Batik 3 Negeri: Journey to Half the World

“By looking at and wearing Batik 3 Negeri, you have traveled half the world.”

This beautiful quote about Batik 3 Negeri comes from Ms Agni Malagina, S.S., M.Hum. She is a great figure who has contributed greatly to the development of Batik Lasem. The founder of the Kesengsem Lasem community has worked with many researchers and Batik makers in Indonesia.

Ms Agni has been researching Batik Lasem since 2015. Incredibly, she has written for 3 editions of National Geographic; for 3 years in a row. In this event, she explained the early history of the creation of Batik Lasem and said that Lasem had been a city of drugs since the 17th century. Now, Lasem is being pursued to become a National Cultural Heritage City.

In the article “de Batik Kunst”, it is known that Batik Lasem and Pekalongan are porcelain Batiks which have bright colors, such as green and yellow. She also stated that it has a unique shade of red. “Batik Lasem is special because its red color is made from noni root. The lime content in Lasem mixed with water can become a dye that has its own characteristics,” she said.

At this event, she said that Batik 3 Negeri was inspired by many people around the world. Based on its history, cotton cloth brought from England was transported using ships from India, Arabia, and even China to the archipelago; after that, it was traded to all corners of the country. Therefore, there was a lot of intervention in making this Batik.

Apart from Ms Agni, another great speaker is Mr. Sandy Rismantojo who is a Doctoral Candidate at Silpakorn University Thailand. He also said that batik, especially Batik Lasem and Batik 3 Negeri, have in-depth narratives that are so meaningful.

“Batik Lasem can turn into Batik 3 Negeri with its unique production. Coloring in 3 different places: Lasem (red), Kudus (blue), and Solo (brown), makes one piece of batik cloth to have 3 different stories that are interconnected. I was amazed by that,” he said.

In addition, he also showed the results of his research work, which has a combined style from Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The combined Garuda and Hibiscus patterns represent the current pandemic. Although we were hit by difficult times, nature will definitely recover. “Batik has a story and has a prayer,” he said.

All in all, this event proves that Batik has a story and its value is irreplaceable.