies are still mostly ignored, but why?  i

Is it too long ago?

I could find information signs with history from the 16th century..

Is it too difficult?

The info is out there, spread over many archives but still 

Or is it still too scary to address colonial history? 

To be continued!

The Heyder street in Lier, in this street the factory workers houses were located

In this building was weaving done for Heyder & Co, they didn't build factories, 

they re-used old monasteries and churches for their looms

One of the details that made me very happy. Sourcing in different guided tours and books, 

I found details like this. 

The old decorative vending holes, once part of the factory, now in an housing complex

Vlisco Exhibition in Helmond

By chance, I saw there was an exhibition on Vlisco held at Het Industrieel Atrium kenniscentrum voor het Industrieel Erfgoed in Helmond, right next to the actual Vlisco factory. It was the last weekend of May and almost finished. The exhibition made by old employees showcased their collected bits and pieces. Was it good, no, was it inspiring, maybe, was it interesting, very. The more blunt way of showing this company history, with paper work I would think you normally can not see and display choices that make me have to take a moment. 

Right at the entrance a bust of Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen III (1853-1927), with a portrait of Hendrik Jan Ankersmit (1783-1854) and Jean Baptiste Theodore Prévinaire (1783-1854), the godfathers of imitation batik/Wax Print. 

In the vitrines and around it were the objects, clearly partly taken from the job, partly gifted maybe. Together with text signs it gave the history of Vlisco, starting in 1802 (!), continuing until today. 

In this post just some impressions, but I documented of every inch of this exhibition.

Entrance with Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen III (1853-1927), 

with a portrait of Hendrik Jan Ankersmit (1783-1854) 

and Jean Baptiste Theodore Prévinaire (1783-1854)

The museum, or Industrial heritage center, has a permanent small display on Vlisco and its history

Power to the Flower in Batik

Another last weekend, got to see this, exhibition I went to was the Power to the Flower’ Art Nouveau exhibition at the Drents Museum De Buitenplaats in Eelde. It was a journey, but happy I did. All the pieces shown were fantastic, but the batik pieces were excellent! 

What a collection the Drents Museum has, and how marvellous their extra location will onkly focus on Art Nouveau!

Any way, here are some, not all, the batik pieces they showed.

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet (1864-1945)

Mirror with decorated panels, 1897

Mirrored glass and batiked parchment on wooden frame

Chris Lebeau (1878-1945) (panels),

Willem Kromhout (1864-1940 (frame)

Folding screen with the symbolic announcement of a new art, 1903

Batik on slik, oak

I am sorry I stand in front of this for at least 30 minutes, but I wanted it imprinted on my eyeballs

Who cries over over a folding screen, me, I fully cried, haha

The details, the hands! The symbolism, the colours!

All time favourite, Bertha Bake!

Batik samples with floral pattern, 1910

Batik on parchment

Good Living in Amsterdam

From 22 June till 29 July two works of mine were on view at the gallery Bradwolff projects in Amsterdam during the exhibition 'Woven stories, stories of connection'.  Hanging was 'Good Living/Tiga Negeri' the textile installation showing the history of imitation and Tiga Negeri while re-making it into a batik, made on three locations, by three artist; me in NL, Ibu Siti in ID and Addoley Dzegede in USA. On a loop was 'Tari Batik' the short video I made in 2016.

In the exhibition was the work of several Indonesian and Dutch artist who work with (colonial) history and traditional crafts. The gallery wrote this on the exhibition and my work in their newsletter:

Between porcelain and palimpsest lies a space of layered memory — fragile, resilient, endlessly rewritten. Woven Stories dwells here. Textile, image, language, and time converge to make memory tangible. Threads don’t hide fractures; they reveal them, let you feel the breaks.

At a moment when histories are reclaimed and identities reshaped, Woven Stories opens a quiet field where colonial echoes, personal histories, and shared textures intertwine. The artists don’t illustrate history — they trace it, question it, rewrite it.

Sabine Bolk sets batik in motion. In Tiga Negeri and Tari Batik, patterns become choreography — a dance of remembering, a textile revival.

Gave a short what is batik & what is Batik Tiga Negeri talk during the opening of 'Woven Stories'.  Photo by Koen de Wit

'Good Living/Tiga Negeri' on display, visit with the masterclass group. Photo by Koen de Wit

Masterclass Batik making & cotton dyeing

In June together with master-dyer Loret Karman we organised a 5 day masterclass at De Wilg in Utrecht. In 5 days we draw with wax, started a dyers logbook, learned about the history of batik & textile dyeing, dyed our batiks synthetic & naturally and turned white cotton into the rainbow.

First day of our masterclass we gave the title ‘Pukul Terus’, a day with many steps to give our batikmakers a flying start. We made 1 small batik in 1 hour. We filled 3 larger pieces of cotton with lines, dots and figures. We dyed the first part of 30 samples for our dye-circle. We enjoyed a lovely lunch by Toko Lo & shared many stories & knowledge.

Day two of our masterclass was a deepdive into batik & colonial history with a visit to Wereldmuseum Amsterdam.  Our visit including the textile depot in the attic of the building. We titled this day ‘Sangat Menarik’, because we hoped it would be very interesting & inspiring day for our batikkers.

I selected 5 batiks from the Wereldmuseum collection, former Tropenmuseum collection. Apart from one, I all saw & researched before. Of four I researched the maker, of one the wearer. So each batik has an interesting story to tell. Also, although all drawn in wax, very different and gave a nice view on the diversity of this technique of wax resist.

Looking at a Oey Soe Tjoen batik from the Wereldmuseum collection

Gwen Scheerlings presenting her batik work

Third day theme of the masterclass was Mewarnai, colouring. Diving further into dyeing cloths, in steps from light to dark, in different mixtures & overdyeing. Important part of this day is taking notes to be able to re-make the dye recipes. Ever thankful for Loret Karman for explaining every step with much care.

Fourth day of our masterclass we celebrate ‘Kekuatan Indigo’, the power of Indigo. Loret guided us in preparing an extra strong dyebath. The bath was active fast, ready for the next day.

In the afternoon, Gwen Scheelings presented the work she made at Babaran Segaragunung Culture House. In two months she work with batik tulis, cap & different dyes. So proud of her batik journey!

The rest of the day we spend making our batik to dip in Indigo. Using inspiration from our visit to the Wereldmuseum or free style.

Perjalanan Pengrajin, the craftsperson journey, was the title for the fifth & last day of our masterclass. Dipping the drawings in wax in our own Indigo bath, removing the wax from the earlier dyed batik samples and working on our dyers textile sample logbook.

All the tools needed to continue on this road of making batik & dyeing fabrics.

It was an honour to give this masterclass with Loret Karman, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us and for repeating it many times, terima kasih banyak Guru Warna!

It was so much fun to share the Art of Batik and all the steps that come with it. Thank you batikmakers, you were a wonderful group!

Our Indigo Batiks