Preserving Art, Culture in Palbatu Kampung Batik
Reported by Yance Wiratman | Translated by Nugroho Adibrata
For you lovers of the archipelago culture, especially batik art, you would be better to visit Jalan Palbatu, Menteng Dalam Urban Village, Tebet Sub-District, South Jakarta. In that place, you will get a new experience about the batik.
Our hope is the Palbatu kampung batik could become tourist place and education forum about batik art in future
Since 2011, Jalan Palbatu is popularly known as a batik nuances area that adorn every corner of the street. By passing through the streets and narrow alleys, you can enjoy various beautiful motif painted on the wall, fence, flower pots, etc.
Budi Darmawan, one of the Palbatu kampung batik initiators said the initial idea of making Jalan Palbatu as batik village is caused by the lack of batik village area in the capital.
Polluting Environment, Batik Home Industry Closed Down"Our hope is the kampung batik could become tourist place and education forum about batik art in future," he told beritajakarta.com, Sunday (5/18).
He stated that he and three colleagues want to implement such ideas in other kampung batik, like Lawean, Solo. "We invited Central Java artisans to introduce batik and educate citizens living on Jalan Palbatu, thus they can preserve and make make batik," he disclosed.
As time goes by, he assessed, his plan is able to evoke the spirit of learning batik. " Moreover, many citizens in Palbatu area, either children or mothers have been able to make some motifs of batik," he told.
By having hand-drawn batik skill, they began to describe their skills in making batik through various media such as, wall, fence, and flower pots on Jalan Palbatu.
Darmawan hopes through kampung batik, Jakarta people do not need to visit the batik centers areas which are generally located in Central Java.
Various awards were achieved by citizens of Palbatu kampung batik where one of which is from the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI). "The kampung batik already achieved two MURI awards. The first record is having the longest batik motif (133.9 meters) and second record is the highest number of homes with batik decoration," he uttered.
