Javanese Batik Sarong

Presentation by Elizaveta Buzytsky in 2021. More on the Studio EPB Batik practice can be found here.

This is an example of a Javanese sarong or sarung, defined as a tubular skirt wrapped at the hips and ending at the ankles. The word sarung is derived from the Malay spelling and is loosely used to define any kind of sheath or cover. The figures depicted are wayang kulit figures, or traditional Indonesian shadow puppets.

Batik is a resist technique using the application of hot wax onto fabric to create a ground. Dye is then applied in layers so that once the wax is removed, the image comes through in white negative space. Tjaunting, also spelled canting is the tool used for Javanese wax application. Traditionally, most artisans who work with canting are women, so likely this piece was made by a woman.

The brown tone is soga from soaking the bark of the soga tree. The blue color of indigo is derived from the plant indigo tinctorial. The white is the color of the fabric protected by wax during the dye process.

Wayang theater features a cast of different characters with each puppet representing important figures in epic tales. The Wayang is a traditional source of moral guidance as well as entertainment. The figure bares some similarity to the female figure of Surtikanti, a royal character in the epic tale of The Ramayana, as indicated by her costume, coloring and head dress.

The selected sarung has variations of the ukel and cantel motifs as seen in this isen sampler. This sarung does not show any sacred or forbidden motifs, rather it shows isen; exclusively decorative motifs. Parang is a geometric sacred motif that can be found in a lot of Javanese batik and are a part of the Javanese philosophy. Sacred motifs were forbidden to be worn by anybody except court officials and priests until the mid twentieth century.

LIST OF FULL WORKS CITED

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