 |
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
Indonesian double Ikats are extraordinary pieces of art. These tapestries are not only beautiful examples of woven art, but they are also stunning examples of technical complexity. They embody both the ingenuity of their creators and an aesthetic beauty that is rarely found in modern weavings. They also hold within them fantastic stories of the artists who created them and the communities which they come from. Owning an Indonesian double Ikat is essential for anyone who appreciates the work and devotion required to produce a stunning piece of art.
Origins
Double Ikats are so complex and time consuming to create, they are rarely woven anywhere in the world today. There are currently only 3 locations in the world where  double Ikats are made on any significant scale: Gujarat in India, the Ryuku Islands in southern Japan and Tenganan Pegeringsingan in Indonesia. Of the three locations, the most complex, beautiful and collectable pieces come from Indonesia.
The Ikat technique of weaving probably came to Indonesia with early sea traders. Anthropological evidence places Ikats in Indonesia as early as the tenth century. But whether Indonesian Ikats developed independently from these imported weavings, or if they were directly influenced by the imported textiles is a subject of debate. On the surface, it seems that some Indonesian textiles, including the double Ikat, have been influenced by Indian cloths to some degree.
On an aesthetic level the Indonesian weavings share some of the same characteristics and motifs with Indian textiles. There is also some genetic evidence to suggest that the gene pool of Ikat weaving communities in Indonesia share some unique characteristics with those in Gujarat India. This isn't very surprising considering that traders were often stranded in Indonesia waiting for the seasonal trade winds to change to a homeward direction. During those months it would not be shock to see intermarriage or some degree of cultural and artistic exchange.
Indonesian Geringsing
The only place in Indonesia where double Ikats are produced is a village named Tenganan. This village's relationship with their weaving is a direct product of their history and their religion. Historically, this village is quite old, and has developed in cadence with ancient  waves of trade and influence. In fact, most villagers belong to the Bali Aga or “pure Balinese” who can trace their roots to a time before the Majapahit Empire and its 1343 colonization. These villagers were almost certainly influenced by early Ikat trade cloths that come from India.
On a religious level, the villagers follow a form of Hinduism which has a special role for their Ikat weavings. According to their beliefs, Indra, the god who created human beings, designed a magical double Ikat cloth called a geringsing. The name literally means “against sickness” or “against evil”. The inhabitants of Tenganan were instructed to use this cloth to protect their territorial, physical and spiritual purity. They have taken this request to heart, and to this day, revere the cloth as a highly powerful spiritual influence. The cloth is still a centerpiece of village life and is still worn and displayed at most important community events such as births, coming of age ceremonies, tooth filing ceremonies, weddings and burials.
The Technique
To understand why these weavings are so important, it is necessary to understand how complex and time consuming these tapestries are to produce. It takes months to produce each weaving, and takes the efforts of numerous people to spin the cotton, dye the thread and weave the cloth. Historically, the time spent on producing geringsing would have taken members of the community away from other important activities. And because this village was historically relatively small (currently it is made up of approximately 200 families), these weaving must have been seen to be as vital to community life as growing crops or raising livestock.
It is also very important to note that this entire process of creating a double Ikat, from spinning to dyeing to weaving, is undertaken by only a select few people, and more importantly, mostly by women. This social dictum is fascinating commentary on the importance of women in Tenganan society.
Spinning
The first stage of weaving begins with the spinning of cotton into thread. For all geringsings, only hand spun yarn is used. The threads are of extremely high quality, showing an even thickness throughout their length. This high-quality, hand spun thread is still the standard today.
Dyeing
The second stage, and arguably the most important stage is the dyeing. By its nature, a double Ikat is dyed in its entirety before it is woven. Both the warp (the vertical threads) and the weft (the horizontal threads) have a pattern dyed into them using a resist dye method. In this process, areas of thread are tied and untied to protect them from the dye, and colours are added layer by layer until a pattern is complete.
The pure essence of the geringsing, and what makes this cloth so fascinating, is the fact that even after dying, the pattern of the final cloth is invisible. The complete pattern can only be seen after the warp and weft threads combine, which only occurs as the weaving is produced. Essentially, until the weaving is complete, the final pattern only exists in the mind of the dyer.
As a consequence of this technique, any serious errors that occur in the dying will only be discovered when the weaving is being made. And most of these errors cannot be corrected. The cloth must be discarded.
