Fedex Global Education Center hosts textile exhibit

Many take for granted the intricacy that goes into the creation of a single piece of textile.

On the islands of Indonesia, textiles are a specialty. Curator Sally Kahler explained the complexities of the different handwoven cloths Tuesday night in the FedEx Global Education Center.

Kahler’s lecture accompanied the new exhibit of textiles from Indonesia in the Global Center.

The exhibition, “Indonesian Textiles — Culture, Traditions, and Techniques”, will be in the Global Center from Nov. 3 to Nov.15.

With a warm introduction by James Peacock, the namesake for the Peacock Atrium of the Global Center, Kahler touched upon the complex ikat and batik weaving practices as well as how those impacted cultural traditions of Indonesia.

Kahler lived in Indonesia and Hong Kong for 13 years and experienced firsthand the fascinating art of the handwoven textiles.

She learned to weave from a technical weaver in Finland.

“From this I gained an appreciation for handwoven cloth,” Kahler said.

Her move to Southeast Asia acquainted her further with the intricacies of textiles.

“I can look at a cloth and find out how and where it was made,” she said.

“Sally Kahler is very knowledgeable of the intricacies of weaving and the importance of textiles,” said Stephanie Nelson, the associate director for the Carolina Asia Center, which hosted the event.

In her explanations of both methods, Kahler stressed the difficulty and precision required to simply complete the works.

Ikat weaving method

The ikat method of weaving uses a resist dyeing process. The threads are separated into bunches and dyed separately to create a pattern. Once the threads have reached the desired hue, they are fit to a loom and woven together to achieve the end result. The most common loom for Indonesian textiles is a backstrap loom.

Batik weaving method

The batik method is a wax resist dyeing technique. The dye is placed on plain white cotton imported from India. Using a cap (a block design made of copper), the process involves six different stages of waxing to get a design of three different colors.

Batik is the most popular method in Indonesia for sarongs, the most commonly worn clothing.

“I took a weeklong class on Batik weave making, and I will never do it again,” Kahler said, referring to the method’s difficulty.

“I have great admiration for the Batik weavers.”

Following these methods, Kahler said the finishing work was just as painstaking and integral as the weaving of the cloth.

“Tying the fringe could take hours of work,” she said.

After Kahler’s lecture, audience members were given the opportunity to hear Gamelan Nyai Saraswati, a form of traditional Indonesian music.

Directed by Marzanna Poplawska, the performance included instruments of a central Javanese Gamelan workshop.

Additionally, Indonesian food was served.



Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.