The Association of Indonesian Traditional Textile Admirers (Wastraprema) showcased 138 rare woven fabrics and other unique collections of the Wastra Jo Seda House at the Jakarta Museum of Textile.
The exhibition, themed “The Nuances of the Gleaming Indonesian Woven Fabrics: Sumatra, Timor and Sulawesi,” is held from July 20 to August 31, 2022, at the Jakarta Textile Museum.
“The efforts of the Wastraprema association to hold an exhibition is a means of preserving ancestral heritage tenun (woven fabric) and increasing the love for Indonesian fabrics,” Deputy Chairwoman of the Jakarta Crafts Council, Ellisa Sumarlin, who is also the wife of Jakarta Deputy Governor, Ahmad Riza Patria, stated here on Thursday.
Sumarlin expressed optimism that the next generation would learn a lot from this event through a series of activities, such as training, a virtual tour, and some competitions, that will also be held.
Director General of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Hilmar Farid highlighted the government’s continued efforts to propose woven fabrics to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as intangible cultural heritage.
In addition, Farid stated that although this exhibition only displays woven fabrics from three islands in Indonesia, it can already reflect the richness of the archipelago’s fabrics.
In the world of fabrics, Wastraprema’s acting chairwoman Sri Sintasari Iskandar highlighted that the island of Sumatra has the unique songket woven fabric, which is usually made from gold, silver, silk, and cotton threads.
Meanwhile, Timor Island in East Nusa Tenggara is known for its colorful fabric tradition, while Sulawesi’s tradition of fabric can now only be witnessed in some areas.
An award was also bestowed on Mrs. Ratmini Gandasubrata Soedjatmoko, 97, for having played an imminent role in preserving the archipelago’s fabric heritage until now.
Source: Antara News