UNS – Arts and Design Faculty of Universitas Sebelas Maret (FSRD UNS) Surakarta organized a short course for foreign students studying in Indonesia who have interest in Batik. The International Batik Short Course (IBSC) 2017 started on Monday (17/7/2017) and will be held for six days.
Apart from the history, philosophy, and variety of Batik, the ten participants from Thailand, the Philipines, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Greece, Timor-Leste, and Cambodia also learned the techniques of making Batik and put them into practice. They learned Batik making under the instructions given by FSRD Textile Design lecturers — Tiwi Bina Affanti, Dyah Yuni Kurniawati, and Sarah Rum Handayani.
Leizel, a participant from the Philippines, makes Batik using stampsThe activities of the short course included a visit to homes of Batik artists and a two-day stay in a village known well for the Batik production.
The participants had their own reasons why they were interested in joining the program and opinions on it after spending three days exploring Batik.
Partipants of IBSC 2017 dye the Batik cloths they already made
“I want to learn the culture of Batik, particularly in Solo, in Jawa Tengah. I want to experience making Batik, using wax and stamps, dyeing it. It is interesting, I think it is only in Indonesia they wear Batik differently,” said Leizel, a participant from the Philippines currently studying in UNS.
“Now I know how to make Batik. You can use canting for handwritten Batik, and also stamps . Making exclusive Batik cloths may take up to six months, with the complicated patterns and process, now I know why those cost much and are different from a cloth with only the patterns of Batik, which is cheaper,” Mamurdzon, a participant from Tajikistan, affirmed. humas-red.uns/Eln