Ikat

Ikat weaving is a process of tying bundles of either the lengthwise warp, or crosswise weft, cotton fibres (or both in Tenganan  double ikat)  with temporary, resist plant fibres to create  patterns   when   the bundle  is dipped  into  dye.  Multiple processes of tying and dipping create complex colours and  shapes. Afterwards the dyed strands are woven with a uniform cross weave and then  may be  embellished  with  supplementary embroidery,  shells or beadwork.

Ikat weaving has a long history in Eastern Indonesia being introduced from Vietnamese, Dong-Son culture  around 400 AD. Until recently, Sumban culture was based on weaving – as art, clothing, exchange (the cloths function like money  in a complex ‘kula’ gift system)  and  sacrifice (being ritually destroyed in burial ceremonies).

The  cloth’s importance was such that it was thought  that in  the  womb the foetus was offered either a sword  or  a weaving  stick and that its selection determined  its  sex (males taking the sword)18. The Sumban pieces use hybrid images  reflecting  the cultures of successive  waves  of invaders and the multiple contacts of an island, seafaring people.  Thus the works contain many imported motifs such as Chinese phoenixes, Dutch lions, and Arab horses.

This work was readily adaptable to Rish’s own imagery. So, in 1993, he travelled to Sumba and, in  Kalu village, found  weavers  Umbu Augustinus  Tonga Retang and Rambu Monika Uru Emu, to make work for  me. His designs use adaptations of local motifs combined with those from other weaving cultures.