Tribawana: the Inner Journey and Outer Practice of Batik

Awaken your creative potential through Java’s ancient Three Worlds Creative Process with tradition keepers Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam

A 7-day Natural Dye Batik Workshop at the the Threads of Life natural dye studio and botanical garden in Umajati Retreat, Ubud, Bali

(Background) 'Parang Api Merah' by Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam (Left to right) Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam; learning hand drawn batik; stamp batik practice

This combined workshop brings you two of Indonesia’s great textile traditions: an immersion into the spirit and practice of batik from Java, and a hands-on experience of the archipelago’s indigenous natural dye traditions. The workshop is suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced practitioners alike .

The practice of batik is deeply rooted in the cultural history of Indonesia, with techniques passed on orally through the generations. According to Agus and Nia, part of this oral tradition is Java’s ancient Three Worlds (Tribawana) creative process. With the potential to open a path for pure creative energy within each person, this three-fold process teaches participants to look for the source of creative inspiration within themselves, to develop an intuitive connection with the natural world, and to discover a personal spiritual connection with the creative source.

Alongside the batik, the Threads of Life’s dye team will offer: dyeing and preparing dye with fresh indigo (Indigofera tinctoria, I. suffruticosa, Strobilanthes cusia) from the dye garden; use of sustainably sourced Ceriops dyes that form the basis of the brown in Central Javanese batik; and an exploration of Indonesia’s indigenous red dye from the root bark of Morinda citrifolia, including preparation for the 2-month oiling process, and use of the Symplocos plant-based alum mordant. 

Hosted at the Threads of Life natural dye studio and botanical garden, the workshop’s dye component will be led by staff dyers Komang Sujata, Wayan Sukadana and ethnobotanist Made Maduarta using plants from the studio’s own gardens and Threads of Life’s network of dyers. Komang, Wayan and Made each have 15 years of collaborative field research experience studying, documenting, replicating, and teaching dye recipes learned from indigenous master natural dyers across the archipelago. 

Husband and wife batik artists Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam were the first in Indonesia to extensively explore the medium of Javanese batik as contemporary textile art outside the boundaries of modern batik painting. Ismoyo comes from a family whose ancestors produced batik in Surakarta, Central Java. Fliam studied at the Pratt Institute, New York, and has practiced batik since 1983. They have exhibited extensively in Indonesia, Europe, the United States, Australia, and Southeast Asia and their work is in the permanent collections of museums, galleries and private collectors around the world. Beginning in 1988, they taught workshops and have collaborated creatively with African, Australian Aboriginal and North American First Nation artists. From this work they have developed a teaching methodology that embraces cultural diversity yet is deeply rooted in the cultural history of Indonesia. Their workshop introduces Java’s ancient Three Worlds (Tribawana) creative process that teaches participants to look for the source of creativity within themselves by becoming one with nature and the creative source; to discover an intuitive sensitivity as a channel for their creative energies; and through this to forge a path to their own creative process.

brahmatirtasari.org    babaransegaragunung.org          

_____________________

(Background) 'Sacred Zoo' by Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam. (Left to right) Images of the Threads of Life dye studio and garden

Workshop Schedule

ARRIVE IN UBUD: Sunday 17 September 2017

WORKSHOP: Monday 18 September to Friday 22 September 2017, 9 am to 5 pm

DEPART FROM UBUD: Saturday 23 September 2017 

This workshop explores both the process of batik and an understanding of intangible culture that is at the heart of batik. There will be sessions to introduce the Tribawana creative process in exercises that emphasize batiking as a process of the whole body. Agus and Nia will introduce the elements of the batik process: wax (the element of fire), and dye (the elements of water and air). In the introduction to wax, participants will learn the basic techniques of hand-drawn and cap-stamped batik, and participate in the introduction to dyes, specifically, learning about natural dyes. The goals are for the participants to initiate or improve the technical aspects of their batik skills, to enhance their creative process through a personal project, gain insight into Indonesia's traditional natural dye practices, and to develop a connection between themselves, other living beings, the environment, and the source of creativity.

Daily Workshop Schedule

09:00 - 10:00   Creative process excercises

10:00 - 12:00   Batik workshop

12:00 - 13:00   Dye work by studio staff

13:00 - 14:00   Lunch

14:00 - 17:00   Batik workshop

17:00 - 18:00   Dye work by studio staff

_____________________

PRICE, PAYMENT, CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY, GROUP SIZE

Included for all participants:

5 days of workshop program; arrival and departure airport transfers; 5 lunches, 3 dinners; scheduled local transportation. 

Also included for residential participants:

6 nights of twin-share accommodations, 7 breakfasts.

Note: twin share rooms may be made up with a king size bed for couples; single room supplements available on request; shared accommodations for a participant’s partner available on request.

Also included for non-residential participants:

Morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue.

Payment 

Payment will be made through PayPal via an automatic link in the booking website. You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a payment; PayPal will simply be used to process your credit card payment.

Group Size

Maximum group size is 10 participants. Minimum group size for the published itinerary is 3 participants. If the group size is less than 3, the workshop will be led by either Nia Fliam or Agus Ismoyo instead of by both of them.

_____________________

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is required for all participants. Travel insurance should, at minimum, provide coverage against personal accident, personal liability, medical expenses, and emergency evacuation. (An emergency air medical evacuation to Singapore can cost upwards of USD 30,000.) Medical care facilities in Indonesia are significantly different from the West and medical evacuation is extremely expensive.