Community Activities

As lovers of Batik, the Komunitas Remaja Batik Indonesia (KRBI/Community of Indonesian Batik Youth) held a Batik and dyeing workshop for free...

Director of KBRI, Thiar, teaching kids to create Batik/ Photos: Nopi TNOLThe workshop was held in the Museum of Textile, Jakarta, on Sunday, December 18, 2011. Participants were open to anyone, both members and non-members of the KRBI.

"This is a routine event of KRBI, so that people would know and understand how to make Batik," said the Director of KRBI, Borzaq Thiar Taurus to TNOL at the Museum of Textile, Jakarta, Sunday (18/12).

According to Thiar, through Batik can train someone's patience. Because, Batik is not as easy as one might expect. Especially in scraping the canting, will need a lot of patience in order to produce a good work.

Various Batik motifs

Before doing the Batik, first the participants were asked to create a pattern on a piece of white cloth. They are free to choose anything, either animal motifs, buildings, flowers or a combination thereof. The motif was drawn with a pencil. Then, the motif was given the wax, which demanded such patience in doing so.

Some of the participants had trouble in doing so. Therefore, the KBRI members provided them with guidance. No exception for Thiar. As the Director of KRBI he did not hesitate to teach participants directly. Since the workshop was themed on written Batik, participants had to do the Batik cloth of its front and rear side. It was not easy to be done, but participants did not give up.

Father and son participants doing the Batik

The results, the themes chosen by participants varied quite a lot. Among others, there was a theme of Christmas. Automatically it should get some of the motifs together, ranging from the bells, Christmas trees to the snowman.

The Batik making certainly took a long time, but because of their patience, they could finish it. Even so, the process of Batik had not finished just yet. They had to do the coloring and waited until it dried. Then, when it was dry, participants could take it home as a souvenir.

According to Thiar, indeed people would have trouble in beginning to make a Batik creation. However, if we could manage in doing so, it would be so intriguing. People usually want to come back doing the Batik again.

"This is what we want to transmit to them, so they can enjoy learning the Batik making and want to come back again," Thiar completed. (Sbh)  (ms)

KRBI members drawing the Batik motifs

Batik workshop participants