IMF Guests Get First-Hand Experience of Batik Making

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- The 2018 International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meeting is more than representatives of world countries meeting and finding solutions to recent global economic and financial issues.

Guests can also have the experience of crafting batik on the sidelines of the meeting being held in Nusa Dua, Bali.

The exhibition, dubbed as the Indonesia Pavilion, kicked off on October 8 and will end on October 14, promoting Indonesia's arts products and crafts.

Yuli Fitriani (20), a batik maker from Bandung, West Java, said the meeting committee invited her to the event to share her knowledge and experience of crafting batik with guests.

"We hope for invitees to know more of batik and learn how to do it, given the fact that most of them come from overseas. (Some of) them might not be familiar with Indonesia's culture," she said.

Yuli brought along with her batik fabric that tells a folklore of Sangkuriang from West Java. Like many other West Java batik products, the Sangkuriang folklore batik is also made in big motifs.

"West Java batik usually also appears in bright colors, like blue and red," said Yuli.

Yuli gave a few tips in batik crafting any novice batik maker should take notice of.

First of all, one should sit with the fabric on his, or her, side to avoid being easily fatigue.

Secondly, the person should use fabric to cover his, or her, clothes and keep them from drops of "malam", hot liquid wax used in making batik.

The third tip is that one should hold canting--a pen-like instrument with a small copper reservoir and a wooden handle--up straight. Canting is used to contain "malam" before the wax is tinted onto the fabric.

Fourth, the batik maker should place part of the fabric he, or she, wants to paint on his, or her palm, so that the wax would not run off the batik motif path.

Fifth, the batik maker should control his, or her, breath. "It is important for anyone trying to make batik for the first time, to control his, or her, breath, because his, or her, hand usually shakes and that could ruin the work," said Yuli.

She said guests willing to have first-hand experience of batik making are welcome at the Indonesia Pavilion between 09.00 and 18.00 WITA (Central Indonesia Time). (vws)