Bamboo fiber weave dyed with mahogany bark dye extract, result of his research (Photo credit: Didit Pradito)

Didit Pradito is a textile designer, a writer and also a fibre researcher. He has been exposed to various cultures since his childhood. As a curious young man, Didit read and learnt a wide variety of topics including art, engineering and medicine before finally pursuing a degree in Textile Design. An educator at heart, he moved from a teaching position in a learning institution and instead, working and interacting directly with the various textile and cultural artisans around Indonesia.

In this interview, we talk with Didit about his journey in researching textiles and fibres, his design and experience working with artisan communities all over Indonesia.

 

 

aNERDgallery: Let’s start with a little introduction about yourself and how you first encountered textile and fell in love with it?

Didit Pradito: I was born in Bandung, from a half Sundanese and half Javanese family. My father graduated from an engineering school who does a lot of experiments and subscribes to popular mechanic magazines. My mother is a language teacher who speaks several languages and she is familiar with drawing portraits using coloured pencils and watercolours.

I am the 7th child of seven siblings. Since elementary school, I have been living in an environment with ethnic diversity and learning to understand the many differences in values ​​among tribes. At school, we were introduced to the concept of Indonesia which was based on Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Unity in Diversity, a mutual understanding and respect for differences and tolerance

I grew up with a variety of influence from around my family which is represented by their field of study, for example my eldest sister graduated from graphic art, second sister from medicine, third sister from interior design, fourth brother from mechanical engineering, fifth brother from economics, and sixth sister from architecture. I ended up choosing textile design. Previously, I worked as a lecturer, but I resigned in 2015. Since late 90s, I do the  research in many places around Indonesia, and have explored 17 different provinces from Sabang to Merauke and by doing that, I can interact and share directly with the artisans. I also can gather more data and stories and to observe directly from the ground.

I have been familiar with various cultural expressions since childhood including various traditional ceremonies such as marriage, pregnancy, birth, circumcision. There are also dances, silat performances, batik, etc. that became the background of how I got interested in artistic expression based on cultural traditions.

What makes you interested in Indonesian textile and fibres?

I was first interested in Indonesian textile through exploring and interacting with various traditional textiles in Indonesia and also around Southeast Asia, India, and China. The diversity of values ​​and cultural expressions demonstrated by various ethnic groups present local wisdoms ​​that have been built from generation to generation that reflect local views and values ​​about communal identity and existence.

The values ​​built in the pakem (ed.: sacred motif) encourage the emergence of sharp and subtle creativity that produces traces of uniqueness, such as the decorative characteristics of batik in rural and coastal areas. In the inland batik, it tends to have deep philosophical values ​​and is articulated in symbolic expressions in various stylised forms of decoration with colour composition towards earth and dark colours. Meanwhile, for the coastal batik, the motifs are more naturally expressed in a figurative way. They do not express much symbolism, so sometimes the message simply conveys the ‘beauty’ of nature. A similar phenomenon also occurs in weaving.

Also, along with the study of various textile craft traditions, we have to map out their historical origins in a series of cultural phenomenon events, starting from the upstream processes to the formation of the finished craft form. So, it can be said that the trigger (for me to start working with textiles) is to study various craft phenomena related to history, processes, technical methods, to the expressions of community culture. In general, they love to ask what, why and how, then proceed to more specific questions and/or statements such as which and when. There have been many interesting things to explore, thus far, especially for batik, weaving, and even natural dyes.

In the case of fibre, I observed that almost all textile centers have the tradition of the upstream process – the process of taking fibre and spinning it into yarn – removed. Thus, many weaving communities depend on imported cotton and silk threads from India and China. In various museums around the world, textiles from Indonesia are made from various fibres such as lemba, ulap doyo (curculigo latifolia), banana, abaca, pineapple and many other local fibres. I was then interested in trying to restore the upstream tradition of extracting fibre and spinning it into yarn.

I did various practical experiments to extract fibre and to spin it into yarns. The process must be easy to understand and the equipment should be easily operated as it will be used by various rural communities far from transportation networks.

The idea to process fibre is to be able to answer the challenges of today – to direct the production of handicrafts towards processes that are ecological and oriented towards renewable materials so as to replace the synthetic processes that generate pollution, environmental damage and public health issues.

What kind of textile design do you do and what is your focus?

