As many friends and colleagues know, I am working on a book about Iwan Tirta, and the fabulous collection of his batik wall hangings owned by the American Embassy Jakarta. The wall hangings were probably acquired for the Embassy between 1973–1985. They are bold, colorful, enlarged Javanese batik motifs such as singa lion, flowers, phoenix, […]
Farewell, adieu Sam-pay ketamu lagi Museum Tekstil Jakarta!
Hats off to a great project and stay here in Jakarta! Ending on a wonderfully high note, 75 textile lovers attended my Talk Show covering the Conservation of the Iwan Tirta batiks…great turnout, gorgeous batik sarong and attire and brilliant discussion. today! Here I am with my so cool and eloquent MC Dyan–perfectly dressed […]
Jakarta Post 3#: I am BECOMING batik!!
I am BECOMING batik! It’s my daily language, looking at patterns, learning the names, asking millions of questions, feeling the soft cotton, learning about maestros such as Go Tik Swan -who I now want to make a film about. Everyone at the Museum Tekstil is so knowledgeable about batik, symbolism, history and ritual. It’s […]
Jakarta post #2: Everybody loves wet cleaning!
Everybody loves wet cleaning! Wet cleaning is called cuci, pronounced chuchee in Indonesian—and it means washing. Washing is a major part of our conservation project. After many years of exposure and city pollution, the Iwan Tirta batiks are dry and crispy, acidic and soiled. They desperately need cleaning to brighten the colors and neutralize the pH […]
Julia returns to Jakarta: Installment #1
Julia returns to her birthplace of Java, on a mission to preserve a national batik treasure. In early April, Julia returned to her birthplace of Java, to preserve an important collection of batik by Iwan Tirta; a joint project of the US Embassy and Musuem Tekstil–the batik of diplomacy. This is the first of several […]
