The Ambassador of the Republic Indonesia to the United States, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, launched First American Batik Design Competition on Friday, April 8, 2011 at the Washington Marriot Wardman Park Hotel. The competition aims to globalize and promote batik, a material with unique pattern that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique.
The launching which was attended by around 300 guests showcased Batik Fashion Show featuring Denny Wirawan, a young and talented Indonesian fashion designer, as well as batik exhibition prior to the launching. There was also a video presentation and a talk about the history of Indonesian batik, which since 2009 has been inscribed by UNESCO as the representative list of the intangible cultural Heritage of Humanity from Indonesia. It was also in 2009 when the Indonesian President, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, declared October 2 as a Batik Day and encourages all Indonesian to wear Batik on that particular day. With this official recognition, the Ambassador stated "it is a time for us to go into the next step on how to globalize batik".
Through the competition, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia seeks to increase the American public’s awareness and appreciation towards Batik. Further, it is also hoped that the competition will encourage the acculturation of Indonesia’s Batik into American cultural diversity. The theme of the competition is "the Spirit of America in the Heritage of Batik."
In connection to the competition, Indonesian Ambassador states that “Batik is a creative product of Indonesia that needs to be shared and spread all over the world, to inspire other nation’s culture. Indonesian Batik itself has some influences from other cultures such as Chinese and India. We hope one day there will be batik coming from Russia, Africa, Arab, Latin and others. The acculturation will be an evidence that Indonesian heritage of Batik is enjoyed, appreciated and adopted by other nations.
Further, Ambassador Djalal adds that the 21st century is the century of multiculturalism; ”we are witnessing all amazing flows of exchange and diffusion - among civilization, culture, idea, and innovation. Therefore, Indonesia Batik must go international, and in this process, we have to be ready to see Batik being adopted in other nations’ culture, as long as its spirit remains as Indonesian heritage of Batik. In this regards, American Batik Design competition is hoped to reflect Indonesian rich cultural heritage and to show Indonesian cultural self confidence as the world emerging power.
The American Batik Design Competition is a nationwide competition and is open for students, professionals, designers, and anyone who has passion in textile designs. The participant has to be a U.S. citizen with minimum age of 16 year old. The participants are only required to submit batik’s motif design which reflects ‘American style and spirit’. The deadline for the submission of the designs is August 1, 2011. The winner will be announced in November 2011 and the Award presentation is planned to take place in San Francisco.
The judges of the competition consist of Batik experts, Batik Lovers, Fashion Designers and representatives from textile design experts, both from Indonesia and America.
The judges will select 6 winners comprise of 3 best winners who will receive ‘Batik Tour’ to Indonesia along with prize money and another 3 winners who will only receive prize money. The winners will also have the opportunity to exhibit their Batik designs in Indonesia and in the US.
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Further information and queries; please contact Press and Information Division, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington DC Attn. Heru H. Subolo, Phone: 202-775-5200, Fax. 202-775-5349 E-mail :hsubolo@embassyofindonesia.org
