Foster Daily Use Of Traditional Textiles To Keep Malaysia’s Craft Heritage Alive

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysians should incorporate local textiles such as batik into their lifestyle to ensure the country’s craft heritage continues to thrive and remain relevant.

Yayasan Hasanah managing director Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki said that batik should not be limited to official occasions, but should also be worn as part of everyday attire.

According to her, fostering a culture of batik-wearing among Malaysians would encourage artists and textile craft entrepreneurs to produce more batik products.

Siti Kamariah, however, said that batik craft artists needed to play a role in producing batik-based products that cater to Malaysians’ needs and tastes, so as to encourage the use and purchase of Malaysian batik.

“Instead of buying printed batik, we buy hand-drawn batik. We are moving from factory-made items to products crafted by artisans in workshops,” she said at the Yayasan Hasanah booth at the CIMB Artober Art & Soul exhibition at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) here today.

Siti Kamariah said that although some in the community viewed hand-drawn batik as expensive, Malaysians must also consider its high artistic value compared with printed batik.

She said that in addition to batik, greater efforts were needed to revive telepuk, the art of decorating traditional Malay textiles, which forms part of the national heritage, to ensure it does not disappear over time.

“For example, the coronation attire of (the Rulers) of Selangor and Perak features elements of telepuk, which hold great cultural significance.

“Over the past five years, Yayasan Hasanah has provided space, opportunities, and financial support to revive the creation of telepuk fabrics,” she said.

Meanwhile, Telepuk crafter Mohd Azwarin Ahmed said the uniqueness of the art lies in its history as a royal garment used during weddings, births, and circumcision ceremonies.

The Terengganu native said that the art, which has existed since the time of the Melaka Malay Sultanate, was on the verge of extinction due to the difficult and time-consuming nature of its manufacturing process.

Mohd Azwarin said that the art of telepuk involves four intricate techniques, namely weaving, carving wooden motif stamps, the calendering process, and gilding the cloth with gold leaf.

“My hope is that telepuk will remain in its authentic form. We can innovate, but it should not erode the traditional practices,” said last year’s recipient of the Hasanah Gold Threads Awards in the Best Traditional (Drawing and Stamping) category.

--BERNAMA