At first, around 1988-1998, I was exploring cotton and chiffon or polyester fabrics into ready-to-wear clothing by exploring universal themes about continents, oceans, marines and safaris. When I was challenged by a few independent creative actors, it led me to the field of education and my focus turned to various scientific explorations, ranging from theory to the applications as needed to stimulate students to be creative with their work. After 25 years in the educational environment, I am more focused on community-based empowerment and development.

The artistic approach in my work is always related to the clothing collections that I am making. There are various silhouette forms from clothing shapes, ranging from shirts to sarongs, there are empty fields to be filled with decorations. There are basic visual characters from each technique, be it batik, weaving, or tie dye. There is no specific pattern that I will use continuously. Patterns to me are like words that are used to construct sentences. Thus, my signature is always based on a combination of science, environment and creativity, with fresh, new, unique and interesting designs.

Recently, I have been researching about jumputan (tie-dye) too. Usually a jumputan is made of woven fabric, but I make a jumputan from t-shirt and process them with natural dyes. So, I combined old ideas and traditions with current needs. I created something of new value and this is my signature.

How do you gather inspiration and execute these designs?

First, I need to build a theme. I need to know who the customers are and what they aspire to make a design that is suitable for them. I would then make several samples. I have to study the patterns and the colours on the fabric.

From sketching until execution, it is a process – summarising, coordinating and predicting any mishaps. What we think at the beginning turns into a totally different result. That will be interesting and we need to appreciate that. Sometimes, it is an accident, but in the end, it will be a very good product. It is a creative play of verbal expression that will be applied to various collections.

Do you work with local makers or do you have your own workshop?

When working as an empowerment facilitator in a centre, all activities are carried out locally, of course, involving local artisans, ranging from four days to one week. I will come back every now and then to monitor. With the advancement in technology, monitoring can be done anytime.

For various independent projects, I do it at home or various places according to the stage of the process. Until now, I do not have my own workshop. Considering that I move to different places often,  it is not possible to manage the workshop professionally.

What draws you to this research topic (of textiles and fibres)? What is the process and what can be produced from bamboo fibre? 

The attention to this topic is sparked by concerns over environmental damage, cultural degradation of creative traditions, and dependence on local potentials. This is done through field exploration, understanding the diversity of plants, soil, and climate, natural science practices, followed by selecting and simplifying for use in the local community.

Till now, I can only make a simple form of bamboo carpet. Based on experimental studies, bamboo can be made as smooth as silk with a comfortable dry feel for the skin like cotton. This allows bamboo fibres to be made into anything, both for textiles and composites production.

When the economic value meets the various needs of players in the field – spinners, weavers and clothing makers, bamboo gardens will be built to become mass canopies to protect direct exposure to the sun, rain, and wind. This provides an opportunity to improve biodiversity.

This ecosystem is one of the fastest alternatives to improve the environment as well as increase economic capacity, because bamboo can reach maximum height in 5 to 7 weeks since planting. The bamboo products themselves provide great health benefits in protecting the body from exposure to bacteria, oxidisers and other allergy triggers.

You mentioned that you are doing natural dye research in 17 ethnic groups, can you tell more about it?

I was already in contact with them since I did my study in textile design. I always love to interact with the community and I think it is very interesting to hear directly from their perspectives. By directly interacting with them, we can get new information and gather suggestions from various communities.

Could you share some examples of these local wisdoms (i.e. interesting insights of natural dyeing) that you find?

One of the highlights is the diversity of raw natural dyes processing from India, China and Southeast Asia. Most use indigo, morinda and various dyes from tree wood.

For the indigo fermentation process, each region uses different sources such as slaked lime from limestone, or from shells of a kind of snail/conch. For reducing agents, there are fruits such as bananas, pineapples, guavas and fructose-producing plants as reducing agents. For metal mordant, a variety of plants containing alum rich such as loba leaf (symplocos) are used, as well as a tannin mordant from a variety of plants which are rich in tannins. As for the oil mordant, many use peanuts and candlenuts.

Almost all plant-based sources of natural dyes are part of the herbal health tradition. Forms of prohibitions and ceremonial rituals that initiate the immersion process are then formed. Through these rituals, it is hoped that sincerity and intention can take place and succeed in presenting proud crafts.

Of course, many of these approaches have receded due to the shifting of the basis of craft making from a spiritual activity to an economic one. One example is the Nakar tradition of the Iban Dayak. The process of candlenut mordant with a mixture of spices takes place starting from cutting a chicken and praying for health and protection during weaving.

