As explained by Siti Fatimah the production process of Gedog Batik, is started from the cotton yarn harvested by the local farmers, then it is processed into woven cloth before finally processed into batik. Fatimah now is the residents of Tuban running the business of “Aftrees” Gallery, specialized in selling woven cloth Gedog Tuban with coastal motif.
For certain peoples, they understand the quality differences of product that made from Gedog machines and ATBM (non-woven machines), even more the prices is approximately one third more expensive. The other Batik is usually produced directly by using the cloth bought from Jepara, Central of Java. In a month, 20 pieces of cloth can be produced by ATBM. Meanwhile it needs a month to produce a piece of cloth for Gedog Batik. The cloth for Gedog Batik is characterized by it’s surface that appears a bit rough, like saroeng. With a manual process, one month we can only produce one sheet of cloth.
“But, do not mistaken since based on the scientific research, the cloth containing natural materials is better used for those who often experience skin allergies. This research is increasingly proving that the use of non-chemical materials is safe for those with problematic skin because of the free nylon material. The dye usage is mostly derived from natural dyes such as Indigo (for blue), mahogany (for red), the color of the clay and also banana leaf”, as Fatimah further explained.
Cotton growing in Tuban area is usually planted on the sidelines of the moor fields, among maize or peanuts. It takes three months from planting to harvest. Every cotton tree can produce yarn weighing about ¾ kg, with the price ranges from Rp 20 thousand to Rp 25 thousand depending on the quality. According to Fatimah, 60 kg yarn is needed to produce 30 to 40 pieces of woven cloth for batik. Fatimah added that her business starting around the year of 2000 was run before Tuban Batik getting popularity as now. At that time, only few people in Tuban was actually dealing with weaving and crafting batik so when the exhibitions held in Jakarta, Batik Tuban experienced less appreciation. Whereas, based on its history, in 1995 former Social Affairs Minister, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana in cooperation with the Department of Industry have trained the craftmen for 3 months. It is estimated there are now about a hundred batik craftmen in Tuban.
Fatimah’s company employs 80 workers for weaving and batik. As explained by Fatimah, it is much easier to recruit workers for batik rather than weaving since weaving process is more difficult and needs more physical power. In order to promote Gedog Batik she expects Gedog Batik can also be produced widely in other regions outside Kecamatan Kretek.
Talking about the motif, the most typical of Tuban Batik is Guntingan motif, inspirated by the wings or leaves that have been modified, so it delivers impression of pointy or sharply. In general, the most common motives or patterns in the coastal area is the design pattern derived from of nature features such as Hong bird, the tree of Kembang Kapas, Ceplok flower, and sea products such as fish, shrimp, and crabs. Eventhough there are some contemporary motives, the typical motives as mentioned earlier such as Ceplok flower, Hong bird remains exist usually in the border of cloth. Recently, there are more than a hundred motives for Tuban Batik, including Lokcan, Cuken, and Krompol.
The Customers of Tuban Batik was firstly Dutch and Japanese citizens. Later, the United States citizens started collecting Tuban batik as parts of material for home interior decoration. Now, so many Indonesian people recognize and love Tuban Batik as a cultural heritage of Indonesia.
Source : Kina Edisi Khusus
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