I think many people fell in love with Bali after watching the infamous Eat Pray Love movie. What's not to love, a woman finding herself in beautiful scenery, peaceful villas and love of course.
Bali is
renowned for its diverse culture and sophisticated art forms, such as painting,
sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, performing arts and of course its textiles.
Textiles in Bali
are powerful symbols, indicating the status and well being of the wearer. It is
believed that some textiles are permeated with magical powers, which can
protect the wearer against malicious people wishing harm. The Ikat textiles are frequently a part of elaborate gift exchanges for weddings and special ceremonies. They often use designs and color combinations that are considered traditional in that location.
Some traditional designs are no longer made. Only a few women now practice the art. This is what makes it Bali’s rarest textile.
Ikat is a complex
artistic weaving technique used to create images on textiles. The term
Ikat comes from the Malay work mengikat, meaning "to tie".
Its distinctive feature is that the images are dyed onto the threads before
they are placed on the loom and woven into the finished fabric, The
threads are first secured to the dying frame and then sections of the design
that are to remain undyed are wrapped with a dye-resistant fiber according to
the requirements of the pattern. Once the portion of the design to be
protected from the first color are tied off, the threads are removed from the
frame and immersed in the dye. With the exception of white (the natural
color of the thread), a separate dye bath is required for each color. Before
each dye bath, the threads are reattached to the frame and strips are cut away
or added as necessary to ensure that the individual elements have only the
appropriate color in the final design. Even the most complex Ikat
patterns are created solely through the tying and dyeing process.
Warp Ikat - the designs are dyed onto the warp threads that run longitudinally on the loom. In warp ikat the patterns are clearly visible in the warp threads on the loom even before the plain colored weft is introduced to produce the fabric.
Weft Ikat- the patterns are created on the weft threads that
are woven across the warp threads. In weft
ikat it is the weaving or weft
thread that carries the dyed patterns which only appear as the weaving
proceeds. The weaving proceeds much slower than in warp ikat as the passes of
the weft must be carefully adjusted to maintain the clarity of the patterns.
Double Ikat - the patterns are created on both the warp and the the weft.These are the most impressive textiles to be produced in Indonesia. Called the geringsings and produced exclusively in the small village of Tenganan in east Bali. The only
other places in the world where similar textiles are woven are Japan and India.
The people of Tenganan are original Bali Aga people, who believe that the
god Indra created humans and taught them the art of double ikat. Their rituals
have to be carried out by people who are pure in body and spirit, and that
purity is protected by the magical power of the textiles. The textiles also
protect the village and they are only worn during major religious events.
It can take between five and eight years to weave a sacred cloth. Only a small number of Tenganan residents are still capable of making geringsing textiles and the technique is passed down from generation to generation.
It can take between five and eight years to weave a sacred cloth. Only a small number of Tenganan residents are still capable of making geringsing textiles and the technique is passed down from generation to generation.
Amy is off on another textile hunt in Bali. Expect to see some beautiful Ikat upon her return.
If you get the chance to go enjoy the sea and sand and make sure to experience some of their unique culture and of course keep your eye out for the wonderful textiles.
Barbara
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