Big trend

Spring collection L.A.M.B.

Reading a new post of Tavi I noticed that there was an African Batik dress hanging behind her & Gwen Stefani. Googling I read that the new L.A.M.B. Spring collection (Gwen's own fashion label) is full of African Batiks.

Gwen Stefani in her own L.A.M.B. African Batik dress

At my new job I read the new fashion magazines like Grazia every week. One of the december issues covered a story of the dress makers for the Vlisco ads. The Vlisco campaigns show beautifully made dresses of the fabrics they sell.

Latest campaign by Vlisco

After seeing the campaign photo's I told Koen that I would only wear Batik from now on on, or at least pattern covered fabrics. Cause I'm not handy with fabric and I don't own a lot of Batiks yet. Any way, I would like visit the store in Helmond soon (and wear only Batik later in life)


Vlisco, P.F. van Vlissingen & Co's Katoenfabrieken, started their fabric legacy around 1852 with exporting hand printed Batiks to the Dutch East Indies, now know as Indonesia. An uncle of Pieter F. van Vlissingen was already trading in Indonesia and told him about the possibilities.

Vlisco "Real Dutch Java Prints", collection Textiel Museum (Tilburg)

Vlisco made very good imitations of well known Batiks, originally made by hand, and these were exported to Indonesia. From 1876 they started with the African Batiks which are now their main business.

From Johanna

I'm now, among other things, preparing the PR for the exhibition of artist Johanna Schweizer for "Spiegelhol" at IDFX. At the last meeting she showed me her Batiks. A unique Vlisco and real ones from Bali. She even gave me one.

But that's not all the African Batiks that come upon my path these last months. My next door neighbor always wears these beautiful African Batiks when she goes to church. Every time I see her, the Batiks remind me of the work of artist Emmy Dijkstra.


In Emmy's early works, mostly black and white graphic prints, the people are wearing traditional (African) clothing.


After her residence in France she got inspired by Tapa (Bark Cloth printed, painted or stamp, with patterns) and made a series of paper dresses. I told her that we should do a residence together. After thinking and talking about it in 2010, we started 2011 with a virtual residence at Virtual Art Winter Residence together. The work we make we hope to show and develop together at a real location later this year.

So the (African) Batik trend continues, in big fashion & small art!

Another thing that really has to happen this year is getting a closer look at the Batik collection of the Textiel Museum in Tilburg. They own a lot of Batiks, from around the world and off course the Vlisco imitations.


Last but not least, my photo book "De reis naar Batik, een vergeten industrie" ("The journey to Batik, an forgotten Industry") is published in the january edition of the Dutch Indonesian magazine Moesson.
You can order the book in Dutch or English by sending me an email at sabine@sabinebolk.nl.

It's going to be a Batik-full year!

Small trend in Breda

Spotting two young guys wearing Batik backpacks in Breda a couple a weeks ago. I saw these backpack in Indonesia, and one of guys told me he bought it there. It's good to see them wear these patterns from their roots full of pride here! I consider it a small trend, because I spotted a lot of Batik fabric bags since I'm back from Indonesia. The typical "made for tourist" bags stand out the most, and I was so happy to spot the backpacks here. It's very trendy to wear an backpack with an striking patterns. It's telling "this is me!". I have my own patterned backpack and it took a while finding the right one.
Wearing Batik comes back in a new form and I hope the trend will be followed by more!

Something else, biological fashion by Ami Goodheart of SOTO Productions

Wrote a short post called "Even iets anders, Bio-fashion door verschillende ontwerpers" (Something else, biological fashion by different designers) about a similar subject in December 2009. Now I came across this great example.

"Each model's clothing in the series was made entirely of real food and depicts a meal that the person was craving. This project was shot in January of 2009 (pre Lady Gaga). 15 designers, led by Ami Goodheart of SOTO Productions, were involved and each garment took hours to cook, create and assemble. The artichoke gown was designed by Daniel Feld and Wesley Nault of Project Runway fame. It took over 6 hours to finish (the model stood the entire time while they attached each, individual leaf)."

I think the idea behind this work is very good. For myself I'm more interested in the way they use these materials. In the earlier post about bio-fashion, the designers used flowers and leaves to make an ecofriendly fashion-show. It nice to see these temporary materials being used in such a positive way. Because I work with rice (and lentils etc), a lot of people start about the hunger in the world when they see my work. For me the rice is purely a (beautiful) material, like some artists use paint or clay. Sometimes I do use the fact that it's food, but always in a way that the temporality is emphasized. So I think the dresses, pants & shirts would have been stronger if it wasn't about their hunger, but about their favorite food.