The geringsing double Ikat is essentially a product of a tremendous amount of faith and skill in the dyer. The process must be perfect in order for the pattern to emerge properly. This necessitates a high degree of skill and an immense amount of experience. In fact, only women past child bearing years are allowed to undertake most of the dyeing process.
Time is another variable that adds a level of complexity to the dyeing process. For example, after the threads are dyed with the first dye of candlenut oil and wood ash, they are stored in an earthenware jar and covered with a checkered black and white cloth for forty-two days. The threads are then hung to dry in the sun for another forty-two days.
An additional time constraint comes from the supply of dyes. All of the dyes used in the geringsing are natural. But some of them come from other areas of Indonesia and are sometimes in short supply. In addition, the blue used in some geringsing is now dyed in the neighbouring village of Bugbug. Problems surrounding the supply of dyes often add a great deal of time to the creation of a geringsing.
Weaving
It is only during the weaving process that the final geringsing image appears. But this does not mean that the weaving process is a simple one. Weaving still takes a great deal of skill. Today, the credit for a good geringsing is often given to the weaver rather than the dyer. This is probably due to the fact that there are fewer master weavers and therefore fewer well woven geringsings.
When the dyeing process is complete, the dyed warp threads are put on a body tension loom and extra white and black threads are added on the sides to be used as a border. The dyed weft threads are then woven onto the warp. Any slight shifts in the pattern are fixed by moving the weft slightly with at bone or wood pick. The narrow border is used to accommodate these shifts in the weft.
Traditionally, the geringsing is only woven on specific days. For example, every 15 days comes a day called Kajeng Kliwon. It is a day of high spiritual activity where bad spirits abound. Although it is sometimes seen as an inauspicious day, villagers in Tenganan believe that the high degree of spiritual activity and spiritual energy makes the day a good one for weaving. A full moon is another good weaving day, where spiritual activity abounds. As a direct consequence of these limited weaving days, it often takes months or years to produce a single geringsing.
The Completed Cloth
Once complete, the geringsing can be seen in all its glory. It is a bold cloth with patterns that stand out because of strong contrasting areas of colour. Conversely, up close the cloth seems rather delicate, being made up of a loose, gauzy weave.
As a finished weaving, the geringsing is also a powerful symbol. It is used all over Indonesia in religious ceremonies, cultural events and important celebrations. It is used for tooth filing ceremonies, to protect images of Hindu deities and to protect the dead. It is seen as a very powerful cloth and is held in very high esteem.
The geringsing also tells a story through its patterns and motifs. Currently, there are several dozen specific geringsing motifs. Each weaving tells a different story through its motifs, and many of them are told here in our web site.
It is also a very rare cloth. Because so few women make them, and because it takes so long to create a single piece, these weavings are invariably in very short supply. This makes them extremely compelling as collection pieces.
What to look for
Because demand outstrips supply for geringsings, some low quality pieces have entered the market. In order to ensure that you purchase a high quality piece, here are several things to be aware of.
1. Many collectors prefer pieces that have an uncut warp. This means that the piece will be a continuous loop of cloth, not a flat sheet. This “loop” of cloth is a consequence of both the Ikat method of weaving, and the type of tension loom used. These factors create a weaving that is one continuous piece of cloth. These uncut pieces are generally scarcer, and are seen in Indonesia to be more powerful. In fact, once a piece is cut, it can no longer be used to cover a Hindu deity image.
2. Strong colours are essential for a good geringsing. Each colour must be sharp, distinct and bold. There should be no milky colours, and the colour should be consistent throughout.
3. Generally geringsings have 3 colours: an earthy yellow, a rich brown and a soft red. But some very important motifs have only two colours. So the number of colours is not necessarily an important factor to look for. Some blue geringsings have also been seen, although they are not traditional pieces.
4. The most important variable dictating geringsing quality is “sharpness”. The geringsing motif should be extremely crisp. Straight lines should be straight, circles should be round. Patterns should be obvious. And the quality should be consistent throughout. Patterns that look blurry are of poor quality and should be avoided.
For those seeking to purchase a double Ikat, they are beautiful works of art that tell an extremely compelling story. They are not only powerful religious object, but they also speak of the history of a culture, the importance of art to society and the hard work necessary to product a fascinating piece of art.
Geringsings are quite rare and highly collectable. They embody everything good art should be: beauty, meaning and sweat. Geringsings are important pieces of art and make fantastic additions to anyone’s art collection.
 Click here to see Eastern Summerhill's double ikats
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
