Monday, October 3, 2011 - Threads of Life in the afternoon.

This afternoon we visited a cultural centre called Threads of Life.  This organization has preserved the heritage of the ikat weaving and batik processes evident in Bali.  It is also their mandate to help fibre artists to be sustainable with their materials and to receive a fair price for their work.  William Ingram, originally from England, began this organization in the early 1990's.  William led us in a discussion of the history of fibre arts traditions in the Indonesian region.  His discussion was always accompanied by examples of the fabrics.

William Ingram holding a piece of woven cloth, explaining the history of the weaving traditions.

The first fibres were made out of tree bark.  The bark would be repeatedly pounded and soaked with water, until the fibres were felted together.  Here is an example in which the process is just begun.  Other fibres which were used include banana fibre - abaca, nettle fibre - rami, and any other fibres that have good strong fibres, such as pineapple and later cotton.

Early fabrics were woven on a back loom in the shape of a tube.  A back loom would have one end of the loom behind the weavers back and the other in from of them attached to a stationary frame.  In this way the weavers body would keep the warp threads tight as she wove the weft fibres. Here is a sample of locally grown, carded, spun and woven fabric.  The centre area where they cannot weave because it gets too tight to continue (about 5cm or so) is hidden underneath the tube of fabric in this picture.

William explained the significance of trade routes and symbols on the fabrics.  And how these symbols were revised and altered as time went on.  Some of the basic traditions are still kept (for the most part).  For example, borders at the bottom and sides.  Central motifs signifying the cultural group from which the cloth comes from, etc.

The large central motif here is the bigger dark diamonds with cream geometric design.  This motif represents the controlling region that this trade cloth comes from.  The smaller diamonds represent the other communities that support this central region.  Early textiles would have been important for clothing, offerings, gifts, funeral shrouds, and trading.  Anthropologists know that trading did occur from Indonesian islands as early as 1700BC, as they have found traces of nutmeg and cloves (originally only found on these Indonesian islands) in Mesopotamia and other distant areas.

Natural dyes are used to dye the threads.  Indigo is used to get blue.  The more submersions into the vat of dye the darker the colour.  Indigo dye material is available in the rainy season.  Morinda, the red dye is only available in the dry season and requires some other chemicals (mordants) to get it to adhere to the fibres, complicating the process.  (Morinda requires fatty acid and aluminum molecules to bind the colour to the fibre.  First the fibre is soaked in candle nut oil, during this time one end the fatty acid molecule of the oil binds to the fibres.  The other end of the fatty acid molecule has three binding sites and this is where the aluminum molecules bind to the fibre later when the dye is added.)  After the fibre is soaked in oil it can sit aging (oxidizing) for many years.  In some cultures, grandmothers would prepare fibres to be used by future generations, leaving the fibres decades before they would finally be dyed and woven!

Here is an example of the bundle of fibres being tied before they are dyed.  Notice that the weaving pattern has to be kept in mind at this point because the tyed areas will remain undyed.  Of course the colours on the thread will ultimately create the pattern.  Such a time consuming and complicated process!!

Single ikat is when the weaver dyes the warp threads only.  Double ikat weaving is when the weaver dyes both the warp and weft fibres; doubly tricky!!

Here are the warp thread all tied and ready to be dyed in the first dye colour - indigo.  (Behind is William Ingram.)

The set of threads on the right have been dyed in indigo a few times, note the royal blue colour.  The set of threads on the left have been dyed many times, note the dark black/blue colour.  If in the final weaving the weaver would like the royal blue colour, s/he must put on additional ties half way through  the indigo dying process.  Notice the earthenware vessel at the bottom of the picture, this is the vat they would use to dye the threads in.  The entire set of threads is immersed in the solution.

 Here is an example of a final product.  Note the creamy white is the area of the threads that didn't get dyed at all.  (Also the area that is eventually died red needs to be tied, it cannot have indigo on it; it eventually will be dyed red.)  The first colour to be dyed is the royal blue, then the dark blue.  Any areas that need to be dyed red, the tying knots are now removed, exposing white areas of thread and the entire set of warp threads are soaked in oil, then dyed red.  At this time any areas that were dark blue, now turn a dark brown black from the addition of the red colour.  The threads are now unknotted and ready to be woven on a loom.  (If this piece is to be double ikat the entire process would have to be completed for the weft fibres too!!  So you can see that a truly fair price for ikat weavings is very high.  If you find cheaper priced ikat it is probably produced under unfair labour practices!

Monday, October 3, 2011 - Rice fields in the morning

A long walk through the rice fields in Ubud started our day.  Rice was originally planted only once a year and stored for 12 months in small 'granaries'.  But with the Balianese population growth the farmers are planting two crops of rice and one of corn in the dry season.  Some farmers are using western methods (chemical fertilizers and tractors), and some are finding that they can not afford that method and are using traditional methods (animal manure for fertilizer, oxen for plowing, scything and winnowing for harvesting.

