Traditional Batak textiles will be showcased at an exhibition specially designed to attract the youth.
number of ulos (traditional Batak textiles) will be displayed at an exhibition at the Jakarta Textile Museum. Kompas.com has reported that the exhibition will run from Sept. 20 to Oct. 7. It will carry the theme of “Ulos, Hangoluan & Tondi”.
The items displayed are from the private collections of Devi Pandjaitan and Kerri Na Basaria.
“Hangoluan means life and Tondi means soul. The theme explains that an ulos textile is a depiction of the life and soul of the Batak community,” Devi Pandjaitan told Kompas.com on Friday, Sept. 14.
In order to make the exhibition appealing to the youth, the exhibition organizers collaborated with young interior designer Mita Lukardi.
The ulos showcased will be displayed in decorated installations featuring stories about the phases of life.
“One of the exhibition’s modern installations is an ulos motif on rattan textile spanning 25 meters in length,” said Devi.
Read also: Textile collector contributes Balinese batik to Jakarta exhibit
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said ulos was something Indonesia as a whole took pride in.
“Ulos are not only meaningful in the Batak tradition, but are also representations of Mother Nature. Batak women in the past were proud to weave, wear and pass their ulos down to their family members as heirlooms,” said Arief.
The minister added that ulos textiles were not easily ruined by heat or rain, and that they were also part of the heritage of one of Asia’s oldest civilizations.
The ulos exhibition is expected to help preserve the tradition, and instill love for the textile in the hearts of the youth. (mut)
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