As for batik, it has shifted from cultural products into a commodity. It was believed that there is a physiological and spiritual effect of using batik cloth as it was closely linked to herbal health tradition. During the colonisation, activities related to spirituality were minimised. Woven textiles and batik have the same rituals but there is a greater impact of cultural erosion in Java and this traditional knowledge is not passed down effectively.

What are the opportunities and threats to the development of natural dyes and local fibres in Indonesia?

The opportunity to develop natural dyes is far more likely than local fibres. The tradition of natural dyes is generally still available as there are many local sources who know and have started a movement, one of which is through the activities of a Natural Dye Community, WARLAMI.

For fibre development, there is no initial development in the form of processing traditions that can be used as an effort to generate new income, meaning that empowerment must begin with mapping the potential and available ones, introduction, training to skills.

As a threat, we have grown accustomed to the ease of using imported cotton yarn with a good quality finish. It saves time. To obtain a large socio-economic support, an example of the success of the communities that are currently under development is needed.

Talking about recycling waste of used cotton cloths, what are the development and potential of sustainability in Indonesia fashion in “closing the loop”? Any practical tips for anyone who is embarking on a sustainable lifestyle journey?

For this, I do not know for sure who are the perpetrators of mass and sustainable cotton recycling. I have not seen a group movement that is consistent and can be expected. Practically, it can be done by breaking down into fibres and spun back into yarn and woven into cloth. Another way is to break down into pieces of cloth, wash and dye with natural dyes, woven and/or sewn into new sheets of cloth or clothing. There are many simple creative approaches that can be taken.

What are the challenges you face so far in your work (design or research) and how do you overcome it?

The challenges faced today in the design is in terms of explore the application of natural dyes to various textile traditions and also explore the unique elements of tradition to become the aesthetic appeal of the actual urban fashion collection to support the eco fashion movement that is more pro-climate change while maintaining the diversity of cultural heritage rich in wisdom. Until now, most of the research has been done at my own expense and several sponsors from various sources of work that I can do. Because involving other parties is not easy, especially when it comes to administrative needs that are not simple. However, I still strive through institutional cooperation between associations, research organizational entities, and so on.

Are there any ongoing projects or research?

For now, I am making a simple mechanical machine prototype that is driven by hand. This can eliminate some of the need for hand skills, such as in the process of spinning the fibre to yarn. I am also producing some portable machines for distribution in various weaving tradition centers which can be added with upstream activities, such as spinning yarn training, to develop various skills and employment opportunities.

Other than that, I want to continue the fibre exploration with a biotechnology approach, such as in the formation of enzymes and isolating various bacteria used to break down lignin, a pectin in fibres. The formation of fibres with biological processes pays attention to the maintenance of ecology.

I also want to revive various weaving traditions using a new approach, by presenting tools and techniques to speed up the process without losing the originality or the character of the traditional textile itself. There are many traditional centres of ikat fabrics but many lose the ability to make an ikat pattern. Likewise, to encourage craftsmen to switch to natural dyes.

Also, to provide craftsmen with knowledge for sustainability. The emphasis on quality that can promise a sustainable market. This is not easy to do and requires open communication and passion. To give instruction without knowledge transfer will not empower them.

 What are your closing words and hope for Indonesian textile in the future?

This hope actually transcends national boundaries. In the context of global environmental events, such as the pandemic and disasters due to climate change, it is evident that the interconnections of ecosystems are faced by everyone. We must strive for the production of environmentally friendly textiles that do not pollute the rivers with various synthetic materials.

In Indonesia, there is a massive promotion of various lifestyle products that shift from mass-scale products to cultural heritage products. However, many of these products are copied by printing and sold as souvenirs at low prices, causing an ambiguous perception that these mass products are equated with original craft products. Many consider the price of natural products to be unreasonable. We need to educate the market amidst this misleading promotion by the opportunistic industrialists. Strategic policies are needed from the central to regional levels to really protect culture and nature.

I hope this appreciation of cultural and ecological products can be raised.

We hope you enjoyed the aNERDspective series. Check out the previous articles here and our gallery and store if you would like a piece of Indonesia for your home or wardrobe. You may also check out  Didit’s Instagram for the latest updates.

Photo credit: Didit Pradito, unless stated otherwise.