Bandung Batik

There are several cities in Indonesia that are renowned for their batik, namely Pekalongan, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, and Cirebon. Each of those cities has their own unique batik motifs that can be identified as their own.

Not being a city that is traditionally associated with batik, Bandung is not generally known as a batik center, much less a city with its own batik tradition and motifs. But Bandung does have its own batik tradition and unique motifs.

There is no historical record that says exactly when Bandung batik began to exist. But currently the term Bandung batik (or Batik Bandung in Indonesian) is usually associated with particular motifs that were introduced and promoted by Hasanuddin, a lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), in the late 1970s. His Bandung batik's motifs generally combine geometric patterns and a variety of traditonal design elements adopted from traditional batik motifs from other parts of Indonesia.

Hasanuddin established his own batik studio and shop in 1980 and has, since then, been actively creating and promoting a unique characteristic of Bandung batik. The studio, called Batik Hasan (located at Cigadung Timur in the northeast of the city), is also an important batik learning center where visitors who are interested in learning to make batik can take workshops in the art of batik making.

The above photo is taken and contributed by Myke Jeanneta, a housewife and a photography anthusiast who lives in Bandung. Thanks, Myke.

Gift and Souvenir Hawkers at Cihampelas Street

Gift and souvenir hawkers/street vendors at Cihampelas Street.

A Leisurely Game of Chess

A Malaysian visitor observing how often he found people playing chess on the streets of Bandung once commented in his blog post that the people of Bandung seem to like playing chess a lot. I don't know if it is true, but his observation is quite accurate.

These two men are leisurely playing a game of chess after the busy morning is over in front of their shops at Ciroyom.