Batik Sasambo

Like Budayati Japa, the owner of Kepeng Mas brand, who was asked in one of the exhibition stand Inacraft in Jakarta, some time ago. “It can’t be denied, the term of batik and batik technique known here is originated and made by The Javanese. Even the raw materials such as fabric for batik as well as canting are coming from Java Island. They collaborate with some designers to teach us how to make batik” she said.

I’ve been started batik business since four years ago. We use fabric “Mori” as the main materials for batik as taught by our Javanese instructors. For the time being, we use synthetic/chemical dyes for colourings since technical difiiculties in natural dyes. Eventhough we also producing a combination of batik and woven. Although   we   learned   batik   from   zero, but currently I have employed 12 craftman, eventhough we haven’t been able to produce batik with the quality as good as Javanese made. Now, we produce handmade batik on silk, and the products are accepted by the market with a price of about Rp.

1, 5 million per sheet. There are also printed batik with Mori or cotton materials at a price of Rp 150 thousand to Rp 500 thousand per sheet.

In terms of techniques and time period, it needs longer time for handmade (written) batik, about two weeks to 1 month, but for printed batik it can be mass productions. We consider that ‘batik-fever’ currently have led us in dillemma condition due to the limitation of our capabilities to make high quality of batik. However, because the government has launched that batik as one of National cultural heritages and as consequences to all regions whose having batik industries should be on develop them.

“Yet, on the other hand, we are more expert to produce woven fabric. So because more familiar with weaving skills, it is very difficult and need much more time to learn batik processing. Beside a competition with Javanese craftman as a benchmark of batik technique, we also have another copetition with the Balinese in some aspects such as culture, tradition, and arts which is well known in the world. So we should develop the motifs that were originally came from NTB regions. Bali is leading in using of natural dyes, and they have more skill in eliciting natural colors. Motifs of Sasambo batik are usually in the form of rumah adat (custom house), lumbung padi (granaries), animals, and variety of arts, “He explained. There are motifs like Shellfish, Nyale, Blue Swamp Cabbage Leaf, Large chilli, Bebele Leaf, Bebele Orange Leaf, Bebele Pink Leaf, Purple Kale Leaf, Sea, Peresean, Sebie, and Thousand of Mosques motif.

Usually, Sasambo Batik motifs are include Made Sahe (cow’s eye), Kakando, and Lengge Uma (traditional house with a dome that look like a cone). Thus the differences of each region is usually showed by the design and color produced. Like a lizard motif which we understand is definitely different from the picture of lizard in Java. Similarly for varied picture of masks, which are also the typical of Sasambo batik. These characteristics are also crafted on wood as a Handicraft.