August 5, 2015, by Lisa Chin
Past Event: UNMC Graduate School Hari Raya Open House
In conjunction with the festive celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Eid Mubarak, an Open House featuring a “Batik Drawing” session was held on Friday, 31st July 2015. Open House, known in Malaysia as Rumah Terbuka, is prevalent in the Malaysian culture especially during major festivals and celebrations.
The special occasion gave us a great opportunity to get-together to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri and at the same time allowed us to show some batik clothing which is considered to be one of the most sought after Malaysian product as souvenirs and gifts.
The Open House was attended by approximately 30 postgraduate students. They were treated with a variety of Malaysian delicacies such as rendang, nasi impit, kuah kacang, kuah lodeh as well as some cookies.
Batik refers to a fabric dyeing technique using hot wax to create patterns and designs. The technique is thought to be over a thousand years old and historical evidence demonstrates that cloth decorated with this technique was in use in the early centuries A.D. in Africa, the Middle East and in several places in Asia. Although there is no sure explanation as to where batik was first “invented”, many observers believe that it was brought to Asia by travelers from the Indian subcontinent.
Despite the fact that batik may have originated elsewhere, most observers believe that batik has reached its highest artistic expression in Indonesia, particularly in Java. The art of batik was later spread to the rest of the Indonesian archipelago and the Malay peninsula where the popularity of the fabric led to the establishment of many production centres. Batik has become a very central means of artistic expression for many of the areas of Asia and a deeply integrated facet of Asian culture.
Paper was used instead of cloth/fabric during the batik drawing session in view of some limitations in getting the authentic tools in making batik. Nevertheless, we got to experience the creative process in making batik.
Much of the popularity of batik can be tied to the fact that its technique offers immense possibilities of artistic freedom as patterns are applied by actual drawing rather than by weaving with thread. Another factor which contributes to its popularity is the fact that it is durable. The colours in batik are much more resistant to wear than those of painted or printed fabrics because the batik fabric is completely immersed in dye and the areas not protected by the wax are allowed to absorb hues to the extent that the colours will not easily fade.
Malaysia has acclaimed batik as one of the nation’s heritage, inherited from the Nusantara common heritage influence. It is believed that batik making begun in the Javanese islands in the 12th century and spread to various places within the Nusantara, including the Malay states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Batik production has now spread throughout Malaysia and found its own design niche which is contemporary, fresh and free style.
One of our postgraduate students, during the batik drawing session.
Having fun during the batik drawing session!
Colouring is always fun!
One of our postgraduate students, with a completed work – a coat of arms of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Very well done!
Another postgraduate student with a completed work. Good job!
We would like to express our heartiest gratitude to those who attended the Hari Raya Open House. Through it, we hope to promote and foster the spirit of unity and solidarity among the members of postgraduate community at UNMC.
If you have any feedback regarding the session, please write to us at rtad@nottingham.edu.my or graduateschool@nottingham.edu.my. We also welcome any suggestions and ideas that you would like us to consider for our future Coffee and Cake sessions.
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