Prologue

..,In BungaWari, there lives Sang Hyang Sri, a heavenly female figure who represents the essence of life and creations, including magnificent textiles. Alas, there lies deep philosophy behind the beauty of woven textiles made of wari flowers – cotton flowers – which are the basic component of a textile and the body of life.

Kawih Pangeuyeukan and Other Texts

Sang Hyang Sri and her abode, BungaWari, is mentioned in Kawih Pangeuyeukan (Weaving Songs), one of the few texts mentioning Sundanese textiles from West Java, Indonesia. Pangeuyeukan refers to anything related to weaving in Sundanese and Kawih Pangeyeukan is an old Sundanese poem describing weaving, both technically and spiritually.

Kawih Pangeuyeukan becomes an important text for its genre as there are no similar texts describing weaving and other textile production in detail. The age of the text is unknown, and from a single palm-leaf manuscript, it can be assumed that the oldest copy was from around the 16^th century.

Besides, there are few living artefacts, and it is presently practised only by some Baduy tribe members with limited patterns. As a result, it is difficult to portray an accurate picture of Sundanese textile culture and history.

Researcher Aditia Gunawan cross-referenced various manuscripts and research papers to gather information on Sundanese textile practices, including their uses, tools, processes, motifs as well as philosophical and mystical connections.

Let’s Ngeuyeuk

Ngeyeuk (to weave) is derived from the word heuyeuk (weaving instrument) and, hence, pangeuyeuk is a weaver. Technical verbs including tulis (to draw or to write), meubeur (to tie), neuleum (to submerge or to dye) are indicative of the professional nature of textile production. Cloths are traded, presented as gifts, exchanged as marriage tokens and payment for services. For the Sundanese, cloth is a primary necessity and reflects human’s higher consciousness to recognise modesty.

Sundanese textiles are likely to be woven using an externally braced loom with flat warp and reed. Looking at the loom design and tools, weaving requires balance, endurance, patience, and selflessness, in which, lacking any of them results in a cloth with inconsistency and deemed unusable. The weaving tools also reflects the Sundanese worldview to remain grounded, to have strong conviction and to have a moment of deliberate contemplation.

Weaving is a time-consuming practice; the weaver feeds the weft systematically across the warp until the full length of the fabric is achieved. And yet, after it is completed, the fabric becomes temporal. Such is life; we weave a social fabric as a legacy, and it is up to the next generation to continue this tradition or create a new world to better suit their needs.

Weaving a New World

In Kawih Pangeyeukan, Aci Déwata (“The Divine Essence”), the leader of the deities, ordered his subordinate goddesses to transform an empty world into a bustling place. Under the leadership of Aci Déwata’s younger sister, Sang Hyang Sri, the goddesses created a universe filled with beauty and colours in its purest form where they amuse themselves and relax. In this universe, they resided in areas named after and associated with weaving tools, materials, processes, and the body of the weaver herself.

Weaving and dyeing, in essence, is associated with the creation of a new world in Sundanese culture. Woven textile is a medium in which the divine nature of universe and materials are manifested and expressed. Weaving rituals and mantras are in place to ensure successful creation of this world. Through her looms, weaving connects Sundanese women intimately to the netherworld, allowing them to practice a form of asceticism integrated in their daily life.

BungaWari: Disentangling the Romance of Sundanese Textiles

Weaving represents a woman’s maturity. The ideal image of a Sundanese woman was associated with her weaving skills, including embroidering with gold threads in the dark, dyeing in the night, and twining in the day. Phrases, such as “hapitan karawaléa” and “seungkeur ngeuyeuk” sums up women’s attributes of excellence in allusion to their sexuality and financial sensibility, respectively.

Based on the works of Aditia Gunawan, artist Agnes Christina presents ten brand-new artworks showcasing her interpretations and reflections of Sundanese weaving process and philosophy. Agnes explores techniques and materials to challenge modern textile consumption as well as to illustrate contemporary femininity, sexuality, spirituality, and vulnerability through a new lens that intersects literary, textile and contemporary visual arts.

References:

1. Aditia Gunawan. (2019). Textiles in Old-Sundanese Texts.

2. Mamat Ruhimat, Aditia Gunawan, Tien Wartini. (2014). Kawih Pangeuyeukan. Perpustakaan Nasional RI.

About Agnes Christina

Agnes Christina (b. 1987) is an Indonesian multidisciplinary artist who is interested in the struggle that people face in life, and more importantly, how they deal with the struggle. Focusing on the rhythm that is created by humans in everyday life, Agnes presents her stories through various media such as theatre, performance, painting, embroidery, and fashion.

Her theatre scripts have been published several times, and her visual artworks have been featured in exhibitions such as Bazaar Arts Jakarta, Artjog and Jogja Biennale (Korean Pavilion). Her fashion line, @Leafthief.id is growing to be a cult favourite around Indonesia and Singapore.