Link:
"Hunger Pains" led by Ami Goodheart of SOTO Productions
"Even iets anders, Bio-fashion door verschillende ontwerpers" by me
(Something else, biological fashion by different designers)

Vincent's Japan and my Indonesia

Ricecarpet for Vincent, made at the Vincent van GoghHuis (Vincent's birthplace) in Zundert

From 8 till 29 October I stayed in the Virtual Art Residence. This project founded by artists I know, is about exploring the way of showing and exhibiting work. I booked the Van Gogh caravan and decided to make my stay about Vincent van Gogh.
Everyone knows his work, but I found out that I really didn't know his work at all. And I didn't expected to find so many similarities in our work. More about my first virtual residence and my finding on my residence wordpress, www.sabinebolk.wordpress.nl
Because Vincent work inspired me so much and made some things clearer in my work and way I should continue. I booked the Van Gogh caravan again for 14 November till end december. My plan for then, for now, is to explore Vincent’s use of patterns (background of the portraits he made), his use of colour and his love for Japan. My love for Indonesia and how Asia inspires art and artist now & always.
I will share my findings on my wordpress & here

Overview PindaKAAS Light

Opening by Pertama Pentas

Saturday the twenty-fifth the second PindaKAAS took place in a Light version. It was a wonderfull evening, I was missing Indonesia more then ever :). They evening was filled with good food, nice performances, poetry, fashion, dance & art. The dance by choreographer Gerard Mosterd “Unfolding‟ was very inspiring. I gave him a copy of the "Dance in a ricecarpet" CD, hope he'll enjoy it! The dance was danced by German-Japanese dancer Julia Mitomi. A must see performance!

Here is a little overview of the evening.My wallpaper installation "The journey of Batik", for more photo's (by night) click here.

Taking flight

Fresh from the Artacademy, fotographer Whitney Lemasian. She showed her graduation-installation and thesis. Her search for her roots and there fore her search for her father led to this work. More about her work on www.whitneylemasian.com.

Photographer Kim Pattiruhu from Tilburg (NL) showed different photo series including "Tiga puluh hari: Napak tilas (2008)". She visited Indonesia with her father.for 30 days The story is told in a beautiful designed book. More about Kim's work on www.kimpattiruhu.nl

Dutch Indonesian fashion by Soesoe productions

"Van Hollandse Bodem" (From Dutch soil), Dutch Indonesian fashion by Soesoe productions. I definitely would like to work in the garden wearing this!

Poet Winarko Bazoeni Boesrie with his daughter Fithrie, who is reading the translations aloud.

Make sure to visit the next edition of PindaKAAS! More about PindaKAAS on www.pindakaasfestival.nl

Goddess of Rice?

They call her Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice. I didn't know that name untill artist Krisna Murti shared photo's of my project Dance in a ricecarpet with the titel "Goddess of Rice?". I started looking up information about Dewi Sri, also know as Dewi Shri (Javanese), Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri (Sundanese), Mae Po Sop, Siamese rice goddess in Thailand, and Khmer Po Ino Nogar, rice goddess of Cambodia. My Dance in a ricecarpet dancer Barbara van Kooten looks a bit like Dewi Sri, but also the project itself symbolize things which Dewi Sri symbolize.



The dance is about creating, destroying and rebuilding. A process of within shown with rice.

Barbara's dance starts in a ricecarpet made of black, red and yellow rice and blond lentil. The patterns in this ricecarpet are based on different Batikmotifs. Left and right you'll see the motif of the Batikbird, phoenix or "bang-biru" bird from Batik Lasem. In the black parts are motifs from Simbut Batiks, symbols for life in the shape of a Sun or compass. The center of the ricecarpet is a mask or moth.

Barbara's dance makes different shapes in the rice, a small flower turn in to a mandala.

With red lentils Barbara accentuate her new made ricecarpet.

Dewi Sri is believed to have dominion over the underworld and the Moon. Thus, Dewi Sri encompasses the whole spectrum of the Mother Goddess, having dominion over birth and Life. She controls rice: the staple food of Indonesians; hence life and wealth or prosperity; most especially rice surpluses for the wealth of kingdoms in Java such as Mataram, Majapahit and Pajajaran; and their inverse: poverty, famine, hunger, disease (to a certain extant) and Death.

I bought a book "The Art of Rice"(present for my birthday from my parents, thanks!!). More about Dewi Sri will be edit soon because there is a lot information about this in this book!

Ethnology Museum in Leiden

Wayang Golek from Cirebon (see motif on the small sarong) from beginning of the 19e century

Last weekend I went to Leiden to build up my wallpaper installation "The journey of Batik" for the Artroute. I couldn't remember the last time I was in Leiden, it's a really beautiful city with a typical Dutch atmosphere.
When I was finished at the Scheltema Complex I went to the Museum Volkenkunde (Ethnology Museum). I always try to go to museums when I'm in a city and have some spare time. This museum is really great, it has beautiful old things from all over the world, and a large part of the things are from Indonesia.

I made a lot of photos to share with you all, enjoy!

Overview of the Batiks in museum collection

From Banyumas, Jawa Tengah, detail a kain panjang from before 1878

From Banyumas, Jawa Tengah, detail a kain panjang from before 1878

From Banyumas, Jawa Tengah, detail a kain panjang from before 1878

From Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia, before 1958, party clothing made of tree bark

From Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia, before 1901, Painting on tree bark

From Sumatra Utara, Indonesia, before 1889, Pustaha ( priest book) made of tree bark and leather, writings are called Kawi

From Kalimatan Barat, Indonesia, before 1893, to cover up food, I would like one to cover up my ricecarpets

Tree Bark art from Fiji. This one is made in 1973 to celebrate the first birthday of Pauline

To paint the bark they sometimes use templates

More info about the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden on www.rmv.nl