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Home > Textiles and Design > Area of Study: Design > Fabric colouration and decoration: One day, one metre - Ikat weaving in Indonesia
Design
Fabric colouration and decoration: One day, one metre - Ikat weaving in Indonesia
In the area of study Design, you will develop an understanding and appreciation of the influences of historical, cultural and contemporary aspects of design in society. In particular you will focus on one culture, analysing the many factors influencing its textile design also the impact traditional textiles have on contemporary designers and design.
Outcomes
This tutorial addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcomes:
The student:
H1.3 identifies the principles of colouration for specific end-uses
H6.1 analyses the influence of historical, cultural and contemporary developments on textiles.
Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Textiles and Design Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses (2007)
This tutorial focuses on Ikat weaving (pronounced ee-kat) in Indonesia. In particular the methods of Ikat production, level of technological development, workers' skills and status, its medium for self-expression and communication between people, and the effect of this culture on textile design in contemporary society
| Ikat weaving | ||
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| Tied and dyed weft yarns | Bundles of dyed weft yarns | Weaving the tie dyed weft yarns |
A study of the link between culture and textiles in any society gives you the opportunity to understand the importance that textiles play in the daily lives of people. Textile production is integral to all cultures and intrinsically expresses values, traditions and customs of the society. A close study of Ikat weaving in Indonesia illustrates how textiles are inextricably linked to the history of the people and the culture of daily activities and language.
Indonesia is well known for beautifully patterned Batik, Songket and Ikat fabrics. Dyes made from roots and leaves, colour cotton and silk fibres to produce traditional fabrics for clothing used in rituals and ceremonies from war dances, weddings and burials.
| Fabric decoration techniques | ||
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| Batix - a wax resist technique | Songket fabric - a supplementary weft technique | Ikat fabric - a tie and dye yarn before weaving technique of making fabric |
Activity 1:
- Visit Biji Living Arts
and click on Batik, Songket and Geringsing textiles (Ikat). Contrast the ways colour and design have been created in each of the three traditional textiles of Indonesia.
| What is Ikat weaving? | |
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| Ikat means to tie or bind. The word Ikat describes the process and the
product itself. Ikat is a woven fabric characterized by a blurred or feathered edge to a design produced by tie dyeing yarns before weaving the fabric. The tie and dye (resist) technique can be applied to either the warp yarns (warp Ikat) or weft yarns (weft Ikat) or both (double Ikat). Ikat is a highly-skilled weaving technique used in Indonesia. Modern Ikat can be a fabric of vibrant colours and designs. |
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- Select Threads of Life to check your understanding of weaving.
How is Ikat fabric produced?
| Steps in the production of Ikat weaves | ||
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| 1. Cotton fibre is spun into a yarn and then plied ready for grouping
into bundles. Above: this young boy is spinning cotton for his family. He does this after his morning at school. |
2. Before weaving, yarn bundles are stretched on a frame. The designer outlines the pattern with charcoal, yarns are tied with plastic raffia in the desired design. | 3. Dyes are then prepared: Dyes were traditionally made from natural
plant sources. Ikat fabrics are characterized by the earthy colours of
brown, reds (Morinda root), yellow (cudrania wood) as well as blue (Indigo
plant). In some parts of Indonesia today synthetic dyes are used. The
Threads of Life organisation encourage research and maintenance of
traditional techniques including natural dye usage. Above: indigo dye being prepared |
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| 4. The yarns are then dyed, one colour at a time. These steps must be repeated for each color desired in the fabric. The entire process is very time-consuming and requires the skills of an advanced artist. The process can take months to complete. | 5. The loom is then warped ready for weaving. Typically a loom can take
up to 2 weeks to prepare. This loom is being prepared to weave a weft ikat
fabric. The warp yearns are one colour and the weft yarns have been tied
and dyed and are inserted using a wooden shuttle. This loom, like the majority throughout Indonesia, is operated by hand and foot power. |
6. This weft Ikat fabric is characterised by a modern geometric design
that is blurred or feathered on the edges. Traditionally Ikat fabric is woven by women. Women make the dyes, plant, harvest, spin, dye and weave the cotton. In some parts of Indonesia a woman's worth, in the village, is measured by her expertise in weaving. One double Ikat sarong can take 5 years to make and is very expensive to buy. |
Indonesia is made up of an archipelago of an estimated 17,508 islands. Warp Ikat fabric is produced on the islands of Sumba, Timor, Lombok, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Borneo and Bali.
- Weft Ikat fabric is produced in Bali, Lombok and Sumartra.
- The Balinese village of Tenganan specialise in Double Ikat woven fabric
Select the map of Indonesia and locate the islands that produce Warp and Weft Ikat fabric.
Follow the links to read about the role Ikat fabric has played in Indonesia's social history.
http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/clsloef/BI(07)/BI1-TC.pdf
http://poshsurfside.com/ikat-fabrics-ancient-and-modern
Activity 2: Designs and their cultural significance
- Follow the link to the Threads of Life website and view the traditional textile pieces from the islands of Flores,
Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Timor to answer the following questions.
- Flores: How significant is the Lawo Butu to the people of Flores. List the traditional clan motifs used in the Ceremonial Tubular skirt.
- Kalimantan: Outline how the skill at the loom reflects the status of the weaver. List the design motifs and state their symbolism.
- Sulawesi: What is a Sekomandi and what is it used for?
- Timor: What dye source, colours the Tai Bifel and where does this dye come from?
Activity 3: Technology used for weaving
View the following Youtube films and answer the questions:
- Outline the process of making traditional Ikat fabric
- How is modernisation impacting the traditional methods of producing Ikat fabric in Timor?
- Identify the technology used to produce Ikat fabric in both films.
Ikat weaving in Indonesia has social, economic, ceremonial and traditional significance. Women are still prolific weavers and they acquire their skills while by the side of their mother who executes traditional patterns from memory. Ethnographic studies during recent years have given us an insight into the function and use of Ikat cloth across Indonesia. At marriage, the eldest daughter would receive a sarong with a set of motifs from her mother – a matrilineal system. On some Islands, the dead are buried in the family's most precious Ikat cloth. Ikat weavings were traditionally loaded with meanings which serve to bind the kin group visibly. These motifs communicate family origin, village, female decent lines, status, and respect. Ikat sarongs are therefore an important manifestation of the complex social relationships in Indonesian society and play a significant role for women in preserving the social networks within their culture.
| Visit the Threads of Life website to
read about the work this organisation is doing to empower women who weave
traditional cloth across Indonesia. |
 All Tutorial Photos by M. Johnson 2010 |
Activity 4:
Impact of traditional Ikat on contemporary design.
Visit Posh Interior Design and outline the impact traditional Indonesian Ikat principles have on
contemporary design
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