Here you see tiered rice fields and the irrigation and walkways to the various homes.  The white skirted table is actually an alter where the people give the gods their offerings.  (Offerings that are placed on the ground are offerings to appease the demons.)  It was an overcast day, which was a blessing as it reduced the heat.  Rice needs lots of water and heat to mature.

As we hiked through the rice field we encountered:

Organic farm cooperative.

Local farmer planting a vegetable garden.

Meeting up with scooters on the narrow path.

 Machine shed protecting the plow from the elements.

Labourer carrying her work load.

Alter honouring the harvest god for a bountiful harvest.

Caged roosters kept for cock fighting.

When we finally found our way out of the rice fields by walking very narrow sod pathways between rice field irrigation, we ended up inside a temple where monks were making new carvings for inside the temple.  The carvings were being made out of sandalwood.

Our rice paddy walk.

Monk carver working on new carvings for the temple.

Wooden alter carving that is being worked on in pieces.

After our walk we traveled by minivan to Ani's Gallery to look at hand painted batiks for sale and we also got to look at her apprentices painting pieces in the workshop.

The batik wax was already on and dried, now the painters are hand painting the colours on to make the picture.  The fabric is spread out on two long boards, and any extra paint drips through.

Uni's son and a cousin.  I gave them each a Canada pin.

Lunch was at Murni's Cafe.  I was in a wonderfully secluded location down near the river, that you couldn't even see at street level.  I had a wonderful meal of steamed vegetables and rice that was beautifully presented!!

Steep steps down to the restaurant by the river.

Beautifully presented and delicious meal of Galu galu.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Last night I met all the ladies on the Bali Fibre Art Tour.  It looks like we are going to have a great group!!  We had a marvelous supper and then hit the sack in order to start our first busy day.

Today we transfered from our hotel near the airport by ELF bus (small bus that seats all 10 of us) to Ubud.  The roads are very narrow so the small bus was a must.  Most of the locals use scooters.  On them they are able to transport anything - their family, surfboard, TVs, and here you will see chickens and ducks!

We stopped at a supermarket and bought some water for our time in Ubud.  I also got some local coffee and incense.  Enroute we stopped at a very scenic spot to take some pictures of the rice paddies.  Lots of hawkers.  I bought some postcards from two little girls after I got my picture taken with them.

Then we drove on Ubud were we checked into the Pertiwi Resort.  We explored Ubud for a bit.  Then I had a Balianese Massage and a manicure.  Supper was at a restaurant called Sagittarius.  Then off to a culture evening of Balianesian music and dance by local students learning their culture.  Very inspiring.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Drove to Ubud with Anja, we rented a car and driver.  We went to the natural healer from Eat, Pray, Love.

Diagnosis consisted of looking and feeling different areas of the body, looking in our eyes, etc.  She told me some of my troubling health issues – low blood pressure, arthritis, worrier, dehydration and blood too acidic.  She also told me that as a youngster I was not very healthy, that I am healthier now as an adult.  Then she told me my fortune.  She said I would have a long life, and that I would have a part-time job after this year off.  She said the job would be part-time, but not every day.  I wonder what that could be??

I am being examined by the natural healer.

Here are the four of us.  Left - me, doctor, Anja, helper

Entrance to "Wayan" Spiritual Healer

Came back to the Patra Hotel and checked in for our first night of the tour.  Met the other ladies in the tour at supper.  Three ladies from San Francisco – Mary, Susanne, and Sandra.  Two ladies from Kansas – Elenor and Jackie.  One lady from Washington State – Mary.  One lady from Oregon – Darlene.  And our two leaders from Victoria – Barb and Cheryl.  So with me we are a total of ten women.

Friday, September 30

I spent the morning and early afternoon walking the beach and sitting by the pool.  Some R & R was greatly appreciated.   In the morning I met a Balinesian man carrying a fish.  He said he fished most mornings and that he often would catch two fish.  Today he had only caught one fish because the water was colder today.

Local man catching fish for his meal.

Brightly coloured kayak-type boats the local fishermen use.

I went out for supper with Anja and her surfing friends.  We went to a BBQ on the Jimbaran beach.
There were dozens of restaurants with the tables in the sand.  (Imagine being a waiter carrying large platters in the sand - great leg and calf muscles.)  On the menu at each restaurant was fresh caught sea food.  Each platter of food consisted of a large white fish (possibly like the one I had seen the fisherman with in the morning), prawns, calamari, and shellfish.  The food was delicious!

There was a mixup with my hotel and I had no where to sleep.  I ended up crashing with Anja at the Surfer Lounge in the dorm on a spare bunk bed.