“Up to date, there are hundreds of Tanahan patterns I’ve documented from traditional batik artists that I have met over the past 12 years. In my opinion, this is like a match made in heaven, plants meeting plants,” said Zahir. “I brought together the natural dye of indigo plants with a variety of ornamental plants from nearby areas. Zahir Widadi, though, decided to honor Tanahan as the centerpiece of his design, giving it a spotlight where it doesn’t need to be hidden. It was “hidden” behind the splendor of Klowongan (main design’s outline) that dominates a piece of batik cloth. In traditional batik, Tanahan (earth) ornamental pattern is usually treated as a second-class ornamental variety. The award was given for his Indigo-dyed batik with the signature Tanahan (earth) pattern. In 2018, Zahir Widadi received the World Craft Council Award of Excellence for Handicrafts. “This can clearly be seen inside the vat-the container of Indigo solutions where you dip your cloth.” Award-winning pattern: Tanahan “Solutions with a natural reducing agent will have a brownish-yellow colour, while synthetic ones will have a bluish colour,” Zahir gave us a hint. Batik artists, natural-dyed enthusiasts, researchers, university students, fabric/textile designers, and batik collectors from all around the world frequently visited his workshop (that is set up in the front, side, and backyard of his humble abode in Pekalongan), to learn the ancient wisdom and technique of natural-dyed batik. Beforehand, the fabric needs to be washed by soaking and lathering it with a mix of water, peanut oil, and rice straw ashes. The solution of the latter type can deteriorate quickly and must be used up immediately.įor his indigo-dyed batik, Zahir Widadi mostly uses cotton or silk as they both absorb natural dyes really well. However, an indigo solution that is made from all-natural ingredients can last months or even years longer than the solutions mixed with synthetic chemicals or other non-natural ingredients. The overall cost of using a natural reducing agent is also much higher. It will take up more or less 12 hours to a few days to get your all-natural indigo solution ready, while you can get a solution ready in only 3-5 minutes with synthetic reducing agents. Indeed, it takes more time to create an Indigo solution with a natural reducing agent. I believe it would be best to have a piece of batik cloth that is made with an all-natural dye-without any synthetic materials like hydro-sulphite or caustic soda-especially because there are some plant-based natural reducing agents we can work with,” said Zahir. “Since the indigo solution in itself is already a natural dye, I think it would be unfortunate to mix it with chemicals as reduction agents. Zahir created his Indigo-dyed batik with natural malam (wax), made of the sap from a pine tree, a resin from dammar gum, and beeswax coconut sugar reducing agent, and tapioca starch solution. Zahir Widadi believes that indigo solution is best to be kept 100% natural, containing only all-natural ingredients. However, since indigo is not a native plant from Java, some political reasons might cause the kingdom of Solo and Yogyakarta to hide the blue underneath with ‘native colours’ like yellow and brown,” added Zahir, who likes to call himself a “batikologist”. “This process was known to our ancestors way before we could see molecules through a microscope. It is no wonder, then, that the first step of batik making in the kingdom of Solo and Yogya was called mbironi-or blue-ing (literally translated into “making it blue”). Indigo and its tiny molecules can penetrate fabrics with the tightest fibres and binds other colors that follow.” “This process enables other secondary or tertiary colors to be absorbed better by the fibre. “Thus, it was possible that before dyeing/colouring a batik cloth, our ancestors dyed the fabric blue with indigo first,” Zahir said. However, Zahir explained that recent findings have shown that Indigo is the most subtle solution that can reach and penetrate even the smallest fibre of yarns. Many people are curious about the blue of indigo in Javanese batik, which is mostly tinted with a brownish and yellow hue from the bark of the soga tree. In the seventeenth century, the world wanted more of indigo-the plant that gives a deep and vibrant colour of blue.Īs a result, the price of indigo went up to be an equivalent of gold hence, the plant was once dubbed “The Blue Gold”. Indigofera plant was originally brought by a trading company, VOC ( Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie), to Java, as an export commodity. Find an Indigofera plant that is blossoming with pink flowers-usually around 3-4 months since it is planted. As the quality of your Indigo paste is largely determined by the state of the Indigofera plant when it is harvested, you need to find the perfect time for harvesting.
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