Indonesian IkatIKAT - is
a type of weaving where the warp, weft or both are tie-dyed before
weaving to create designs on the finished fabric. Great care must be
taken in tying resist areas with water repellent material such as
bicycle inner tubes cut into strips. The precision of the wrapping
determines the clarity of the design. After wrapping, the warp threads
are dyed. When finished and unwrapped, the areas under the ties have
stayed the original color. Numerous colors can be added after additional
wrappings. Designs generally are worked out on graph paper. Great care
must be taken in putting the warp on the loom, keeping all the threads
in position is necessary for the design to work. The natural movement
during weaving gives Ikat designs a feathered edge which characterize
this technique.A variety
of techniques is used to provide textiles with ornamentation. One is the
ikat-dyeing process which can be worked on either the vertical warp
threads or the horizontal weft threads. This means that certain parts of
these threads are bound very tightly so as to reject the dye which
colors the unbound sections.There are
three types of ikat weaving; warp ikat where the ornamentation is
applied to the vertical warp threads, weft ikat, where it is the
horizontal weft threads which are decorated, and double ikat in which
both the wrap and the left threads are tied up and dyed in patterns.
Ikat work
demands patience, skill, and diligence, as does the subsequent weaving.
It’s usually a woman’s work. In some instances, one woman spins the
thread. An experienced specialist takes care of the ikat work. A third
woman weaves. In others, one person does the ikat work and the weaving.
Originally, all the work from spinning to ikatting was performed by the
same person.
Decorative elementsThe
concept of nature having supernatural powers, which has been in
existence since the Neolithic era, is a part of traditional religious
belief. Nature and all it contains influences the life of man and his
creations; nothing is free from the supernatural power of the natural
elements in the environment. This
mystically powerful face of nature is found in certain species of flora
and fauna, mountains, rivers, the sun, stars, and other objects. With
respect to mankind, the ancestors are deemed to be endowed with special
powers and are held in veneration. The concept of everlasting life in
another world is manifested symbolically. In
ornamentation, these elements are given form in geometrically rendered
shapes of animals which have magic power, such as crocodiles, lizards,
and geckos, which represent the underworld, and birds, representing the
upper world. The three of life, with its multitudinous leaves and
branches and tall, straight trunk, symbolizes everlasting life in
another world. The
predominant physical representation of the ancestors is with arms and
legs extended. Geometric lines frequently used in they portrayal are the
hook, straight line, meander, triangle, and rectangle or square.
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