Revamping the lost identity of Batik

02 Apr '10

2 min read

In order to promote the conventional batik art and to establish it as cottage industry, Senaka De Silva, a veteran designer is conducting workshops.

Batik is recognized as an art of imprinting images on a cloth by making use of wax and dyes. The prominent feature that discerns the work is the bold colour and the clear white lines that separate the designs. The antique art form finds its base in Egypt.

According to Senaka, in all probability, the technique was launched in Sri Lanka through the silk route. He also informed that, during that period, royals from Indonesia and Java used to wear batiks and also noted that originally the batik designs used to be small and complex to a certain extent, but now, the designs that they imprint are bigger and bolder.

Senaka, who has been actively associated with the textile industry for 40 long years, seeks a wider platform for promoting the ancient art throughout the country by way of organizing workshops. He thereby also intends to afford the school dropouts and other people seeking employment, with an opportunity for self-employment.

He clarified that, he thus intends to promote batik as a cottage industry as people will be working from their homes, and added that, considering the global economic scenario, such self-employment opportunity may prove to be of some help, for the purpose of which, workshops were conducted in Biyagama region in March.

While making a mention of once famous names in the batik and handloom industry like Soma Udabage, the late Vipula Dharmawardhana, Eric Suriyasena and Ena De Silva, who lead the way for exports of batiks made in Sri Lanka, he noted that, the industry that flourished during 60's, dwindled with the introduction of the open economy and a sustainable increase in prices of dyes.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India